‘I’m an orphan like you. My mum died a few years back and I never knew my dad. It’s just me and my sister, Liv.’

‘I’ll have to meet her so I can unearth all your childhood secrets,’ Faith teased.

‘I don’t see as much of her as I’d like,’ he replied. When Faith tipped her head, he added, ‘She moved to Canada years ago.’

‘Then it must have been hard not having her around when you lost Erin. What about her family? Do you keep in touch with them?’

His mouth twisted. ‘We didn’t exactly see eye to eye.’

‘I know how that feels,’ Faith sympathised. ‘There were arguments galore after Derek died, starting with the funeral arrangements and going on from there.’

‘Over the will?’

There was the briefest of pauses, but enough time for Nick to realise he had overstepped the mark.

‘Sorry,’ he said, ‘I didn’t mean to pry.’

‘You can ask what you like, just don’t expect me to always answer,’ Faith said honestly. ‘I do believe we were talking about you. Why did you and Erin’s family fall out?’

‘When she became ill, her family took over and I had to take a step back.’

‘You mean you were pushed away?’ When Nick didn’t answer, Faith lifted his hand and threaded her fingers through his so she could scrutinise the bare flesh of his wedding finger. ‘Did you not consider getting married? It might have put you in a stronger position.’

‘We had talked about it, but it never happened.’

‘You could have tied the knot on her deathbed,’ insisted Faith. If he had loved Erin as much as he claimed, how could he allow an overbearing family to confine him to the sidelines?

‘We wanted our wedding to be when she was full of life, not when she was sick and dying,’ he whispered. It was his turn to look up at the ceiling. ‘The important thing is she was with people she loved. She knew how I felt. That was enough for me.’

‘Wait, are you saying you weren’t there when she died?’

When he shook his head, Faith unknotted their hands. She knew when something didn’t feel right.

Nick propped himself up onto his elbow and Faith found she was looking up at him again. ‘Like you, I’ve learnt some hard life lessons that have made me stronger,’ he said. ‘Losing Erin changed me.’

‘How?’

‘My priorities for one thing,’ he said. ‘I like to work hard, but it shouldn’t be all-consuming. I admire everything you’ve achieved, Faith, but your reward shouldn’t be to spend the rest of your life locked away in a lab.’