I live here now, this is my apartment, and it’s time I took over the food he has sent here and the million and one bottles of water of every flavour instead of wine. I need lots of wine right now—red and expensive and in large quantities.

I make my tea, throw my damp hair back off my face and turn to sit on the couch when something catches my eye on the central coffee table. A colourful rectangular package and a cupcake in a see-through plastic box drawing me like a singing choir ...