If the bubble of happiness surrounding her new life had not burst with Mark’s attack, it had one month later. All the light in her world descended into darkness with a phone call in the middle of the night one Thursday.

Vanessa patted her side table, grabbing at her phone groggily. The screen blinded her as she looked at the time. It was after four in the morning and Toby was calling her. She didn’t think it was to discuss the budget.

‘Toby, what’s wrong?’ she said, instantly awake.

There was silence, long enough that she repeated his name.

‘Sorry, Vanessa, I’m just… trying to make sense of it all.’

‘What’s happened?’ She felt a seed of apprehensiveness grow within her.

‘The alarm in the café was tripped in the early hours this morning, so Dad went down to the shop to check it out. It had been trashed. The guy was still there. Ness, he beat Dad pretty badly – he’s in the hospital.’ The seed blossomed.

‘Oh God, is he OK?’ She couldn’t believe this, who attacks an old man? A coward, that’s who.

‘He should be OK, but he’s got some broken bones and a concussion.’

‘I’ll come right over.’ He said no, but the way he said it told her so much more. He was scared. She called her mom and asked her to watch the boys while she went to the hospital.

‘Ness! I told you not to come,’ Toby said as Vanessa rushed in to the hospital ward.

‘I had to come. Your dad and I have become close – he’s a friend as well as my boss and the kids love him.’ She slid her arms around Toby and felt him shudder. Then he stepped back.

‘When I got the call, I was terrified that they were going to tell me that my dad was dead. I couldn’t have dealt with that. But this is bad enough – he’s covered in bruises and scratches, a broken arm, broken wrist. Whoever did this is an animal.’

She looked at Toby’s drawn face. ‘Look, he’s a tough old man, he’s going to be fine.’ She tried to reassure him.

Toby nodded. ‘He’ll be in hospital for a while, then recovery. He’s already told me to find someone to hire to work in the garage, “And be smart about it, boy,”’ he said in a fair imitation of his dad.

The cleanup of the café took longer than expected, nearly two weeks. Whoever had broken in – their identity was still yet to be revealed – had done a real number on the place. Every corner had been trashed, food and appliances destroyed. Old man Phillips didn’t seem to be recovering as fast as Toby had hoped he would. The bruises faded, the cuts healed, the broken bones began to knit back together, but he just wasn’t the same. Vanessa went up to visit him every day, sometimes taking the boys with her. Finally, he was released and cleared to go home. Toby hired a nurse to help him out and a cleaner to do the housework so that he was well looked after.