The pictures I took of Daniel are still on my phone; I scroll through them all the time. I’m looking at them now as I sit in the garden at my parents’ house on an unseasonably warm April day at the start of the Easter holidays.

My eyes prickle with tears and my breathing slows as I stare at the image of him standing next to his easel, paintbrush in his hand.

It’s been incredibly hard trying to make some sort of life without him. Becca and I couldn’t bear to stay on in the cottage. We couldn’t bear to look over the hedge into next door’s garden and not see Ben kicking his soccer ball or Daniel leaning one of his paintings against the outside wall.

Within a month I told Eleri we wanted to go home to Wales. She tried to persuade me otherwise… only without much conviction. I’d come clean to her about how deep my feelings for Daniel had been, how passionate our relationship was.

During those first several weeks, I’d nursed the secret hope he’d try and thrust himself back into my life.

It was also my worst fear.

I knew it would be impossible to reject him a second time, but I needed to put my daughter first.

I sigh to myself; I’ve changed my phone number and email address, so he wouldn’t have been able to contact me… even if he has tried.

What we had between us is over.

Unequivocally over.

My soul is empty without him, but I know it’s for the best.

Best for Becca.

I’ve carried on trying to be a good mum to her, aiming to reduce the trauma from being kidnapped by talking it over, and reassuring her that nothing like that will ever happen to her again.

Not if I can help it.

She misses Ben, I know she does; she asks me questions about him all the time. Questions to which I have no answer like, is he okay, where has he gone, will she ever see him again. I gave her a condensed version of why he and his dad had to leave, an explanation she seems to have accepted.

I live my life on auto-pilot now… getting her up, giving her breakfast, taking her to the same school I attended when I was a kid. She’s settled in fine, thankfully; she has Josh’s easy-going nature and not even being parted from Ben shortly after being kidnapped has affected her equilibrium. Maybe being surrounded by close-knit family has helped, and the fact that Josh’s parents spoil her rotten.

They finally told me they’ve decided to move on, though, and are upping stakes to relocate to their dream home in Florida. The cost of flights has come down, they said, and they’ll help us pay the fare to visit as often as we can. Becca can’t wait; she’s attracted by the prospect of visits to Orlando, of course…

In the meantime, I need to find somewhere to rent. Staying at Mum and Dad’s is only an interim measure. I’ve been looking for a small house in Wyemouth but haven’t found anywhere suitable yet.

Sighing, I bend down to rub Toby’s ears. He gives my hand a lick.

Suddenly, his body goes rigid.

He jumps up and unleashes a volley of loud barking fit to wake the dead.

“Catrin?” I hear the deep voice before I see the man.

The hair stands up on the back of my neck.

Can it be…?

My fingers touch my parted lips and I leap to my feet.

A tall, broad-shouldered figure advances across the lawn.

I screw up my eyes to get a better look.

Shock wheels through me and I grab hold of Toby’s collar.

What the hell is Gleb doing here?

“Nice to see you, Catrin.” His voice purrs.

“Well, this is a surprise.”

My knees are in danger of giving way, so I sit back down. “How did you find me?”

“I went to Aldridge first. They wouldn’t tell me where you’d gone.” He lifts a brow. “But I remembered my brother saying you were from here.” He laughs and plops down in the chair next to mine. “I stopped off at a pub in the town and asked if anyone knew you. It was as easy as that…”

I can imagine a bar girl falling for his cocky charm.

Not this girl, though…

“Why are you here?” I come straight out with it.

His electrifying blue eyes suddenly assume an anxious look. “I came to ask for your help. It’s to do with Alexei…”

“Oh, my God. What’s happened?” I gasp.

“He’s not coping. And Ben is going off the rails.”

Gleb’s voice is filled with so much raw emotion it fills me with dread.

“Where is he? Are he and Ben safe?” My lips tremble around the words.

Gleb leans back in his chair. He tells me they’re in Colorado, assures me the place is off the beaten track, and that those perusing him have no connections with the area. Then he goes on to describe what Daniel’s life is like now. How he’s drinking. How his parenting skills have gone down the tube.

