The tacit agreement to her fears made Tess's knees give way and she sank onto the side of the bed. “Are you saying you spent the night with my husband?” she asked. Her voice trembled, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted to die.

“Are you sure you want me to answer that question?” Olivia asked. 

“No,” Tess whispered, her vocal cords too constricted for normal conversation, “but I need you to.”

Olivia hesitated. When she spoke, her voice had changed, become more tentative. “Perhaps you had better discuss this with Dash.”

Tess didn’t answer. She just held the phone to her ear and stared at the far wall of...