He was back from duty and looking forward to seeing his wife and baby. He’d missed them so much. Armed with presents, he’d made his way home from the airport to surprise them. Yet once he reached the house, it was he who’d received the mother of all surprises. Their baby was asleep in a cot in the living room, but when he picked her up, he felt the sodden, filthy nappy. He didn’t call for Rebecca at first. He placed the parcels of gifts on the floor and opened Kendall’s nappy. He remembered feeling sick at the sight. She was red raw with blistered skin that even covered her thighs and tummy. Then, even more shocking, he saw the shit moving – it was full of maggots. As he held his baby, she opened her eyes, and without even a sound, a tear trickled down her cheek. The cot sheets were dirty, and stuck down the sides, there were empty bottles of sour milk that stank to high heaven.

The thought had crossed his mind that perhaps Rebecca was poorly herself. However, the moment he called up the stairs, he heard movement as if people were running around. In combat style, he stormed up the stairs to find Alastair grabbing his clothes and Rebecca red-faced and in a panic.

He could have killed them both, but, instead, he marched back down the stairs, wrapped Kendall in a blanket, and left with her.

For years, he carried that hurt around like an invisible veil.

***

‘Perhaps, Rebecca, if you’d learned how to love your children more than yourself, you wouldn’t have had this issue!’

‘Don’t you tell me I didn’t love my children. Of course, I did. I mean, I do.’

The anger in his eyes eased, and a hint of sadness crept over them. ‘I loved Kendall even after I was told at the custody case that she wasn’t mine. You couldn’t have got much lower than that, could you? For years, she was mine – until you pulled the DNA defence crap. That was such an evil thing you did to her and me. Using the fact that she wasn’t mine to get her back, just so it looked good for you. You never loved her. She was simply the product of your infidelity. That poor girl never even had a chance to meet her real father, and I know why, because the truth is, you probably didn’t even know who he was yourself. And you were controlling her life by letting her believe I was her father, even after the fucking court case. You know something else? It made no difference to me that she wasn’t my biological daughter. I always loved her. And now I feel guilty for pushing her away, pushing her into your arms, all because I couldn’t face being hurt again, the way you hurt me by stealing her back.’