If she hadn’t abused the children, Rosie could have blossomed, Jill and Lauren would still be alive, and Liam wouldn’t have been compelled to write a book in memory of his stepbrother. By approaching the Wickhams, he had triggered Bill’s suspicion, and after following Liam back to Norfolk and seeing him with Hannah, Bill had assumed she had orchestrated the visit. This had only added to the cocktail of simmering emotions he was experiencing following his mother’s release, and was very likely the catalyst that finally pushed him over the edge.

In turn, one of the ripples had worked out positively. It had brought Liam into Hannah’s life, and Bill’s attack had pushed the pair of them closer together. Liam had been her rock in recent weeks as he supported her through her recovery.

She had encountered Veronica Goldberg at Jill’s funeral, an awkward moment for them both. Hannah couldn’t help but remember her as Jill and Miles’s step-monster, and got the impression that Veronica wasn’t entirely happy that her son was involved with someone who would always be a reminder of Hixton and the events that led to Miles’s death.

Veronica’s reaction had Hannah nervous about meeting the rest of Liam’s family, and her stomach churned with nerves as he drove her down to Devon a few weekends later.

She had tried to get out of the trip, telling him she was too busy. It was actually true. The fire had destroyed her flat and she was forced to start afresh, having lost everything. She had managed to rent a place further inland, but rebuilding her home and her life was going to take time.

Liam had been insistent they go, convinced the break would do her good, and given how things were progressing between them, she had eventually agreed.

It was still early days in their relationship, but he was already looking at property in North Norfolk and talking about relocating. Hannah didn’t push him, continuing to focus on her own plans, understanding that things would work out in their own way and in their own time. This trip to see his parents and sister was just another step that proved they were heading in the right direction.

Her physical scars had mostly healed, so at least she didn’t have to worry about meeting them while she was covered in bruises. The psychological ones would take longer and she was dealing with them one day at a time.

At least Bill had finally confessed to knowing where his mother was and Hannah had been shocked and relieved to learn she was dead.