Tina stood in the doorway, not rushing in like usual. ‘It’s all gone pear-shaped. I just wanted a baby. I didn’t want all this. Look at me now. I don’t recognise myself anymore. I’m lost. What can I do now I’ve gone too far?’

Amelia grabbed Tina’s hand, her eyes wide open as she noticed the smears of blood. ‘What’s happened? You’re covered in blood. Look, it’s on your legs too. Tell me what’s happened. I’m scared.’

Tina tried to wipe her legs. Then she smiled absently, stroking Amelia’s tummy with her cold, damp hand. ‘It’s fine, don’t you worry, everything is fine. I just knocked a dog down on the road. It was dead when I got to it. I’m in shock, I think. I need to wash my hands.’

Tina scurried from the hall, still double-locking the door behind her on autopilot, and into the kitchen where she wet the white dishcloth and scrubbed at her body until her skin was raw. Her phone started ringing. She took a deep breath and answered the call.

‘Hiya, Chris, yeah I’m good. Are you coming over here? I’m thinking we could stay here tonight. Amelia needs a bit of company, she’s down in the dumps.’ Tina listened to her husband for a few seconds and her expression changed as her voice got louder, impatient.

‘Oh, just do whatever it is you’re doing. I’ll stay here. I thought you loved me. I thought family came first. It doesn’t seem like it anymore. Just fuck off, Chris.’

She stood in silence, her hands still in the cold water, now pink with the blood. She didn’t know how long she’d been standing here until a text alert brought her back to her senses. Tina tried to make sense of what she was reading.

I’m still here bitch. Rot in jail, you had your chance.

She felt a tightness in her chest, her vision closing in, she could feel a full-blown panic attack starting. The phone fell from her hands and landed on the floor as she started mumbling over and over. ‘No, no, no, no, no.’

There was knock at the front door. Amelia had no idea what to do. No one but Tina had been round here since the time she’d seen the shadowed figure.

‘Let them take me!’ Tina yelled through to Amelia. ‘I don’t care anymore. I can’t take it, I just can’t take it,’ she sobbed.

A voice came through the letterbox. ‘Tina, it’s me, Chris, open up.’ Amelia rummaged in Tina’s bag for the keys and ran to the door. She unlocked it with shaking hands, panicking.

‘Is she here?’