Christopher couldn’t watch any longer, so he stepped in to stop Caleb. “Enough! You’re going to kill her at this rate!”
Caleb was just about to curse him out when he noticed me standing nearby.
His eyes widened in shock before he wiped his dirty hands on his clothes and stepped toward me, reaching for my hand.
I took a step back, and Christopher shielded que
“Natalie, you’re back? How have you been all these years?”
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Chapter 11
+20 Bonus
I nodded, but I was already losing patience.
Yvette scrambled to her feet and grabbed onto Caleb’s shirt. “Caleb, Natalie’s back! Tell her! Tell her you love her! Tell her she’s
the only one you’ve ever loved!”
Caleb shoved her off without hesitation. “Stay out of my fucking business!”
Then, he looked at me with an affectionate gaze. “Natalie… do you know—”
I cut him off.
“Caleb, I’m married. These are my husband and children. And I’m happy–happier than I ever was with you. My husband loves
my kids deeply.”
Caleb opened his mouth but said nothing. Slowly, he nodded. “That’s… good. That’s really good…”
He looked down at his filthy, sagging body. Then, he lowered his head, refusing to meet my eyes.
Just like that, he turned back to Yvette and kicked her again. “What the hell are you still sitting there for? Get up and go
some food! I’m starving!”
Yvette’s face immediately broke into a smile. This, perhaps, was the gentlest he had been to her in recent years.
“Of course! I’ll cook something right now!”
make me
She pulled out a worn–out wallet, dug around, and found a single ten–dollar bill. She handed it to her son, Daniel, and said, “Go buy something for your dad to drink with his meal.”
Daniel hesitated.
Yvette grabbed him by the collar and flung him aside. “You’re nothing but a useless stray! Your dad was kind enough to let you stay. If you don’t listen, I’ll be thrown out with you!”
Daniel slowly picked himself up from the ground. His tiny, frail body looked like it could be blown away by the wind.
I didn’t look back at them again. Instead, I walked away with Christopher and my children.
But the sight of that small, lonely figure turning away struck something deep inside me. He reminded me of myself when I was
young.
I could only hope that when he grew up, he would find his own light–that something, or someone, would come along and save
him the way I had been saved.
And I hoped that, when that day came, his light would shine just as brightly as mine did now.
