‘They aren’t interested in you,’ he said cruelly. ‘So, they won’t be getting in touch, will they? And just in case you’ve forgotten, you were the one who made me go and tell them that you didn’t want anything to do with them anymore.’

But how much of that entire scenario was actually down to him? If I had interpreted Mum’s email correctly, then it was looking more and more likely that Jonathan had used the situation to suit his needs. He had set himself up as puppet master and we had all jumped when he pulled our strings. He had been feeding me one thing and Mum and Dad something entirely different and we had lapped it up. He must have been in his manipulative element.

‘If anything,’ he spat, ‘you’ve probably ruined their Christmas by sending that card, just like you’ve ruined what I’ve been planning for us today!’

‘It wasn’t me who woke up in a temper,’ I said, swallowing my fear and biting back all the things I suddenly wanted to blurt out. ‘Yesterday was fine—’

‘Apart from the fact that you said you wouldn’t come back to the flat, our home, with me.’

‘I can’t believe you’re still smarting about that,’ I shot back. ‘It was never part of the plan.’

‘Yes,’ he said, smiling nastily, ‘it was. Why do you keep pretending otherwise? You were the one who said you’d try and cut your visit short. I wonder how Dolly would feel if she knew you’d said that.’

I felt my face redden. I had only ever said it to placate him, but it was hardly the moment to highlight the fact.

‘And anyway, what about my plan?’ he raged on. ‘My plan, to give a girl like you everything she could possibly want, that should be the only plan you’re concerned about!’

‘A girl like me?’ I repeated.

‘You know what,’ he said, suddenly springing forward and snatching the pillow off my lap. ‘Sod this. We’re going home, right now.’

‘No way,’ I said, leaning back as far as I could without toppling off the bed. ‘I’m not going to the flat with you, Jonathan.’

He lunged again, this time painfully grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me forward.

‘What the hell are you doing?’ I cried out.

He had never shown any sign of being physically aggressive towards me before. Words had been his weapon of choice but somewhere along the line he’d had an upgrade and I was scared. I tried to pull away but he had too tight a hold.

‘We,’ he said, talking slowly and emphasising every word, ‘are going home. Now.’