Theresa looked into his eyes as she said seriously, ‘That is where you are wrong, son. Now her sons are in the equation, and that changes everything. The sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be. She’s a fucking grown woman, not a young girl any more, Daniel. She needs to act like the adult she is, and you need to fecking see that she understands the reality of the rift between you and Peter.’

Daniel could feel the heat washing over his body, could feel the anger that his mother’s words caused rising, knew that he had to keep a lid on it. ‘Lena doesn’t need you or anyone else to tell her anything, Mum, she knows the score but, unlike you and Ria, she doesn’t need to advertise that fact to the whole fucking world. She just chooses to keep her opinions to herself and, with all due respect, Mum, that is her prerogative. She ain’t you, and she ain’t Ria, thank Christ.’

Theresa sighed heavily. ‘You’re a fool to yourself, Daniel Bailey. I don’t know what it is with you. There’s a kink in your nature, always has been. You never see the things around you like everyone else. Peter understood that and, in his own way, he tried to guide you, as I always did. But you are determined to go your own road, and what has that got you, eh? You have caused so much heartache, son. Always caused trouble and, when you go off on your own you never think it through. That’s why you’re in the situation you are in now. You know, deep down in your guts, that you have no moral compass whatsoever. You act before you think of the consequences. I know that you honestly don’t see what you’ve done is wrong, you can’t understand why everyone is so cross with you, but then, you never did, Daniel – not even as a little kid. But I know you better than you know yourself, and I am telling you now that you have to start thinking everything through, and let your boys in on what you’re doing. They love you, but they need the chance to prove to the world that they can be trusted to deliver. You have to start thinking of them, and their futures.’