‘Eighty per cent? It’s more mine than it has ever been yours. I want IT … not a connection to you.’ My brain is a whirring mass of clicks and spins as I try to pull it together and think about what I am agreeing to here. Voice raspy with feeling, he is seeing the Achilles Heel and diving right in. Master manipulator won’t miss out on my moment of low.

My heart is pounding like crazy. I’m too emotionally connected to this place, too close, and it’s clouding my judgement. I ...