After my trip to the police station with Celia, I spend the rest of the day cleaning the house, running errands and speaking to my insurance company about the accident. I’m now going to lose my no-claims bonus and the insurance premium will probably go up, but there’s nothing I can do about it – the accident was my fault. Aside from the car, my head is buzzing with everything else. I keep replaying the moment I saw Dina today – that is, if it actually was her. Perhaps I’ve got it wrong. Sergeant Graham never called me, so they obviously had no luck spotting my sister. Maybe their record checks will yield some information in the next few days.

Normally, if any unusual situation occurs in my life, the first person I would tell would be Toby. I’d have rung him at work, and he’d have made me feel better about it. Today, I didn’t tell him any of it – not about the crash, not about seeing Dina, and not about going to the police station. I guess I’m still suspicious and angry with him since his lie. I don’t feel the same trust I did only a few days ago.

The children don’t go to after-school club on Mondays, so I’m picking them up at regular school-finishing time today, which is lovely as we get to spend extra time together. Often they’ll want to invite friends over to play, but I’m thinking that today when we get home, we can make some decorations for the tree. As I walk the short distance from the house to school, I’m thankful the rain has finally eased to a less aggressive steady drizzle. However, the pavement is icy in patches, and I feel like a baby giraffe as I pick my way carefully along, steadying myself against walls and lamp posts.

I’m dreading running into Madeline or Kim in the playground. Their daughters usually go to after-school club on Mondays, so hopefully I won’t see either of them. But if I do, I’m not sure whether I should try to initiate conversation and risk being ignored, or simply keep my head down and pretend I haven’t seen them. The way I’m feeling right now, I’d prefer the latter option, but I still need to speak to Madeline about the party preparations. She’s supposed to be collecting the cake from the bakery, and the balloons and decorations from the party store on Friday, but I’m not sure if she’s still on board with it all. I messaged her again to ask if she’d rather I did it, but she didn’t reply. And unless she gives me the receipts, I won’t be able to pick them up. All I need is a yes or no from her. Surely that’s not too much to ask.