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Isabelle looked into the distance and said nothing.

‘When did you meet your wife?’ Alex prompted.

‘Well, we met a long time ago, maybe twenty years. We were on the same TV show. I was established by that point, and she was… less so. She was practically an extra.’

Someone entered the room with a tea set and placed it on the table, pouring a cup for Isabelle and asking with a discreet look if Alex would like one, too.

She nodded, ‘Please.’

Isabelle took a fortifying sip of her drink and went on. ‘She was younger than me, and I was married at the time to another actor, Michael. So nothing happened then. It was about three years later, after I divorced Michael, that we were cast together again. And well, you know…’ She left the implication in the air.

‘So, she was less established than you at the beginning of your relationship?’ Alex asked.

‘Very much so.’

‘And presumably less financially stable.’

‘Undoubtedly.’

‘When did you get married?’

‘Fifteen years ago. And I don’t need to tell you that it was risky for me to marry a woman at that point,’ Isabelle said.

‘Of course. And there was a prenup?’ Alex asked.

Isabelle nodded. ‘Of course. I was in love, but I wasn’t out of my mind.’

‘I’m glad you’re protected.’

‘Only financially. But in here…’ She clutched her chest dramatically. ‘I thought I knew her. I never thought she’d…’ Isabelle began to cry.

Alex pushed a tissue box on the table a little closer to her. Isabelle took one and mopped up her tears.

After an appropriate amount of time had passed for Isabelle to gather herself, Alex asked gently, ‘If you’re OK to continue, can we talk more about the reason the marriage broke down?’

Isabelle’s tone hardened. ‘Yes. I found out she was cheating.’

‘I see. Talk me through how you discovered that.’

‘A friend warned me.’

‘What friend?’

‘I’d rather not say,’ Isabelle said quickly. ‘She’s a known person, that’s all I can tell you. But she doesn’t want to get dragged into this mess. I can’t blame her.’

‘Alright, what did your friend say?’

‘That she’d been in a private club in Soho and spotted Erin…’ It was the first time Isabelle had said her name out loud, and it caused her to pause as though something was caught in her throat. ‘Erinwas there with some young woman, and apparently, they were beingtouchy. She was supposed to be meeting her agent.’

‘And then what happened?’

‘Well, I checked her phone.’

‘Did you find anything incriminating?’ Alex asked.

‘She’s not so stupid as to leave a trail.’

‘What did you do then?’