‘It’s unusual I know,’ Freddy said again, reading her mind.

‘Fair play to them.’

‘Anyway, how are you feeling?’ Freddy asked. ‘I’ve had years to get my head around all of this, but you’ve only just found out. It must have been a shock.’

‘I’m not really sure how I feel,’ Katie confessed. ‘I’m upset, I’m angry. With Dad of course, but also with Mum for keeping it from me. And even a bit with her for standing by him after he betrayed her like that. I dunno, I feel like my whole life has been a complete lie.’

Freddy nodded sympathetically. ‘I get that. But for your mum to forgive your dad for something like that, to be able to move past it, that takes strength not weakness.’

He has a point, she thought grudgingly. ‘I know, it’s just, well, it’s a bit messed up.’

‘Have your parents always seemed happy to you?’

‘I’ve never really thought about it before,’ Katie said, ‘they were just normal parents. But yes, thinking about it now, they have always been happy as far as I know.’

‘And have they been good parents to you?’

Katie thought back over the last few years, to her mum spending hours each evening helping her prepare for her university interviews, making her endless cups of tea while she studied, comforting her when she was feeling sad, tired or overwhelmed. Supporting her one hundred per cent without ever putting any pressure on her. And to her dad, picking her up from parties at midnight without so much as a murmur of complaint about having to stay up so late for her. Ferrying her to and from friends’ houses. Working extra hours to pay for her university tuition. Crying when she got the unconditional offer from Oxford.

‘The best,’ she said.

‘So from where I’m sitting, you’ve had a happy upbringing with parents who adore you, and each other, and now you’re at one of the best universities in the world, about to start the most exciting chapter of your life. Fuck the drama and move on.’

‘You’re not studying psychology by any chance, are you?’

‘Medicine.’

‘Oh excuse me, Dr Taylor.’

‘Quite right. If you call me anything else, I simply won’t respond.’

She looked across at him. ‘Thanks for listening, I appreciate it.’

‘Any time, Brennan.’

No one had called her Brennan before and she liked it. She smiled at him, feeling shy. He really was incredibly attractive. And easy to talk to. And not as cocky as she’d assumed. There was a connection between them, she felt, maybe because of their shared history. Or was it something else? She wondered if he had a girlfriend. What am I thinking? I barely know the boy and whichever way you look at it he’s bad news. And anyway, a boy like him would never go for a girl like me.

She drained her spritzer and stood up. ‘I’d better be off.’

‘No worries,’ he said. ‘I’ll walk you back to your college.’