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“I know I don’t. But I love her.”

“If you loved her, you wouldn’t have fucked your intern and your fucking secretary.”

“Yeah, alright. I messed up, I know. You’re not exactly snow-white, are you?”

Alice narrowed her eyes. “Why are we having this conversation?”

Markus sighed. “I want to put things right with you, too.”

Alice stared out of the passenger window, willing this bullshit to be over.

“As you know, Maggie and I are going through counselling. I’m seeing a therapist, too. I’ll do whatever it takes to fix our marriage because I love your sister and I’m so sorry I hurt her.”

Alice turned and glared at him. “Good, because if you ever hurt her again, I’ll…”

Markus held up his hands. “I won’t. You have my word.”

“Fine. Can we go inside now, please?”

* * *

“Hey,you two were ages. Was the traffic bad?” Maggie greeted Alice with a hug and kiss and took the wine. “Ooh, you’ve bought the good stuff. Are we getting all fancy now that we’re hanging out with a doctor?”

“Oh, do shut up, Margaret.” Alice grinned.

Maggie ignored the swipe and turned to Markus, who held out the flowers to her.

“What’s this in aid of?”

“Can’t a chap bring his wife flowers from time to time?”

Alice scoffed, and Markus shot her a sheepish grin as Maggie took the bouquet.Thick prick.

“They’re beautiful, thank you. Oh, what’s this?” She pulled out the card from between the stems and glanced at it, then with a sharp inhale she thrust the flowers into Markus’s broad chest and stormed off.

He looked at Alice, bewildered. She smirked and followed Maggie into the kitchen, where she was frantically uncorking the wine.

“So, Fran is still on the scene, then?”

“If that’s what you call leaving flowers and cryptic messages on my doorstep, then yes.”

“Are you going to meet her tomorrow?”

“I don’t know. Hadn’t thought about it. Probably not, no.”

Maggie tipped the wine bottle and straw-coloured liquid splashed into the glass. “Maybe you should.”

“Really? I thought that’d be the last thing you’d say.”

“Closure, perhaps?”

Alice shrugged.

“It could help you get that perspective we were talking about.”

“How so?”

“If seeing Fran stirs up all the old feelings, then maybe your crush on the doctor isn’t as serious as you thought?” Maggie offered Alice a glass and clinked it with her own. “Perhaps just try not to sleep with her again?”