‘Verbal abuse can be just as harmful as physical abuse.’ Hailey pursed her lips, anger burning in her eyes. ‘I see it all the time in the kids I work with. Not a finger laid on them but made to feel so bad about themselves that they…’ She tailed off, and Sara was glad that she’d stopped short of giving distressing details.

Matt’s parenting style with Ezra was something she’d tried to remedy, but his beliefs were ingrained in him, following his father’s lead. She was definitely talking to herself when she tried to point out to him that his upbringing had been harsh. And it was okay for boys to cry and like cuddly toys and dressing-up. He couldn’t be convinced, and Sara had to be on constant alert to make sure Ezra was being boyish enough in his father’s eyes. Now she had to wonder if she’d been doing right by her son, or whether she should have been brave enough to step in and tell Matt it wasn’t acceptable from the start.

‘What about the girls, though?’ Her thoughts turned to her daughters, hating to think of the family being split up. Even though they were close to their father, they needed a mother’s support through their tricky teenage years. She knew there was something going on with them, even if they hadn’t been ready to tell her, and now they were in the care of a man who might be involved in activities that exploited women. She shuddered. Oh my God, what a mess. A headache pulsed at the base of her skull, panic fluttering against her breastbone as she tried to work out what to do.

‘They’re very loyal to their dad, aren’t they?’ Hailey sighed. ‘And he’s turned them against you.’

‘It’s always been that way. Real daddy’s girls, with the football and everything. And you’re right, they hate me at the moment. I don’t know exactly what he’s said to them, but they turned on me earlier when I went to talk to him. Called me out for cheating on him.’ She kicked at a stone, her voice steeped in sadness. ‘I don’t think they want to be with me at the moment.’