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acknowledgement of an affair, and that frightened her.
    She didn’t know what to think about last night. The whole scenario had been so unreal, and so unlike anything she’d ever encountered with Alex, that now she could hardly believe it had occurred. And Julia was Mark’s girlfriend. How awkward would that make things in the future, if secrets weren’t laid out in the open. She imagined them all at the dinners and law balls and charity events and Christmas parties that would have to be faced together, and once again she saw Alex and Julia’s faces freezing as they looked at one another, and her stomach twisted.
    She stayed seated on the toilet, staring at the stick. Five minutes passed, then ten, and that positive blue symbol wouldn’t go away.
    Yep, she was pregnant all right. But the joy of yesterday had entirely disappeared.
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    After Chloe had wrapped up all the evidence and pushed it to the bottom of the toilet bin underneath a variety of detritus, she called the local surgery and made an appointment for Monday morning. She needed to hear she was pregnant from a doctor, not just a little white stick. Then she tried to concentrate on her work for a while, but it was pointless. Eventually, she took a deep breath and went to talk to Mark.
    At his open door she saw he was reading while eating a sandwich. Small pieces of lettuce were scattered over his papers, and as she watched he brushed them absently onto the floor.
    She knocked. ‘Mark?’
    â€˜I’m busy, Chloe.’
    God, you can be a self-important prick at times, Mark, she thought to herself. But she bit her lip and said instead, ‘I just need a second.’
    He sighed and looked up. ‘What is it?’
    â€˜About Julia …’ She had so many questions she didn’t know where to start.
    Mark was alert at once when he realised she was ready to talk. ‘What did Alex say to you?’
    â€˜Nothing as yet,’ she admitted reluctantly.
    â€˜Nothing? Didn’t you ask him?’
    â€˜Not really. He was upset, then my mother called, with her usual impeccable timing …’
    â€˜I couldn’t care less how upset he is. What I want to know is What Did He Do to Julia?’
    â€˜Why do you think he did something to her?’ Chloe defended, alarmed now. The thought had never crossed her mind. Alex wouldn’t, couldn’t harm anyone or anything, surely. ‘What if she did something to him?’
    â€˜I somehow doubt it.’
    â€˜This is ridiculous.’ Chloe’s patience was suddenly worn paper-thin. ‘Why don’t you just ask her? I certainly don’t intend to interrogate Alex for you. I trust him, Mark – not that I expect you to know about that, of course.’ She couldn’t help the bitterness creeping in and she was infuriated with herself.
    â€˜I can’t ask her, Chloe!’ Mark’s voice was oddly pitched. ‘I’ve only got a bloody address, and after last night I hardly feel welcome to pop round. So I expect I’ll never see her again, thanks to your fucking husband. Now, can I eat my lunch in peace?’
    Silently, Chloe headed for the door. She passed Jana on the way back to her office, which was next door to Mark’s, divided only by a small stationery cupboard. The partition walls were useless – you could hear any noise above normal speaking tone, and she knew that the gaggle of secretaries that formed the centre pool in the nucleus of surrounding offices had probably heard that last line, as she was un ceremoniously thrown out. Her cheeks burned, and she avoided looking at them. When she’d closed her own office door, she sat down and took deep breaths.
    Despite the confrontation, Mark’s last words had comforted her. What a fool she was. Why hadn’t she realised thatJulia and Mark weren’t necessarily in the kind of relationship he’d made it out to be? If he only had an address and had never