Page 136 of My Vows Are Sealed

Peter walked down from the podium to stand down on the same level as the rest of the congregation, then grabbed an empty chair and placed it next to him, facing the back of the room.

“Darla, Brendan, can I get you both to come up here for a moment, please?” he asked. “You too, Gloria.”

Brendan and my mom both helped me to my feet, and we slowly made our way to the front of the sanctuary. Peter gestured me toward the chair, and I gratefully took a seat. Then he walked behind me and gently put his hands on my shoulders.

“When I look at these people, I see three of the strongest and bravest people I know,” he announced. “I see three people who have survived more pain, heartache, fear, and trauma than anyone should have to endure, and who, despite all of that, still have faith in the Lord and His plan for their lives. I see a young man who went to extraordinary lengths to protect the girl he loves, a young woman who stood up for herself and protected herself and her unborn child, and a mother who risked her life to protect her daughter. I see survivors. People I’m proud to know and love and support. If that’s what you see, I’d like to ask you to come and join me in laying hands on and praying for this family.”

Naomi and Alex shot up from their seats, and Naomi made a beeline for us, first hugging my neck and then grabbing my good hand and putting her other hand on Brendan’s arm, while Alex put a hand on each of our shoulders, squeezing gently. Mrs. Rhee followed them, giving my mom a hug before taking one of her hands and putting her other hand on my cast. Mr. Rhee walked over to where Naomi was standing, putting a hand on her back and a hand on my back. And slowly, one by one, almost every single member of the congregation walked up to the front of the sanctuary. I noticed a few people, including Brendan’s mom, walking out. And a few others, like Brendan’s dad, didn’t leave, but they also didn’t come up to join us. But at least ninety percent of the people in the congregationdidcome up and start laying hands on us, or on people next to us, and seeing how many people chose to stay and be here for us made tears well up in my eyes.

“Darla, Brendan, Gloria, I want you to take a look around you right now,” Peter told us. “This is your family. Your brothers and sisters in Christ. And each and every one of us loves you and supports you.”

“That’s right,” I heard someone say.

“Amen,” someone else murmured.

“I’m going to start us off in prayer, and then if anyone else wants to pray aloud over Darla, Brendan, and Gloria, you’re welcome to,” Peter said. “Lord Jesus, I just want to lift up these three people, Your children, to you right now. I pray that you give Gloria peace and patience as she answers the questions that law enforcement has for her over the next couple of days and allows them to search every nook and cranny of her home. I pray that you watch over Darla and Brendan as they continue to work with law enforcement to ensure that the horrible crimes committed against them do not go unpunished.

“Lord, I ask that You help Darla heal quickly from her injuries, and that You give her doctors guidance to make the best decisions for her medical care. I ask that You ease her pain as she puts her child first and abstains from taking prescription pain medication for her broken bones. I ask that You watch over her and her baby during this pregnancy and help this baby to be born healthy and strong. Most of all, Lord Jesus, I ask You to work in their lives and show them Your love and comfort as they recover from the wounds that none of us can see. Please give any counselors or therapists that they choose to work with the wisdom and tools to help them cope with the trauma they’ve been through for all these years.

“And Jesus, I ask that You work in this congregation. I ask that You show us how we can help our brother and sisters in this difficult time, and I ask that You provide comfort and healing for all of us as we try to make sense of the events of the past several days. I ask all this in Your precious and holy Name, amen.”

I was bawling by the time he was done, and Brendan was crying into my shoulder and holding me so tight that it hurt a little, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him. A chorus of “amens” sounded from everyone, but before I could raise my head, my mom spoke.

“Jesus, I want to thank You for keeping my daughter safe and for bringing this wonderful young man into her life,” she murmured. “Thank You for finally giving Darla the courage to speak out against her father, and for giving Brendan the patience, love, and compassion to support her. I have faith that You’ll continue to work in their lives through this difficult time, and that You’ll provide a way for them to support and care for my grandchild.

“Lord, I want to lift all of the children my husband harmed up to You tonight. Please show them Your love and grace and help them to heal from the wounds he’s inflicted on them. And Lord, You’re a God of love and compassion, but You’re also a God of vengeance, so I also want to lift up the people who are handling my husband’s case to You tonight. Please give them the wisdom to pursue the best course of action, and please show them Your will for how to prosecute him for the crimes he’s committed. In Your Name I pray, amen.”

Another chorus of “amens” rang out, and this time, I did lift my head and turn to look at my fiancé, whose eyes were red and puffy from crying. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and he put his hand over my hair and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“I love you, Dar,” he whispered. “And I still thank God every day for bringing you into my life.”

“I love you,” I sniffled as I turned my head for a kiss, a request he happily obliged.

“Oh, my God. You two are like a damn Hallmark movie,” Alex groaned.

“Cut them some slack,jagi,” Naomi chuckled, sniffling and wiping her eyes. “They’ve earned the right to be sappy.”

“I hate to break up the love-fest,” Peter teased. “But…Marie and I were wondering if we could bring you two dinner on Friday night. I’m meeting with the church elders on Friday afternoon to talk to them about what’s going to happen with the church leadership, and I wanted to keep you both in the loop. Actually, Gloria, if you can join us, we’d love that. We wanted to speak with you too.”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Brendan said as he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “What time?”

“How’s seven?” he asked.

“That works for me,” my mom said. “I just need your address, Brendan. I can’t believe I’m saying that. I should know where my daughter’s living.”

“I’ll write it down for you before we leave,” Brendan chuckled weakly. “Seven works.”

“Great.” Peter cracked a little bit of a smile. “We’ll see you Friday.”

Chapter 36

Darla

Come Together

“Are yousureyou’re going to be okay, Dar?” Brendan asked for the tenth time. “I can tell my uncle I need more time.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t want him here, because I did, but there was really nothing he could have been doing. I didn’t have any doctor’s appointments coming up today, so I was just going to be lying on the couch watching TV and trying not to think about how much my arm and ribs hurt for most of the day. He didn’t need to be here for that. And he couldn’t keep taking time off of work. In about seven months, we’d have a child to support. We needed to save every penny we could.

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