Jack had been asking her what was wrong. She tried to behave as though everything was fine, but it was becoming harder to hide her feelings. Sometimes she found herself staring at him with fury or flinching from his touch and he would look at her, hurt.

‘Have I done something to upset you?’ he would ask.

‘No it’s not you, I’m just tired,’ she always said.

‘I’m worried about you, Angie. I don’t think this new working pattern is helping. You’re trying to squeeze the same amount of work into less hours and it’s stressing you out. Perhaps you should consider going back to the old routine?’

‘I can’t do that, it’s not fair on the children. They’ve just got used to having me around. And anyway, I’m enjoying the school runs. And you’re busy on the new documentary.’

‘Look, I know you want to do everything, Angie, to please everyone, but sometimes you have to let things go. You’re not superhuman. None of us are.’

‘I do know that, Jack.’

‘But do you really? It’s very easy to spread yourself too thinly, you know.’

‘Jack, I’m fine.’ She could tell he wasn’t convinced but he didn’t challenge her further. And on top of that her work, her haven, was causing her problems too. Despite supporting her request for flexible working it was now becoming clear what they really thought about it. She was getting fewer of the juicy cases, being invited to fewer meetings, as though she was slowly being frozen out. Her dreams of becoming partner were rapidly falling by the wayside. Her new school year’s resolution to get a better work-life balance was working in theory but in practice it was benefitting neither part of her life. Everything was falling apart.

But she had to keep it together, she just had to. People relied on her. Her mum had just moved into sheltered accommodation and was having a difficult time settling in, so Angie was trying her best to make the place look homely and familiar. Christmas was around the corner and the children were counting on her to make it special as always. She had presents to buy and wrap, visits to arrange with family, panto tickets to order and, in a moment of sheer madness, she had offered to help out at the school’s winter fair too. And that was on top of her usual heavy workload. She would just have to brush everything under the carpet for now and get through the rest of the year. She’d deal with it all in the New Year.

At least Indie was on good form. She was being uncharacteristically nice to Angie, loving even. It was a relief not to be constantly treading on eggshells around her. They had gone shopping together a few days ago, just the two of them, and had a marvellous time. Angie guessed it was because her efforts to be around more over the last few months had paid off, allowing them to bond again. After two years of sulking, Indie was emerging from her cocoon and blossoming into a beautiful, thoughtful young lady. She was so proud of her, as she was of all her children. Whatever happened, they had to come first. And if that meant plastering on a smile and getting on with life for now, then so be it.