So she drifted through the weekend as if she were part of a still-perfect family. Her first priority was, of course, the girls, and so it was easier to paper over the deep ridges that for years had been cracking her marriage apart than it was to address them. She was actually pretty adept at it now.

Harry, in his wisdom, had seen fit to disregard the fact that he had fled his own party to drive Laura home. His infatuation with the woman sickened her. Janie had always known that, given a nod of encouragement, Harry would jump into bed with Laura, so in a way did it really matter if he had or not?

They played Scrabble with their daughters. Janie drove the girls to their respective events – ballet and drama classes on Saturday afternoon, two different parties on Sunday.

By Monday morning she was relieved to hear the click of the front door as Harry left for work. By the time she dropped the girls at school, her day ahead was supposed to give her the time to get her thoughts together – a clear space to think. But then, just as she was walking out of the school gate, Ella came running up behind her, yelling that she had forgotten her sports bag.

‘It wasn’t at home,’ Janie said.

‘No, it’s in the boot of Daddy’s car. Mummy, you have to get it,’ her daughter pleaded. ‘I need it for cricket this afternoon.’

‘I’ve got a hair appointment,’ she argued. ‘I can’t do it.’

‘You have to. Please. I don’t need it until two o’clock – you can get it by then.’

‘Fine,’ Janie sighed. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

‘Thanks, Mummy.’ Her daughter beamed and ran off, leaving Janie wishing she’d told Ella it was her responsibility to remember, because now it meant she would have to see Harry.

It was late morning when she walked out of the hairdresser’s and called her husband, leaving him a message to call her back. But by the time she reached the Morris & Wood offices she wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t heard from him.

Harry must have picked up the message only moments before she stepped out of the lift, because he fled across the floor as soon as he saw her. ‘I’ll go and get the bag,’ he said, grabbing her arm and steering her around as he jabbed a finger on a button to call back the lift, which was already descending to the ground floor.

If he wanted to get her away quickly, he was too late because the voice boomed out, calling her name. ‘Janie Wood! I was wondering if I’d get to see you.’