He had hardly spoken a word, just stood in the background with his arms folded, looking grave and disappointed.

‘Why on earth did you do this?’ Abi beseeched her and Beth felt a wobble in her throat.

‘I don’t know. It just sort of happened.’

‘Oh don’t, Beth, just don’t,’ she said, disgusted.

‘It did! I never meant for it to get so serious. I just wanted her to feel what it’s like to be picked on for a change.’

‘Well, you’ve certainly done that. My God, I’m ashamed of you. My own daughter. Did Corinne put you up to this?’

‘No!’

‘But she did play a part in it, right? Or did you do this all by yourself?’ Her words dripped with sarcasm, and Beth snapped:

‘I am capable of doing some things on my own, you know. I’m not a complete imbecile.’

‘Oh, that’s not the word I would use to describe you right now,’ her mother said, shaking her head madly, and Beth’s father spoke up then:

‘Abi. That’s not helpful.’

But her mother just shot him a withering glance and Beth could see that she was equally mad at him. As if she suspected some sort of collusion between father and daughter.

Mark ignored it, turning to Beth to express his shock and disappointment at her behaviour.

‘Whatever possessed you to behave in this way?’ he demanded. ‘I don’t care how much this girl might have annoyed you – provoked you, even – you can’t go around scorching someone’s reputation like that. It’s cruel. Heartless.’

‘It was just a joke,’ she said weakly.

‘A joke?’ He almost spat the word at her. ‘Do you expect us to believe that? A campaign of online criticism – of bullying – and you say it’s just a joke? Don’t act like this was some spontaneous one-off occurrence. By the sounds of it, you’ve been at this for months!’

Again, her feelings lurched, and she looked down at the ground, burning beneath the weight of his furious stare.

‘I don’t know why you’re getting so upset,’ she mumbled. ‘It’s not like you really care about me. All that you really care about is what other people will think of me.’

Mark gave her a long, baffled look. ‘Is that really what you believe, Beth? You think we don’t worry about our children?’

‘You might. But Mum’s more concerned with her job than she is with me.’

Abi’s temper flared. ‘That’s unfair—’

‘No, it’s not! You’re hardly ever here and when you are, you’re always on your phone, on calls, checking emails. I never have your attention, never!’