‘He’s leaving! Going back to Dubai,’ Alicia said, turning in disbelief to Jessica, having worriedly read her incoming text from Paul Radley.

Her wine glass halfway to her mouth, Jessica eyed her with surprise. ‘Really?’

‘Apparently.’ Joining her at the kitchen table, Alicia hesitated, then said, ‘He suggested we should meet before he goes.’ She inhaled a tight breath.

Jessica furrowed her brow. ‘Why?’

‘He has some things he wants me to give to Sophie, so he says. I have no idea what things.’

‘And are you going to meet him? Jessica searched her face, her expression curious. She was probably wondering why she’d even read the text.

Alicia had almost deleted it, but as she’d actually been expecting threats in regard to Sophie, she’d thought better of it, thinking she needed to prepare herself as to what those threats might be. Some attempt at custody, or at the very least access rights, she’d thought. Now, she wasn’t sure what to think. She felt utterly bewildered. And very wary. Would he really just go?

‘I think I’ve said all I have to say to him.’ She sighed wearily. ‘I can’t help wondering what the catch is. Why he would just decide to leave, after going to such great lengths to tear my marriage apart?’

‘You don’t know that he’s done that yet, Ali.’ Looking at her sympathetically, Jess downed her glass and reached for her hand. ‘If you are thinking of meeting him, though, you should really let Justin know. If he finds out—’ She stopped as Alicia’s phone rang.

It was Justin’s ringtone, as if he knew he was under discussion. Realising it was much later than he would normally call, Alicia immediately jumped up to snatch it up from the work surface. ‘Justin?’ she said, glancing nervously back at Jess. ‘Has something happened?’

‘Sorry,’ Justin said quickly, ‘I should have thought. Calling you at a different time was bound to worry you.’

‘It’s fine,’ Alicia said, her eyes filling up. Only a truly special man would worry about her at all under the circumstances. ‘Are you all right?’

Topping up her glass, Jessica picked up her own phone and made a face at her, indicating she was off to make one of the many calls she preferred to do in private. Vaguely, Alicia wondered whether there might be a new man in her life. A man she was possibly avoiding bringing home, thanks to her sister moving in with baggage by the trunkful.

‘As all right as I can be,’ Justin answered. ‘I just wanted to check you were.’

Now Alicia was definitely taken aback. ‘Yes,’ she said. ‘Ish. Why?’

‘No specific reason. It’s just…’ Justin faltered. ‘The things I see when I’m out walking – homeless people, young people,’ he went on tiredly. ‘It gets to me sometimes, to be honest.’

Immediately empathising, Alicia’s stomach wrenched as she imagined how affected he must be, the things that must inevitably go through his mind. Witnessing such things in her job, they went through hers too, causing her to tear herself from the warm bed in which she lay sleeplessly every night. And then, for fear of waking Jess, she would end up standing silently, gazing uselessly out of the window, where the images would only be starker. Justin was in the thick of it. She doubted he would even bother to lie down at night half the time. ‘Do you want to talk?’ she asked him, tentatively, wondering whether there was anything specific troubling him.

Justin sighed. ‘No, not really. I think I just needed to hear a familiar voice,’ he said. And then went quiet.

Unable to bring himself to talk more, Alicia guessed, to someone he’d once trusted implicitly with his inner feelings and who’d so badly deceived him.

‘So, are you back at work?’ he asked her, changing the subject.

‘No.’ Alicia sighed, despairing of her apparent inadequacy on all fronts. ‘I tried, but I couldn’t handle it. The children…’ She left it there, guessing he would understand what she meant. ‘I’m keeping busy though. I’ve set up a Twitter account and a “Find Sophie” Facebook page. I thought it might be a good way for people to communicate anything that might help, any likely sightings. I also thought that if her friends wanted to message us privately for any reason…’ She trailed off, realising Justin would gather what she meant there, too.

‘Good idea,’ he said. And went quiet again.

Alicia waited, sensing there was something else he needed to say.

‘Can I ask you something?’ he asked, after what seemed like an eternity.

Alicia felt a prickle of apprehension run through her. ‘Yes, obviously.’

‘Radley,’ he said, causing Alicia’s insides to turn over. ‘You said he’d had no contact with Sophie, right?’

‘Yes,’ Alicia said quickly. ‘I mean, no. He hasn’t, as far as I’m aware. Why?’

Justin breathed in long and hard. ‘It seems he has.’

What? A million emotions assaulting her, Alicia felt her legs turn to rubber beneath her. ‘He’s spoken to her?’ she whispered. She had to see him. She headed for the hall. Went back for her keys. Why hadn’t he mentioned—

‘He rang her. Just once, according to Taylor,’ said Justin. ‘She’s staying with a friend. She didn’t say where.’

‘When?’ Alicia asked, feeling desperate. She needed to do… something.

‘Two days ago, apparently,’ Justin said. ‘Alicia… did you give him her number?’ He paused, giving her a few seconds as she tried to assimilate the information. ‘Did you give him Sophie’s number?’

‘No! I wouldn’t. Why would I have?’

Justin’s silence spoke volumes.

‘Justin, I didn’t. I swear to God, I didn’t,’ Alicia repeated, tears streaming down her cheeks, the phone clutched tight to her ear. ‘I don’t want him to have access to her. He must have got it from my phone, or from someone else. Please believe me,’ she begged.

‘I have to go,’ Justin said, over another tight intake of breath. ‘We should talk,’ he added.

‘About?’ Alicia asked fearfully.

‘Things,’ Justin replied vaguely. ‘At some point, I mean. Take care, Alicia.’

He signed off, leaving Alicia emotionally floundering. The ‘things’ he wanted to talk about were presumably to do with their marriage. At ‘some point’ soon, she would have to face the reality that they would have no future together.

Hesitating for a second, Alicia steeled herself and then rang Paul Radley’s number, only to get his voicemail. After trying again minutes later, she grabbed the wine from the fridge. It would do nothing to anaesthetise her beyond the first alcohol-induced hour of total oblivion, after which she would end up going over and over things, until her recollection was more clouded than ever. Yet she needed it – needed somehow to try to numb the pain.

Did Justin believe she hadn’t passed Sophie’s number on to Paul? Why would he? He would never be able to trust anything she said ever again.

Draining half a glass in one, she topped it up again.

Why hadn’t Paul Radley rung her?