I couldn’t face going back into the office for a whole week after I’d been mugged, and when I did I was scared of the crowds pushing and shoving around me, scared of anyone who so much as bumped into me. It seemed as if my scars marked me out as someone who could no longer look after herself, and I don’t want to spend my life swamped by hostile strangers and delinquent children who care nothing about me. I’ve never felt frightened in London before, but I do now and I don’t want to be here any longer. I want to belong somewhere—somewhere quiet, surrounded by friends, where my life will have a purpose. And I know with every ounce of my being that I’m no longer capable of being a city girl—four cruel teenage boys have beaten the last vestiges of it out of me.

I feel terrible about deceiving Jake, as he’s clucked around me like a mother hen, trying to prove that he’s wonderful husband material. And the fact that he thinks he can change my mind by sheer will and a few well-cooked meals has almost broken my heart. But, the fact of the matter is, as soon as he was out of the house, I’ve been on the internet planning and plotting my escape behind his back. I’m not proud of it, but I know that it’s what I have to do. I turn my attention back to Monica.

‘I’m doing it for charity,’ I offer meekly.

‘Oh yeah?’ My friend looks singularly unimpressed. ‘Couldn’t you just stick a few quid in a collecting box like everyone else does?’

On the internet, I’ve found a voluntary organisation, Teacher Placements in Nepal, that will—unsurprisingly, given their name—arrange a teaching post for me in Nepal. They’ll provide me with accommodation and all the training I need to get started. All I have to do is raise an awful lot of money as soon as I possibly can.

‘I need two thousand pounds, Mon.’

‘And that guarantees your placement?’

‘Yes.’ I cringe slightly. ‘And I’m looking to you lot to provide it.’

‘Ooo,’ my boss says. ‘Then we’d better set up some kind of sponsored drinking session pretty quickly. That’ll be the fastest way to raise money round here.’

‘You’re a very understanding boss,’ I say, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

‘And I’m a very concerned friend,’ she says, puffing out a sigh. ‘Are you sure you’re doing this for the right reasons?’