I’m so shocked I can’t even begin to formulate a response.

“He loves you, Catrin,” Gleb adds. “And so does his son. I’m telling you this for a reason. I’d like you to come back with me. Bring Becca. Ben told me about her, how she’s his best friend.” Gleb fixes his extraordinary eyes on my face. “I’m worried how they’re gonna end up.”

“What… what do you mean?” I splutter.

“Alexei might drink himself into oblivion and Ben might be expelled from school.”

I can’t think straight. All I can say is, “How can I afford the air fares?”

“That’s all taken care of.” He spreads his hands apart. “You’re both booked to travel with me on tomorrow’s British Airways flight. All I need is your passport details.”

I’m being railroaded into this.

I clench and unclench my fists. “You presume too much.” My heart is still fragile... it could easily be broken again. “I won’t put myself and Becca in a position where we could get hurt like before.”

His eyes squint. “What about Alexei? Don’t you care about him?”

I huff out a breath. “I don’t know the man you’re referring to. Alexei is a stranger to me.”

Gleb sucks his cheeks in. “But you know Daniel. I guess I should stop referring to him as Alexei. He told me how close you were. How you helped heal his brokenness.”

Gleb’s words pierce me, but I need to resist.

For Becca’s sake.

“I don’t think it would be fair on our kids to show up and then leave again. Which I’ll need to do as my life is here.”

“You’ve heard of long-distance relationships?” Gleb leans forward. “If you two reconnect, and Ben and Becca do likewise, you can be in touch on a daily basis via the internet.” He smirks. “You could also visit as often as you liked.”

I’m still not convinced.

“Daniel broke my trust,” I say to Gleb. “He deceived me.”

His eyes lock with mine. “Let me explain what really happened.”

I nod hesitantly and poke my finger at him. “Just don’t lie to me.”

He grabs my finger and hooks his pinkie around it. “I promise.”

I listen open-mouthed as he tells me about his family. I don’t know much about what went on in Russia after the fall of communism, nor about the current regime’s almost certain links with organised crime, and I’m totally speechless.

“Alexei… I mean Daniel… thought he was doing the right thing by blowing the whistle on the money laundering.” Gleb’s full lips twist. “He had no clue how reckless he was being. No clue how deeply our father was involved. No clue Eric was lying to him about me.”

“So, it wasn’t just Victoria’s murder that broke him?” I ask.

Gleb shrugs. “Daniel is a good man. Oftentimes, he hides behind a brutish exterior as he’s basically an introvert.” Gleb’s smile is ironic. “Papa was the same.”

I scrunch up my face. “What about Ben?”

“Ben could turn out more like me.” Gleb’s grin is wolfish. “He needs you and Becca to ground him.”

Gleb stares into my eyes, beseechingly.

Poor little Ben, bereft and acting up.

I’d go to the ends of the earth to help him, I realise that now.

I just hope I can be of some use.

“Alright,” I say, pushing myself to my feet. “I’ll tell Mum, Dad and Becca. Then I’d better start packing.” I pause for a moment. “I hope you’ve booked us return flights. Becca needs to go back to school in two weeks’ time.”

Gleb holds up his hands. “I’ll show you the booking, if you like.” He reaches for his phone.

“Where are you staying?” I ask, after I’ve checked he’s told me the truth.

“At the Riverside.”

The best hotel in Wyemouth.

Of course.

“I’d invite you and your family to eat with me,” he says. “But jet lag has wiped me out and I really need to get some shut-eye.”

“That’s okay. We need to have an early night too.” I scroll through my phone for our passport details. I show them to him and he makes a note.

“Our flight leaves for Denver shortly before three in the afternoon.” He gives a relieved smile. “With the seven-hour time difference, we’ll arrive at five thirty. I’ll drive us up to Daniel’s place.”

We make arrangements for him to pick Becca and me up straight after breakfast. Then, like a thief in the night, he stalks across the lawn towards the road.

Toby looks up from where he’s lying by my feet. His long pink tongue lolls out of the side of his mouth, and he gives me a reproachful look.

I scratch the top of his furry head. “Yeah, I know. I’m crazy. But I can’t help it.”