Nevaya ran at Tina and curled her fingers deep into her hair, yanking, pulling, then pushing her about, shaking her. This was her mother she was slagging off, she wasn’t going to get away with this. How dare she?

Chris knew he had to do something. He leapt to his feet and yanked them apart. ‘Whoa, turn it in now!’ The room was suddenly a war zone, his wife and daughter trying to rip each other’s eyes out.

Tina was fuming, this had been a long time coming and she was holding nothing back. This should all have come out years ago and there would have been none of this. She backed off and stood opposite her stepdaughter panting like a dog on a hot day. She kept her eyes on Nevaya, ready if she decided to make another move.

‘Your mam come home one night and packed her stuff, said she was making a new life with whichever bloke it was that week. She didn’t want any of you, all she cared about was dropping her knickers. And you can tell her I said that too because it’s the truth. She’s a total slag and had been cheating for years,’ Tina yelled, going for gold. She puffed up her chest, ready to deliver the final blow. ‘She was a desperate woman and she’d sleep with anyone who’d give her the time of the day.’

‘Enough,’ Chris screamed at the top of his voice. This had all gone too far. ‘Let’s all just calm down, I’ve heard enough, had enough. Day in and day out you two are fighting and bickering, it needs to be sorted out before I lose my head. I want a quiet life, not this.’

‘It’s her, Dad, not me. She’s slagging my mam off and expects me to sit here and say nothing. But we can all tell the truth though, can’t we?’ Her eyes sparkled with fury. ‘Is it not right that you were her friend, and our babysitter? Yes, I thought you’d change your tune now. Look at you, lost for words. My mam told me all about you too. You were her mate, she trusted you and you two were having it off behind her back. OK, she messed up, but what you two failed to mention is that she caught the pair of you having sex. Yes, in her bed. So don’t you dare come across all high and mighty and try and tell me that my mother is a whore. She’s worth ten of you, Tina, and you know it. That’s why you’ve never even spoken to me about her. Did you think I would just forget her?’ She started to back off, heading towards the door. ‘Well, I’ll never forget her, she’s my flesh and blood, not a plastic pretend mother like you are.’