Even in his own distress, he still knew he should remove his daughter from the kitchen and get her away from what was happening on his kitchen table. The table where an hour earlier they had all eaten together like a normal family, like a real family. As if that had any truth in it. But, instead, he grabbed his wife’s hair and dragged her off the table, and on to the floor.

He could hear screaming, but was that Cynthia or was it Gabby?

It was all happening so fast.

Chapter Fifty-Six

‘Calm down, child, and tell me what’s happened. Is it James Junior? Has something happened to him?’

‘It’s me dad, he’s attacked me mum . . . You’ve got to come, Granddad.’ Gabby was imploring Jack with her eyes while her nana tried to get some sense out of her.

‘Me mum was on the table with . . . Me dad’s gone berserk.’

Suddenly her words hit home and her grandparents both groaned as if in pain.

‘Jesus Christ, what was she thinking! In her own home, the fucking whore.’ Jack Callahan was fuming. ‘I knew this would happen one day! I knew it. I warned her about being so brazen, I only wish I’d talked to him too. But you know Jonny Parker, no talking to him, is there? Too high and mighty for the likes of us . . .’

‘Will you shut up, Jack!’ hissed Mary.

It was only then he remembered that Celeste was there too, and she was looking at them as if they had all miraculously appeared before her in a vision.

Gabby looked from one to the other, and realised just how far-reaching the repercussions of her mother’s actions would be. She had stopped herself saying Jonny’s name, because her aunt had enough on her plate as it was. This was the night Celeste came round here for her dinner, and what her nana referred to as a ‘catch up’. Now it was out, and Gabby felt it was her fault, but she had not known where else to go.

Her father had been like a maniac and, when she had left, her uncle Jonny was beating down on her dad in order to get him away from her mum. It was like a nightmare, only she was wide awake and it was really happening, and her dad would never be the same again. She had seen and heard the hurt inside him. The strange thing was, he seemed more upset with her uncle Jonny. And her uncle Jonny she could tell was ashamed, ashamed and frightened. But then so he should be, he had done the dirty on them all. She hated him now just as much as she did her mother. They were both of a kind, both selfish, both believing that the world was only there for them and what they wanted.