I hesitate, not keen on leaving the room with a drunk and now-silent Cassie on the prowl. ‘I’m fine,’ I try feebly, making him smile. After dropping a chaste kiss on my cheek, he strides over to the concealed wardrobe and pulls the doors open, scans the rows of posh shirts, and then yanks one down by the sleeve. Cassie gasps in horror, Miller throws her a dirty look . . . and I go dizzy with happiness.

‘Put this on.’ He hands me the shirt and turns me in his arms before giving me a gentle nudge in the back. ‘Give me your dress and I’ll have someone hold it under the hand dryers for a while.’

‘I can do that,’ I protest, thinking it’ll be a perfect chore to pass the time while Miller gets his work done.

‘You’ll do no such thing,’ he scoffs, pushing me onward. I turn once I’m in the bathroom, finding Miller pulling the door shut and Cassie still staring, struck dumb at Miller’s back. ‘Five minutes.’ He nods sternly and disappears from view when the wood comes between us. I frown at the door as the fireworks within settle down, making way for a little bewilderment. I’ve just allowed him to ship me out of his office with no complaint or protest. Now the fact that he’s just manhandled one of his precious shirts and given it to me to wear doesn’t feel like progress at all. It feels like distraction. I laugh out loud. I’m stupid, and on that conclusion I open the door and present myself back into the room. Both heads turn, both faces looking heated. They are far too close, probably to keep their conversation from my earshot.

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ Cassie hisses, taking a huge swig of her vodka. ‘Can’t you just get rid of it?’

I cough my disgust as Miller swings around violently and snatches the glass from her hand. ‘Learn when to shut the f**k up!’ He slams the glass down, sending Cassie on a startled stagger. Now I can see his fury, and that is the only thing that keeps my mouth from spilling a torrent of expletives. There’s no need for me to put this woman in her place because Miller is about to do it for me. He pushes his face near hers. ‘The only thing I’ll be ridding from my life is you.’ His voice is scathing. ‘Don’t f**king push me, Cassie.’

She grabs the cabinet for support and takes a moment to compose herself, her eyes shooting to mine briefly. ‘You’ll be crucified.’ Her words are factual. I can tell by the stiffening of Miller’s na**d shoulders.

‘Some things are worth the risk,’ he whispers, uncertainty rife in his tone.

‘Nothing is worth that risk,’ Cassie whispers. There’s an element of fear in her, and that fear spreads across the room and settles within me. Deeply.

‘You’re wrong.’ Miller takes a long pull of calming air and steps away from her, turning impassive eyes onto me. ‘She’s worth it. I want out.’

Cassie gasps, and if I could rip my welling eyes from Miller, then I know I’d see an astounded expression all over her perfect face. ‘You . . . Miller . . . You can’t,’ she stammers all over her words, swiping up her drink and taking a shaky gulp.

‘I can.’

‘But—’

‘Get out, Cassie.’

‘Miller!’ She’s beginning to panic.

His jaw tightens, his eyes remaining on my frozen form in the doorway as he pulls his phone from his trouser pocket, hits one button, and holds it to his ear. ‘Tony, come and get Cassie.’

What happens next leaves me wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

‘No!’ She launches herself at him, knocking him into the cabinet, sending glasses and bottles crashing to the office floor. I flinch, but my legs refuse to carry me across the office to intervene. All I can do is watch in shock as Miller tries to restrain her flailing hands as she screams at him, scratches and begs. ‘You can’t! Please!’

The signs of Miller’s frightening rage are all in the room with us, his puffing chest, wild eyes and sweating form. I hate to think what damage he could do to a woman. I despise Cassie, I hate everything about her, but even I am worried for her.

Miller’s about to take leave of his senses.

I drop his shirt and run across the room, disregarding the danger I may be putting myself in. I just need to make him see me, hear me, feel me. Anything to divert him from the direction I know he’s headed.

‘Miller!’ I shout, reluctantly accepting this will never work. I yelled at him repeatedly outside Nan’s to no avail. ‘Fuck!’ I curse, standing close, watching the frantic wrestling of arms. Cassie is crying now, her perfect hair looking rough and messy.

‘Don’t you dare leave me,’ she wails. ‘I won’t let you leave me!’

My eyes widen in alarm. There’s more than business between these two. She’s flipped her lid, and while I’m fearful for her, I’m quite concerned for Miller, too. Those nails are like claws and thrashing all over him while he tries to seize her and she continues to scream persistently. She’s deranged and Miller’s heading that way, too.

I try to catch Miller’s eye, try time and time again to reach and touch him, but each attempt has me retracting to avoid being caught by a flailing limb. Panic starts to eat me alive but before I can figure out my best move, Tony comes crashing through the door.

His dramatic arrival pulls my attention away from the scrapping of bodies but doesn’t interrupt Miller and Cassie. ‘Tony, do something!’ I plead, swinging back towards them, feeling helpless and small. ‘Miller, stop!’

I reach out when I see a clear path to his torso, my body moving closer, desperate to stop them. ‘Livy, no!’ Tony bellows, but his tone doesn’t stop me. I’m getting close, I can reach him, but then the most searing sting spreads across my cheek, sending me flying back on a painful yelp, my hand instantly cupping my burning face and tears stabbing at my eyes.

The blow to my face sends me all disorientated. ‘Shit!’ I find nothing to grab to steady myself, and instead give up on the inevitable, letting my body crash to the floor.

Everything blurs around me – vision, sound – and pain flames the flesh of my face. I try to shake some clear thoughts back into my mind, or at least gain some straight vision, but it takes the feel of strong hands on my shoulders to bring me back into the room.

It’s silent.

Deadly silent.

I look up and see traumatised blue eyes scanning my face, eventually settling on my burning cheek. Cassie is by the drinks cabinet, tremors of shock riding through her body and a look of apprehension on her flustered face. She takes shaky hands to the bottle of vodka and skips pouring a glass, instead taking the neck of the bottle to her lips. I’m not certain who struck me, but after a few seconds of watching Cassie through blurred vision, I quickly conclude it’s her, and she’s now bracing herself for . . . something.

‘Tony?’ Miller’s voice is rampant with rage.

‘I’m here, son.’ Tony moves in, looking down at me with sorry eyes. I feel stupid, a burden and weak.

‘Get that bitch the f**k out of my office.’ Miller sweeps me up from the floor and cradles me in his arms before turning to face Cassie. She’s nearly polished off the whole bottle.

‘I can stand,’ I protest, my throat scratchy from my scream of alarm.

‘Shhhh,’ he soothes quietly, pressing soft lips to my temple, all the while keeping burning rings of fury on Cassie.