‘Why do you keep ruining everything?’ he yelled. ‘God knows I’ve done my best to be patient with you and to tolerate your stupid sloppiness, but you just don’t give a toss, do you?’

‘You’re hurting me, Rick,’ she gasped, ‘please let go.’

He brought his face nearer to hers. ‘Why, so you can wreck something else? So you can annoy me some more?’

‘I didn’t do it deliberately, and I said I was sorry.’ She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he yanked her hair even tighter, pulling her closer to him.

‘Sorry, sorry, sorry, that’s all I ever hear from you. Nothing but excuses and pathetic whingeing. Have you any idea how aggravating that is?’

Before she could stop herself, the word sorry slipped out from her again and, slamming her hard against the worktop, his free hand struck her across her face. The second blow caught her even harder across her cheekbone. Her ears ringing and tasting blood, she tried to back away from Rick, but she was jammed so hard against the worktop, there was no escape. ‘I don’t mean to annoy you,’ she said, fear making her tremble.

‘But you do. All the time! All the sodding time!’ He grabbed her shoulders and began to shake her so violently her head flew backwards and forwards. The room spinning around her, a terrifying memory came flooding back and she started to scream. To scream and scream just as she should have screamed all those years ago.

Then suddenly the room went completely still and the powerful hands that had been shaking her so forcefully fell away from her shoulders. The stillness brought an end to her screaming and her body went slack. She felt winded, dazed and sick with the horror of what had just happened. And with the memory she had tried so hard to forget.

Backing away from her, his hands now hanging limply at his sides, Rick stared at her. ‘Oh God,’ he murmured, ‘what have I done? Willow, I’m so sorry.’

‘It’s okay,’ she said more calmly than she felt. ‘It’s okay.’ But it wasn’t. And it never would be.

He shook his head then raised his hands, palms up, and scrutinised them as though not quite believing they were his. ‘I didn’t mean it,’ he said, returning his gaze to her. ‘You know that, don’t you? Deep down you know I’d never want to hurt you. But you keep pushing me by trying my patience.’

She nodded dumbly.

He took a step towards her and closing the gap between them, he put his arms around her, making her flinch. ‘Please,’ he begged, ‘say you forgive me. Whatever I did, whatever I said, I didn’t mean it. None of it.’

He was hugging her so tightly, she could scarcely breathe and, worried that he was pressing too hard against the baby, and desperately wanting him to let go of her, she said, ‘I forgive you.’ The words nearly choked her.