Abbey hadn’t disclosed much about herself to her classmates. They knew she had a labrador, Sally, but that was about all she had mentioned. What they didn’t know was that she was married. She wore her ring on a chain around her neck, under her top. It wasn’t for the world to see, it was for her to have close to her heart. Her relationship was no one else’s business. She would have to speak to Parker about the professor. It was nice having someone she could trust on her side. Them against the world. She would talk to him now, not wait until later. He was at home. To the outside world Abbey was vulnerable, alone, quiet and timid. They didn’t know that she had someone in her corner, and not just anyone either. Someone brilliant, someone resourceful, someone ready to die for her. Ready to kill for her.

She unlocked the door to their home to be greeted by Sally, tail thumping against the ground in excitement.

‘You’re home early,’ Parker said, appearing in the hallway in his vest and boxers a few seconds after her arrival, a smile across his face. She would never tire of that smile, of his face. He had a paintbrush in his hand and splatters of green paint on his legs. He was painting the hall a dark mossy colour.

‘I bumped into my genetics professor again.’ She scrunched her mouth up, like a shrug without shrugging. Was she making a big deal of this? Too late now, she had said it out loud.

‘Again?’ He picked up on the word. ‘How many times is that?’ He put the towel on the console table and folded his arms.

‘Seven. I don’t think it’s right. There’s something quite strange about him; I can’t explain it.’

She had been nervous about telling Parker and had waited until she was sure that it was more than just a coincidence. Knowing who her husband was and what he had done in the past meant she had to think carefully before telling him her concerns. She was sure though, after careful consideration, that Professor Coley’s intentions were not innocent. She wasn’t about to let him ruin her happy ever after. They had been here in Bristol for a few months now; Parker had bought a small three-bedroom house with some of the money he had left from his inheritance. He had been left a large sum when his grandfather died. They had a second chance; she wanted everything to work out.

‘You think he’s following you?’

‘That’s silly, isn’t it? Why would he follow me?’ she said, even though that was exactly what she had thought, too.

‘I could look into it. You need to trust your instincts. Tell me now if you want me to check it out.’

Abbey knew that when it came down to it she could look after herself, but she relished the fact that she didn’t have to any more. She had also learned to listen to that part of her that told her something was wrong, and something about Coley was setting her alarm bells off. She had closed a big part of herself off when she left university the first time, after the attack. Parker had found that part of her, she had trusted him with it and he hadn’t betrayed that trust. She had never spoken about what had happened at the university, what she had been through. It didn’t seem to matter; he had been through enough horrors of his own and so she kept her secret. None of those things in the past mattered any more. From the moment they accepted their feelings for each other it was like the rest of the world came second, all that mattered was their little world and keeping each other safe. She knew that Parker didn’t have the same boundaries as other people, but that wasn’t his fault. He would never hurt anyone again, though, not unless they really deserved it.