He woke up and opened the curtains. The sunlight dazzled him, as another glorious day began. He opened the window and took in a breath of the fresh air, exhaling exaggeratedly. A new start lay ahead.

He had slept well, the best rest he could remember for a long time. He thought his mind would have been disturbed, but he only felt an overwhelming sense of calmness. There were no dreams or nightmares or visions of her blood-spattered body lying broken at the bottom of the gully. Only now, as he waited for the kettle to boil, did he think back on the previous evening.

They had spent the day walking up the steep tracks along the side of the mountain, gradually ascending to the top in time to catch the sunset as planned. It had been a pleasant day, almost pleasant enough to make him reconsider. In the end…