But I couldn’t let the fears vanish; they overtook every aspect of my life and my partner Stewart had made sure of that.

As the bus approached my stop, I took a huge sigh of anguish and glanced at our house. I wasn’t sure what would be waiting for me and my baby on the inside. My stomach felt tight and agitated; I knew it was my nerves and anxiety playing up again, but I had to ignore it. I had to swallow my fear and face what was in front of me.

After all, where else could I go?

The bus stopped and I gingerly exited holding my belongings and my bundle of joy close to my chest. I walked towards the front of the house. Everything appeared to be normal.

No noise. No rubbish outside. The curtains were still closed.