‘I bought you an expensive meal. You owe me, bitch,’ Vinny groaned, before shooting his load inside her.

Bonnie was in shock. The man she had been in love with and wanted to marry was a rapist. How could she have got Vinny so wrong?

‘Get up and sort yourself out,’ Vinny ordered, zipping up his trousers.

Bonnie’s legs were trembling that much she couldn’t get up, so Vinny yanked her up, pushed her gently against the wall and put his hand around her throat. ‘You say nothing about this to nobody, OK? No one would believe a slag like you anyway. Do we understand one another?’

‘Yes,’ Bonnie croaked. Vinny let go of her and she slid down the wall next to the overflowing rubbish bins. So much for her dreams of a proposal and pretty wedding.

When Vinny walked off, Bonnie stopped crying and tried to compose herself. Her mother would be waiting up when she got in to hear all about the date she’d been so excited about going on.

Bonnie brushed herself down. The new dress she’d bought especially for tonight was now filthy. She’d have to tell her mother she’d got drunk and fell over, Vinny had had a go at her, then they’d split up. Lying was the only choice she had.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

‘If everything is to your satisfaction I’ll be off now, Mrs Huntingdon-Brown.’

‘Yes. You can go. No more time off sick though, Queenie, otherwise I’ll have to replace you. You left me totally in the lurch last week. It’s completely unacceptable.’

‘I was in hospital,’ Queenie reminded the posh unfeeling cow.

‘Yes. Well. You can go now. I’ll see you on Wednesday, bright and early.’

Queenie left the house and headed towards the station. She wasn’t even supposed to be back at work yet; the doctor had told her to rest up for a week.

‘Queenie. It is you, Queenie, isn’t it?’

Not recognizing the voice, Queenie turned around. She looked beautiful, far more glamorous than she used to, and she was stunning back then. She reminded Queenie of a movie star in her oversized dark sunglasses, big floppy hat and designer clobber. ‘Doreen! Oh my God!’ Queenie put her hand over her mouth, genuinely shocked to see her. Queenie hadn’t seen Doreen Laine, her old work colleague, since the day she left Cohen’s and verbally abused her.

Doreen greeted Queenie warmly, embracing her in a hug. ‘Queenie, it’s so wonderful to see you. How are you?’ She sounded far more posh than she used to, thought Queenie.

Queenie felt ever so drab beside her. She’d been sweating like a pig at work and was wearing a tatty dress and her flat work shoes. ‘I’m fine, thanks, and who’s this little one?’ she asked, gazing into the poshest Silver Cross pram she’d ever seen.

‘This is Barnaby, our new addition to the family. I only live around the corner. Please say you’ll come in for a cup of tea?’

Queenie felt she couldn’t refuse. She owed Doreen an apology for the terrible way she spoke to her all those years ago.