Her daughter immediately backed down. ‘Forget about it, Mum, just leave me alone.’

‘No, you started this so you can finish it. What do you mean?’

‘Let’s just say that he looks like he’s been having far more fun with Sophie on this holiday than with you, that’s all I’m saying.’

It was a low blow but it hit the spot. Angie glared at Indie before turning around and storming out of her room, as though she were the petulant teenager. In her own room she sat down on the side of the bed and realised that she was shaking. What the hell had just happened? All she had wanted to do was comfort her distressed daughter, assuming she’d be soothing her over a silly row with a friend or boyfriend. Instead, Indie had all but told her that she was a terrible, selfish mother and an even worse wife whose husband preferred the company of her best friend. And worse still, instead of brushing it off as the untrue and impulsive words of an angry teenager, she had let them get to her, to infect her with their venom.

Her feelings of doubt and insecurity came flooding back, as though they’d been waiting in the sidelines the whole time for their opportunity to return. And they came thick and fast now as she tried to process her daughter’s words. Was her whole life a lie? Did everyone pretend they adored her when they actually hated her? Were they talking about her behind her back?

She thought of Jack and Sophie. Surely nothing was going on. Jack would never do that to her, Sophie would never do that to her – would she? She shook her head, trying to physically remove the idea from her mind. No, it wasn’t possible.

‘Angie, are you up there?’ Jack was calling her now. She’d better go down before they realised something was wrong. She stood up shakily and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked pale, despite her tan. She’s just a teenage girl, lashing out at the closest person, she told herself. You always hurt the ones you love. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Trying to force the row out of her mind, she put some lipstick and bronzer on and made her way down the stairs.

‘All okay?’ Jack asked, glancing up at her.

‘Indie’s in a mood,’ she told him. ‘She won’t tell me why.’

Jack stood up from the sofa. ‘I’ll have a word.’

‘She won’t talk to you,’ Angie called out to his retreating back but he simply turned, gave her a wink and carried on walking.

He emerged half an hour later with the full story. Indie’s boyfriend, Noah, had been caught snogging another girl and the photo was all over social media. Everyone was talking about it and a few hours ago, Noah had sent her a brief text:

we’re ovr.

‘She feels humiliated and she thinks that everyone is laughing at her behind her back, which to be fair, they probably are,’ Jack explained. ‘It turns out that the group of girls she hangs out with have been fairly bitchy of late and she’s feeling excluded.’