The Third Wife

In April 2011, Maya Wolfe stumbles through London, heavily intoxicated. She recalls a phone call with her husband, Adrian Wolfe, who offered to pick her up, and a promise she made to go home.

As a bus approaches, Maya remembers hostile, anonymous emails she’s received, including one asking why she can’t just disappear. Distraught, she steps into the road.

The morning after Maya’s death, Detective Inspector (DI) Hollis informs Adrian that Maya died after lurching in front of a bus and that her blood alcohol level was extremely high. Adrian tells the detective this was uncharacteristic of Maya and recounts his worried calls to her the previous night.

Adrian returns to the flat he shared with Maya and is greeted by her cat, Billie. Overcome with grief, he realizes he cannot keep the cat now that Maya is gone.

Eleven months later, an unknown woman watches Adrian post an ad in a post office to rehome Billie. After he leaves, she takes the notice and later visits Adrian’s flat, introducing herself as Jane. They discuss the cat and Maya’s death. Jane notices a large whiteboard that Adrian calls the “Board of Harmony,” used for managing his family’s schedule.