Sophie sits stunned at her desk. The colleague she shares an office with – a studious, mousy woman with a fondness for crocheted animals – is fortunately at lectures, thus saving Sophie from having to maintain any semblance of normality.

Her fingers rest in her lap; a cup of herbal tea sits cold in front of her. She runs through their old life in her head, looking for clues of Finn’s drinking. These last few months had been different – with Dr Sharp there, he had been busier than ever, more distracted. But Sophie was used to playing second fiddle to his work, and that had always been fine.

She desperately wants a joint. Something to take the edge off how she’s feeling. But Robin Butler is still hanging around, and she doesn’t trust him not to arrest her. If she gets caught consuming the very substances she’s supposed to be researching, she’ll have her licence taken away. She’ll be thrown out of the university, and then her life really will be over.

There’s a soft tap on the door and her PhD supervisor pokes her head round.

‘Sophie?’ she says. ‘I thought I saw your light on. I heard about Finn, I’m sorry. How are you?’

‘I’m…’ Sophie’s not sure how to answer that question. ‘I’m doing okay,’ she manages after a pause.

‘Why don’t you take some time off? Be with Finn?’

Sophie’s already been to the hospital to see him this morning and sat next to his bed while he slept. When he was awake, he was dull – little movement or thought, like some part of his brain was missing.

She doesn’t like to admit it but being around Finn makes it all worse. While she’s here, she can pretend her life is normal. That he is at the lab across the road, and they’ll go for dinner tonight, maybe out with some friends.

‘That’s okay. I want to keep busy,’ Sophie replies.

‘I can handle everything here.’

‘But there’s that funding application you wanted doing. And the results from the second study to look at, and—’

‘I insist,’ her supervisor says firmly. ‘Take a fortnight off. At least.’ She gives a final smile and leaves Sophie alone.

Slowly, Sophie shuts down her computer and puts her stuff in her bag. Then she pauses, paying attention to the twitch at the back of her mind. Being so close to the lab creates a pull, reinforcing her desire to find out what was going on behind those innocuous four walls. What might have caused Finn to be where he is today.