Page 81 of Revenge Vows

His eyes are brilliant with traces of tears. “Pray tell, what were you up to while your family was starving and struggling?”

“I tried Ray, I did.”

“Did you, Alyssa?”

I swear that I did.

“I don’t care what you or anyone thinks. Antonio came in like an angel sent by God himself, and he gave this family hope.” Ray gets up. “Settle your shit with him but don’t pull your family into it. They’ve been through enough.”

He calls out to Laura to say goodbye before leaving without another glance in my direction.

I bow my head and drop it onto the kitchen table.

“Now do you get it?” Laura says from behind me. She walks up to the gigantic fridge and pulls out a bottle of water.

“I thought that you were on a livestream,” I say, taking the water she hands to me.

She shrugs. “It turns out you are right. It’s a bit too early to do a livestream.”

I wipe my tears and gulp down the water.

“He’s wrong.” She pauses as I look at her. “Nothing that happened was your fault.”

I chuckle in pain. “I wasn’t there for you and Mom! I should never have gone with those men.”

“That’s all true—but it would be plain unfair to forget that the only reason you went with them was to save mom and I.”

I blink away tears. “When did you grow so wise?” I tease.

“You’ll be surprised how much time you get for some sober reflection, when half your peers know you as the toilet girl. Girls are ruthless.”

The tears come, and I tilt my head back. “You must have suffered a lot. I’m sorry.”

She nods. “Yes, Mama and I suffered, but it wasn’t the physical pain that tortured us the most. It was you being away that killed us the most.”

I sob as the words leave her mouth.

“Mom wasn’t laid up because of the pain in her back. She was laid up because of the pain in her heart.” Laura swallows. “I have always wondered why I didn’t have the courage to go in your place.”

“I would never have let you do that.”

Tears drop from her eyes. “Alyssa, Antonio didn’t just give us money. He gave us hope. He promised us that you were alive and well and that someday we would see you.”

“He did?”

“Looking back, it was stupid to believe him so easily. But Ray promised us that he was a man of his word, and if he said you were alive and well, you were.”

I fight to wipe away my tears, but they keep flowing.

“You suffered too, didn’t you?” Laura asks.

Slowly, I nod.

She reaches over the table and then takes my hands.

“Then let’s not suffer anymore.”

She inhales. “I decided that I want to go to college.”

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