8
Evie had no idea how long Douglas had been sitting on the side of her bed, watching her. As she became aware of his presence, her first emotion was relief. He’d come back. He hadn’t abandoned her. He was still her husband. These thoughts were rapidly followed by the realisation why he was there – that all he wanted of her was to give him a child. No doubt in a few minutes he would begin doing again the thing he’d done to her last time, causing her pain, while at the same time reinforcing her loneliness. There was no point getting upset – she’d signed up for this with her eyes open. Douglas hadn’t lied to her; he’d always made it clear exactly where the cards fell. She could have walked away. She’d chosen not to do so.
‘What’s the time?’ she asked.
‘Just before eleven. I wasn’t sure yo
