By now tears are pooling in Charlotte’s eyes and her lips are trembling. She turns to Mary. ‘So, you might as well tell me now who my real dad is. Or was he just a one-night stand and you didn’t even ask his name?’

The silence that descends is disturbingly palpable and it lasts a good ten seconds before Robert breaks it.

‘They must have got it wrong, Charlotte. It’s not true. You’re my daughter and your mother has always been faithful to me.’

‘You can’t be sure of that,’ Charlotte replies, her voice as rough as gravel. ‘In those days she was a nurse and you were a farmworker. You couldn’t possibly have known if she was shagging some doctor while she pretended to be on the night shift at the hospital.’

Her words ignite a fire inside Robert’s stomach because it’s clear that she’s pushing Mary too far.

His wife puffs out her chest and for a few beats her face contorts with a fierce anger.

Then, in a slow voice dripping with venom, she says, ‘How dare you? I give you a home, raise you like my own daughter, and you accuse me of this? You’re right, you ungrateful cow. He’s not your father, but I’m not your mother either. You aren’t related to either of us, and thank God for that.’

Robert’s heart drops. He can’t believe that Mary has revealed their darkest secret, a secret they’ve kept for all these years. One they both agreed they would take to their graves.

‘What are you talking about?’ Charlotte asks, confused and suddenly wary.

Mary strides across the room towards her and Robert rushes forward to stand between them.

‘Stop there, Mary,’ he pleads. ‘This has gone far enough. You should—’

But Mary pushes him out of the way with a violent shove.

‘No, Robert. It’s time she knew the truth, and I don’t care about the consequences anymore. I’m just sick of all the shit she puts us through. These last few years she’s made our lives a misery.’

Robert doesn’t want her to say any more, but he knows she will. It’ll be disastrous. But how can he stop her? It’s obvious from her face and demeanour that she’s consumed by an uncontrollable rage, the likes of which he hasn’t seen before.

‘Just give it a rest, Mary,’ he shouts. ‘You’re talking nonsense.’

‘No, she isn’t,’ Charlotte says. ‘I want to hear what she has to say. And I want to know about my real parents and why I’ve been lied to all these years.’