Jackie was no stranger to a fight, but what Zara had done to her was out of her league. That slap alone was as harsh as any grown man’s, yet it wasn’t the violence, but the cold assured look in Zara’s eyes that scared the living shit out of her.

Zara stared down at the state of Jackie huddled in a ball. ‘I just hope Mike knows what he’s doing, letting a cunt like you back into Ricky’s life. You really don’t deserve that boy.’

The reality of what had just happened kicked in as soon as she heard Zara leave the room; Jackie let out an almighty scream and then scrambled to her feet to make her way to Mike. The second she got to the doorway of the lounge, he was up on his feet, trying to focus. The high-pitched, blood-curdling sound had dragged him from his slumbers and made him jump up and stagger from side to side.

He blinked furiously at the sight before him, trying to reason in his mind what he was seeing. At first, he didn’t recognize Jackie because the last time he’d laid eyes on her, she was younger, blonde, and not dripping with blood.

‘Help me, Mike, please!’ she cried.

He rushed forward and removed her hand to see two folds of skin shrivelling away from her cheek.

‘What the fuck have you done?’

Her face was now swelling up, and her teeth began to chatter in shock. ‘It was Zara. She attacked me.’

‘What! She was here?’ he exclaimed.

‘She fucking attacked me. Mike, please, get me to a hospital!’

But his mind was now on Zara. ‘Christ, what did she say?’

‘She wanted to kill me. She said she would slit my throat. Please, Mike. Help me.’

Gripping both her shoulders, he backed her out of the lounge and into the hallway where the blood could easily be cleaned up from the marble floor so as not to ruin the cream carpet. ‘Wait there. I’ll call an ambulance.’

Jackie was now tasting the blood in her mouth. Once the shock began to wear off, her mind went into survival mode. ‘Hurry, Mike. Please, I’m bleeding to death. That evil bitch will get five years for this.’

Having just finished calling for an ambulance, Mike heard the last of her mutterings. ‘What the fuck did you just say?’

Through swollen eyes, she glared back. ‘I said she’ll get at least a five-stretch for what she’s done to my fucking face.’

‘You won’t tell the Ol’ Bill it was her. You’re gonna tell ’em you slipped with a Stanley knife and cut ya own face. Got it?’

‘And why would I do that?’ she snivelled.