His dad picked up a coffee cup from the bedside table and hurled it at Leon, who sidestepped neatly, allowing the mug to crash into the wall. Leon wanted to stay and rip in—he wasn’t finished with his dad yet—but Bonnie was whimpering, scared by the raised voices so he carried her out and returned her to the car. When he went back into the house, his mum had gone out, which was good; it would give him free rein with his father.

There was something satisfying about storming down the hallway and into the bedroom where his dad was captive. A healthier man might have done a runner or stood up to confront him. Leon knew Mum wouldn’t want them to argue like this, but there were things that had to be said. How could she feel sorry for such an arsehole? How could she tolerate his drunkenness, even now, with his liver shot to pieces?

At the bedroom door, Leon let loose. ‘You leave Mum alone, do you hear me? If you touch her again, I’ll kill you.’ His dad snivelled, eyes dark with anger and impotence. ‘And no more Stan,’ Leon went on. ‘If I hear he’s been here again, I’ll personally organise a restraining order.’ He ran a hand through his hair as his fury suddenly dissipated into something else, a sort of sadness. ‘I can’t believe we have to go over this again. Three years of bashing Mum because of the grog and you still can’t leave off, even when your liver is cooked. Do you want to die?’

Dad’s jaw jutted. ‘Man might as well be dead, if he can’t drink.’

‘That’s not what you used to say,’ Leon said. ‘You used to have values.’

Dad slumped, bitterness in the twist of his mouth. ‘As I said, might as well be dead. Not the man I used to be.’

‘I was hoping to find the pup a home,’ Leon said. ‘That’s why I came. The rest of the litter was drowned, and I thought you and Mum could use the company. She certainly could.’

‘Are you trying to make me feel bad?’ Dad croaked. ‘Because let me tell you, it’s not possible to feel worse than I already feel.’

‘A dog might make you feel better. Dogs are good like that.’

‘What would you know? It was a stupid idea. Take the dog and go. She’s not wanted here. And neither are you.’

Leon stood up. His father was right. His plan had been ridiculous, based on a selfish desire to escape responsibility for the pup. A dog would be too much work for his mum. She had enough to do, caring for his dad.

He walked away, nursing an uncomfortable feeling that his dad had won again. Nothing had changed.