‘Tina, can you hear yourself? This is not right. This kid needs proper guidance, she doesn’t need hiding away as part of some mad scheme you’ve come up with. You could lose your job, everything you’ve worked hard for. Are you ready to put your neck on the line for this? Think about it, it’s not right. You need medical help. If you want to adopt then we can go through the proper procedure. I promise. But you can’t just take the law into your own hands and take the girl’s baby, no matter how desperate she is. How were you going to explain that you suddenly had a kid?’

Tina flew at him. ‘Why did I ever think that you would understand? I should have kept my mouth shut and carried on without you. I’m giving you the chance to make us happy and all you can do is put a spanner in the works. If I tell people we’ve been waiting to adopt, who’s going to know any different? You owe me, Chris, you owe me for the years I’ve been a mother to your children, for every night I’ve spent crying alone, you owe me.’

Chris was silent. He looked at the pile of baby clothes and shook his head. He dropped the knitted shoes he’d been holding, small and unworn.

Amelia sat watching the TV, she was bored. She flicked through the channels and sighed. Somebody was at the door, a key sliding into the lock. She’d not seen anyone all day.

Tina walked in holding a bag of food. ‘Sorry I’m late. I’ve had a situation to deal with.’

Amelia snatched the takeaway bag from her hands. ‘I am starving. All I’ve had all day is toast.’

Tina held the door open behind her, startling Amelia. ‘What the…? Who’s he?’

Tina smiled. ‘It’s OK, Amelia. This is my husband. I’ve told him everything and he’s here to help.’

Amelia was apprehensive. She kept her eyes on the stranger as she started to unpack her food.

Tina gestured to Chris to sit down. ‘Amelia, this is Chris.’

Amelia said nothing in reply, just nodded her head slightly.

‘Hi, you alright?’ he asked her.

‘I will be when I’ve had something to eat. All day I’ve been craving this. Tina, I need chocolate too. I’ve eaten the last packet of biscuits. I was in a feeding frenzy and nothing was touching the sides.’

‘I’ve brought you some shopping. It’s in the car, I’ll get it in a minute.’

As Amelia ate, she broke off every so often to wipe the side of her mouth with her sleeve. ‘Has anything been said in school about me being missing?’

Tina coughed to clear her throat. ‘The police have been in. They’ve interviewed all the students too.’