Four of us were on holiday in York when X confessed that she was about to end her marriage to Y. I pointed out that it was far too early to give up on one another: they’d barely been married two years. She protested that she could not live with a husband who lacked any warmth.

This news completely overshadowed a long weekend away. Up until this point we had all been happily playing together in the swimming pool with fake waves, and taking guided cab tours around the city.