‘Look, Sophie,’ Angie began, ‘for what it’s worth, I really am so terribly sorry for everything that happened. I was the worst friend, the worst neighbour, the worst possible human being to you. I hate myself for what I did to you.’

‘I appreciate you saying that,’ Sophie replied.

‘I know it’s no excuse or consolation, but I was in a very dark place back then. It took me too long to get the help I needed and I’ll always regret that. I don’t ever expect you to forgive me but I want you to know that you coming here today means the world to me. You’re an incredible woman, Sophie Brennan. I’ve always thought it and now I’m even more certain of it.’

Sophie was taken aback by Angie’s show of emotion, something that she knew didn’t come naturally to her, or at least not to the old Angie.

‘I hated you,’ she admitted. ‘For months, I really hated you. I thought how can a person do that to someone? I never thought I would get past what you did. But it was all such a long time ago now and we’re very different people. I don’t hate you anymore, Angie, so don’t waste time hating yourself. It’s simply not worth it.’

To her surprise, Angie burst into tears. ‘Oh, Sophie, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.’

Sophie put her hand over Angie’s, feeling an overwhelming urge to comfort her. This visit was turning out to be even stranger than she’d imagined.

‘I’ve wanted to contact you so many times over the years,’ Angie continued.

‘I would have told you to piss off,’ Sophie admitted.

Angie laughed through her tears. ‘I’d have deserved it.’

‘I was sorry to hear about you and Jack though, I really was. I always wondered, over the years, if you’d stayed together or not.’

‘Our marriage was in trouble long before all this happened. The problem was that we never dealt with it, we just put our heads down and ploughed on. We didn’t realise how bad it had got until it was too late. The affair toppled us but we’d been wobbly for years.’

‘I had no idea.’

‘We hid it well,’ Angie said. ‘Too well. That was the problem. I learned the hard way that keeping things in is always going to end badly.’ She blew her nose and started shredding the tissue with her hands. ‘After it all happened, I finally got some help. I went to the doctor, got a prescription for antidepressants, started seeing a counsellor. I got a job with a new firm which was more family friendly. Gradually I got my life back on track. But me and Jack, I think we were beyond saving. We married because we were madly in love but that alone is not always enough to keep you going forever.’

‘Are you happy though, Angie? Have you been okay?’

‘I’ve been fine,’ Angie said. Then she looked up at Sophie. ‘Well, I’ve been having a bit of a hard time recently.’