‘Warn me? Away from Mark? The man you stole from me? We’re adults, we can do what we want.’

‘I’m not worried about him; I’m worried about you. He… he… hits me.’ It was the first time she’d said it out loud, and she’d only done it to protect her friend. ‘He hurts me. He raped me, got me pregnant, then my beautiful baby girl died. He didn’t even bother showing up to the hospital or the funeral. That’s the sort of man he’s turned into. I’m worried for Wren’s safety. He’s petrified of his dad. We never know which Mark we’re getting when he comes home. Then there’s you. He’ll eventually do the same to you.’

‘This is a huge lie to get me to stop seeing him,’ declared Maggie, angrily standing up. ‘I think you should leave now. Even if it is true, did you ever think you might deserve it?’

‘Every damn day.’

She stormed down the hallway, flinging open the front door for Vanessa to follow. ‘Vanessa?’ Maggie fumed when Vanessa was outside.

Vanessa turned back.

‘Don’t ever come back here again.’

Vanessa nodded and trudged down the rough-patterned brick path.

4

With a heavy heart, Vanessa unlocked and opened the door, pulling Wren through with her. He was dragging his feet as much as she was, neither of them wanting to go inside. Mark’s car was out the front, which meant he was inside waiting for them, like a venomous black spider waiting for its prey. She felt like running, but she had nowhere to go and no money. No choice.

She bent down and whispered in his ear, ‘If things go badly tonight, you need to go to Nannie’s straight away, out the bedroom window. No staying to protect me. I’ll be OK, understood?’ Although he was young, he knew what to do.

He nodded. She felt terrible that she was putting so much on his little shoulders, but he seemed to be coping well. He was her little dude, her beautiful boy. She never wanted him to change from the empathetic and loving kid that he was. Wren’s safety was her number-one priority. His happiness a close second.

Mark was sitting at the kitchen table dunking a biscuit into his coffee. He had a crumb clinging to his upper lip until his tongue snaked out and grabbed it, pulling it back into his mouth. He repulsed her. She felt like confronting him about his affair with Maggie but decided that she’d wait and see how this conversation went.

‘Mark.’