I ended up marrying Christopher, the man Dad introduced me to, and a year later, we had twins–a boy and a girl.
When the kids turned three, I returned to my home country with Mom and Dad.
Stepping back onto familiar ground, I felt different. The last time I had left, I’d had nothing but scars and a deep sense of
helplessness.
Now, everything had changed. I had loving parents, a devoted husband, and two beautiful children. I had the purest love in the
world and everything I had ever dreamed of.
One day, while taking a walk with my family, I unexpectedly ran into Yvette.
Her face was pale and gaunt, and her tangled hair was a wild mess. Her clothes were so filthy that their original color was
impossible to discern.
She was on the ground, curled up, as a man kicked her over and over again.
“Where’s the money? Give it to me! You useless bitch–marrying you ruined my damn life!”
Yvette let out a piercing scream. A small boy, no older than six or seven, rushed forward to pull the man away, only to be kicked
and sent flying.
“Get the fuck away, you bastard! If you get in my way again, I swear to God, I’ll sell you off!”
“Caleb, please stop! You already gambled everything away–there’s nothing left! We have no food left!”
At that moment, I realized the bloated, dirty man in front of me was Caleb.
“I told you to go out and earn money, so where the hell is it? You must be hiding some!” he spat.
Yvette stayed on the ground, enduring Caleb’s relentless blows as she pleaded, “Daniel still needs to go to school-”
Another kick landed, and Yvette spat out blood.
“As if I give a damn about your kid? You don’t even know who his father is! He’s lucky I haven’t thrown him out! If I ever catch you hiding money from me again, you two can get the hell out!”
