JULIAN

Seeing the girls’ faces as they soaked up the energy of the club was magical. Seeing the way Peter smiled at Lola like she was his whole world was a mirror of my own adoration for the angel at my side. Rosie was a goddess in pastel pink, her fake lashes a fluttery delight, mixed in with her trademark glasses, shining with sweetness.

A club of this calibre, thrumming with city nightlife, was my usual kind of environment. Something I’d been used to for years. It was a luxury and ambience I’d written off as nothing, just as I had written off my life all those months ago.

It’s...