Page 112 of Cover Story

‘We were splitting up, it wasn’t your worry.’

‘Haha. I’ve lost count of the number of lies we’re on now. Is he why you moved to Manchester?’

‘Of course not.’

‘“Of course not” from someone intimidated enough to change their mobile number. No one does that without a reason, Bel. They don’t do it because they’re getting PPI calls. You must think I’m an actual div.’

‘Why are we doing this on your sister’s wedding day?’

‘We didn’t do it at the time, did we? When I was crying my heart out, trying to work out why one day we were suddenly done, no discussion. When I asked you, swearing on your mother’s life, to tell me if there was anyone else …’ Tim paused.‘Oh.Wait.You said there wasn’t anyone because you’d dumped him by then? You were playing word games with me when Iwas having the worst day of my life?’

The most shameful episode of her life, in turn, and Tim was absolutely right in all details. Bel hard-swallowed while her skin crawled.

‘I’m so sorry I hurt you. But it wasn’t due to—’ Bel said.

‘Don’t bother carrying on lying. All those months I knew you were off with someone else and when I begged for the truth, you let me think it was all in my head,’ Tim said. ‘Bel Macauley, this firebrand journalist doing her big exposés of wrongdoing that end other people’s careers, lying your tits off in your own life. Nice. You’re the fakest person I’ve ever met.’

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‘Tim, we were over because we were over, not because of anyone else. I wasn’t sleeping with Anthony …’

‘You’re still playing the word games? Did he not actually put it all the way in or something so you stayed technically in the clear to say that?’

The door from the bathroom opened, jolting both of them. Connor emerged, still buttoning his shirt.

‘Hi. You must be Tim. I’m Connor,’ he said, extending his hand to a stunned Tim, who shook it. It was like someone had sprung from an empty cupboard in a conjuring trick. Did Tim not know she had a plus one?

Bel fleetingly wondered if Verity had deliberately omitted that Bel was bringing someone to avoid Tim having a tell-her-she-can’t strop. Actually, that wasdefinitelywhat had happened, she’d sidestepped it and thought:he can’t have a go at me on my wedding day and Bel’s unpopular anyway.

It had inadvertently put Tim on the back foot when he’d presumably been planning this showdown for some time. Learning of the existence of Connor at this moment was suboptimal for Tim.

‘I don’t want to disrespect your history together, or cause anydifficulty on a happy day, but equally, you appreciate there’s a limit to what I can listen to someone say to my girlfriend?’ Connor said.

Tim was completely blindsided and apparently speechless.

‘You didn’t say you were bringing someone?’ he said to Bel, so taken aback he sounded astonished.

‘This was going to be where I mentioned it. Like you with Rhiannon,’ Bel said.

She had him there. Sauce for the goose all over his gander.

‘Right. Good luck to you,’ he said to Connor, recovering his acerbic attitude.

‘Thanks, and you,’ Connor said, refusing to mirror the intonation. He was a class act.

‘… See you later,’ Tim said to Bel, and walked out, the door snapping shut behind him.

There was a tense pause.

‘Was that the right thing to do?’ Connor said, ‘I didn’t want to undermine you but I put it to the “What If This Actually Was My Girlfriend” test, and did that. It’s what I’d have done if it was Jen.’

‘Oh God!’ Bel burst into a sob, putting a hand over her eyes.

‘Wait, this is today’s …’ Connor said, stepping back, hurriedly unbuttoning and turning away. The last thing Bel saw before her eyes swam with too many tears was Connor throwing his wedding shirt over the back of a chair like a cape so it didn’t crease.

He clasped her in a bare-chested hug which Bel was too destroyed to slyly appreciate.

‘Should I have … told him …’ Bel choked out in hiccups between waves of crying. ‘What was … the point … of even carrying on dodging …’

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