It snowed really heavily last night and was still snowing this morning when we awoke. The girls stayed off school, Tom and Josh stayed home from work, and we all played out in the snow. My neighbour Sam came around in the afternoon; we all built snowmen in the garden, but then Tom started making snowballs and throwing them at me. He didn’t throw them gently; they all seemed to be thrown with the intention of hurting me, and they did, very much.

Later, when he had gone back indoors, Sam mentioned it. She asked if I was okay, and she said she’d been watching his face and every time he threw one at me, she said that he looked so angry and as if he intended to inflict pain. He might not have actually hit me with his fists or hands yet, but I’m sure now that he’s getting close.

His anger is reaching fever pitch, so while I try my hardest to get us out of here, I’m just going to have to work equally hard not to annoy him so that it doesn’t become more violent. I already know what he’s capable of. I should have gone then. For Josh’s sake. For the sake of all of us.