‘Yes, baby, it is your dad. He called lots last night too.’ In fact, when she had checked her phone this morning there were twenty-five missed calls, all from Mark. As if she’d pick up. She was no longer his slave. She was a free woman to do as she pleased.

‘I’m just going to ignore his calls. I have nothing to say to him anyway.’

‘That’s a good idea, Mom,’ Wren said, sounding wise beyond his ten years.

Vanessa looked at Ty in his brother’s arms and thought, Mark is never going to hurt you like he hurt Wren. It was her vow to her youngest child.

There was another knock at the door, and Vanessa cautioned Wren to always ask who it was as he passed his little brother to his mother.

‘It’s Billy. May I come in?’

With a huge grin on his face, he opened the door. ‘Hi, Billy,’ he said, now all shy.

‘Hey, Wren,’ he said as he put a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

Billy came toward Vanessa in the kitchen, and her heart beat out of time. ‘Hey,’ she said as he kissed her on the cheek.

‘Hey yourself. This must be Ty,’ Billy said, looking at the newborn in his mother’s arms. ‘He looks like you, Wren.’ Wren seemed to stand up even straighter with the compliment. Vanessa put Ty into the travel cot that was set up in the lounge. ‘Something smells good.’

‘Mint choc chip muffins, and I’ll make you that coffee.’ She bustled round the kitchen, aware of his eyes on her.

She placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of him and then gave him a muffin on a small side plate. She was nervous, she realized with a start, like she was back in school and he was her first crush.

‘Is there anything I can do for you? Build furniture? Move boxes? Something like that?’ He was sincere in his offer to help and took a big gulp of coffee, which burned his throat, making him cough. He was nervous too. She got him a water, and he drained it quickly. ‘Thanks,’ he managed to choke out.

‘Well, I guess I do need a bed at some stage. I slept on the floor last night, but it was the best sleep I’ve had in a long while until Mark started calling and didn’t stop all night. I ended up putting the phone on silent and in the kitchen. He must be so pissed at me.’

‘You aren’t afraid?’

‘There’s nothing that he can do to me that he hasn’t already done.’