But she had things to do so she poured herself a glass of water, opened up her emails and got on with her work, just like she had always done, all her life, no matter what it threw at her.

But she found she could no longer concentrate. It was different this time and she was unable to brush everything under the carpet. The guilt had started eating away at her and Jack had noticed and kept asking her what was wrong. She had no idea what to say to him. She could hardly accuse him of having affairs when the only proof she had of any indiscretion was that of her own. And as for Sophie, she could barely look the woman in the eye. So she started avoiding her, finding excuses as to why she couldn’t stop for a chat whenever she popped round. Seeing the disappointment on her friend’s face, which was later replaced with hurt when Sophie realised she was getting the brush-off, Angie felt even more wretched. The fact that they were neighbours was a fitting punishment for her crime, a relentless reminder of what a terrible person she was.

For a while she worried that Alan would crack under the pressure and confess everything to Sophie. She waited for her to appear at her back door, hammering it down and launching herself at Angie like a feral animal. Sometimes she woke up in the night in a cold sweat thinking that Sophie was in her room, watching her. But as the days, then weeks, went by and nothing happened, she began to breathe. If he was going to do it, he’d have done it by now. Their secret was safe. They had got away with it without hurting anyone but themselves.

At least that’s what she’d thought.

But then her daughter, her flesh and blood, the girl she had conceived, carried, birthed, loved and nurtured for thirteen years, had somehow found out about it and had set out to destroy her. And by the time she realised what she was up to, it was too late.

17

At first, Sophie had laughed. She had actually laughed. When Indie had made her New Year’s toast, she had assumed that it was some sort of outlandish joke and had instinctively chuckled in response because that’s what you do with jokes. I don’t get it, though, she thought.

Perhaps Indie was trying to cause a rift between her mother and father? She looked at Angie and Jack who were gaping at each other. Well she’s certainly done that. Sophie was momentarily cross that the girl had dragged poor Alan into it. She glanced at him for reassurance, but he wouldn’t meet her eye. And that’s when it hit her. This wasn’t a joke at all.

‘What the fuck is going on?’ Jack asked. She couldn’t have put it better herself.

She continued staring at Alan in disbelief but he had his head buried in his hands and refused to look up, to look at her. Apparently, he had lost his voice as well as his fucking mind. She turned to Angie who had sat down on the edge of a sofa.