Maybe she should get it over and done with, walk right up to him and tell him to do his worst. Perhaps it’s what she deserves after all the lies she’s told, the people she’s let down. Like her ill father – she didn’t even say a proper goodbye. Just made some excuse about a difficult client as she waited for the cab. What kind of daughter does that? The kind who puts her nuclear family first of course. Simon, Martha and Ava. The three people she loves most in the world. She’s got nothing to apologise for.

She can be faster than him, she decides. Slide her house key between her fingers just in case, then sprint the hundred metres, slam it in the keyhole and be inside her house in seconds. Yes, she can do this. Hold the panic at bay for long enough. She fumbles in her bag, finds the cold metal and takes a deep breath. Then she runs. As she gets closer, she can hear him calling her name, his voice too deep for a skinny teenager, but she doesn’t look in his direction. Her heart is pumping madly, but she slides the key in, pushes hard on her front door.

And slams it shut. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

‘Mummy!’ Ava races up and flings her arms around Beth’s waist. ‘There was a man,’ she whispers into Beth’s midriff. ‘He said mean things about you.’

The man who is lurking outside their house right now.

She inches them both away from the front door. Her throat constricts. ‘Let me just wash my hands,’ she pleads. She wants to be reassuring – like a mum should – but she’s too tense. She needs a moment to collect herself.

‘I was scared, Mummy.’

‘I know, honey.’ Of course it could have been so much worse; in those moments that Mark was with Ava, he could have done anything. Part of Beth wants to know what Mark said to Ava, the accusations he made about her. But she can’t bear hearing her daughter repeat his words out loud, letting his poisonous beliefs into their home. ‘You’re safe now,’ she says instead, but her voice still cracks.

‘Are you okay, Beth?’

Her eyes flick open. Kat is standing at the bottom of the stairs. She looks out of breath, as though today’s events have knocked the wind out of her.

‘I’m fine, thank you.’ She coughs to clear the tears from her throat. ‘I just need to freshen up. Can you hang on another five minutes?’ Beth scratches her palms. She does it discreetly, but Kat must notice the tiny movement because she drops her eyeline. A cloud of concern darkens her face.

‘Of course, take your time,’ she says. ‘We can hang out a while longer, can’t we, girls?’