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Paula’s black Peugeot has gone from our driveway when I get home. Inside, the house is silent, and I wonder if she’s taken Max out somewhere. ‘Max? Are you here?’ My voice echoes into the empty hallway.
I slip off my coat and leave my bag on the side table, calling Max’s name again. My phone will give me the answers. But when I get to the living room and check the bookshelf, it’s not there.
‘Looking for this?’
I spin around to face my husband. He’s sitting on the armchair in the corner of the room, holding up my phone. It’s remarkable how quickly his strength is returning.
‘Oh, yeah. I left it behind by mistake. Why are you sitting over there? Isn’t the sofa more comfortable?’
‘It was recording,’ Max says, his eyes darker than usual, scrutinising me.
‘Was it? I must have accidentally pressed something.’ With my heart hammering, I walk over to him and hold out my hand.
He slowly places the phone in my palm. ‘You should be more careful. I might have needed to call you urgently.’
‘Thank goodness you didn’t. Are you hungry?’
‘No. Paula made me a sandwich.’
‘That was good of her,’ I say, heading into the kitchen.
‘I deleted it for you, by the way,’ he says.
Slowly I turn back to face him. ‘Oh? What?’
‘The video it was recording. You don’t need that clogging up your phone, do you?’
Sweat coats my palms and the backs of my knees. ‘Thanks.’
‘I’ll have coffee if you’re making it?’ Max smiles, but there’s no warmth in it.
In the kitchen, I scroll through my phone, just in case Max is lying. But the video is gone. Then I check through my messages, making sure there’s nothing on there that would alert him to what I’m doing. And what I know. But Taylor’s number is saved under the name ‘Kristina’, and I constantly delete my call log. There’s nothing he could have found out.
Taylor’s words force their way into my head.How do we know he’s really lost his memory?
I boil the kettle and fetch two mugs from the cupboard. I need to keep up the pretence of normality, or this all falls apart.
I carry the coffees through to the living room, and hand one to Max.
‘I’ll take mine upstairs,’ I say. ‘I’ve got some things I need to do on my laptop.’
‘Sit with me for a bit,’ Max says.
This is the last thing I want to do, but I do as he suggests.
‘How did it go with Paula?’
‘It went well. It was good to catch up on things. And Paula goes above and beyond for me.’ He smiles. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without her. She said she’s happy to come over any day after work if I need her.’
I study Max, desperately trying to read him. Either he’s lying to me about Paula, or she was misleading me, making me think she can’t stand being around him. Confusion clouds my mind, and I can’t see my way out.
I can’t trust anyone. Max. Paula. Even Taylor. That’s the only way I’ll get through this.
‘Remember when we first met?’ Max says. ‘I felt like I’d always known you. It’s funny how you can get that with some people, isn’t it? And others you know you’ll never connect with.’
I nod, unsure where he’s going with this.
‘And it’s funny how one person can be everything to you. Your whole world.’
