Jessica nodded. The house and her lifestyle were the last of her bloody problems, but sometimes it was easier just to agree with her mum than to argue her point.

Eddie paced up and down the living-room carpet. He was desperate to speak to Jessica, but too nervous to ring her. Debating whether to call his dad and ask for advice, he decided against it. His dad had got the pox of him the other night, so how could he admit he’d now allowed his six-year-old son to be knocked out cold?

Furious with himself, Eddie punched the wall. He was probably the laughing stock of Rainham. Gossip tended to travel at a hundred miles an hour in the circles he mixed in. Noticing one of Jessica’s sweatshirts lying on the chair, Eddie picked it up and held it to his nose. As he took in her scent, he felt a comfort within.

‘Forgive me, Jess. I love you so much,’ he whispered.

Looking around the house he’d been so proud to have built, Ed decided that he now hated it. Without Jessica’s constant chattering and the twins’ happy laughter, it wasn’t homely at all. He’d dropped Gary and Ricky home earlier and the silence was killing him. Desperate to make things right again, Eddie picked up his car keys. A phone call wasn’t the answer. He needed to see his beautiful wife face to face, tell her how sorry he was. Even if he had to go down on his bended knee to get her back, so be it.

Jessica was upstairs freshening up when she heard the doorbell go.

‘Mummy, Daddy’s here,’ Frankie shouted.

Feeling her body go rigid, Jessica stood rooted to the spot. She wasn’t ready to face him yet – she couldn’t.

‘You’re not going to answer the door, are you?’ Stanley said to Joyce.

‘Of course I’m going to answer it. You stay there, and mind your own business. I’ll speak to Eddie in the kitchen.’

Joyce ushered the twins out of the room. ‘Frankie, Joey, go upstairs with Mummy. Nanny needs to have a little chat with your dad.’

‘Is Daddy angry with me because I lost at boxing?’ Joey asked innocently.

Joyce stroked his head. ‘Of course not, darling. Just go upstairs until Nanny calls you, then you can come down and say hello to your dad.’

As Joyce opened the front door, Eddie was standing there holding a massive bouquet. ‘I am so sorry for what happened, Joyce. Where’s Jess? I desperately need to talk to her.’

Joyce led him into the kitchen. ‘She’s very upset, Ed. I don’t know if she’s ready to have it out with you yet. Let me make us a brew and then I’ll go upstairs and try and persuade her to talk to you.’