“He offered me a life where I’d never have to struggle again. A house, travel, and money. He said he’d take care of everything. But there was one condition.”
She looked up, and I saw the shame in her expression before she said it.
“I had to leave everything behind. There could be no loose ends. No family. No child.”
The words knocked the air out of me!
My stomach twisted.
“I said no at first,” she went on quickly. “I did. But he said it had to be all or nothing. And then he showed me what he’s capable of — the fake documents, IDs, and bank accounts in other names. He had connections in law enforcement and with hospitals. He said he’d make it look like I’d died in a car crash. And no one would come looking.”
My throat was dry. I wanted to be furious. I wanted to shout. But I just stood there, cold and stunned.
“So you agreed,” I said flatly.
“I said no at first…”
“I thought Willa would be better off with you,” she said, her voice breaking. “I thought she’d have a stable life. You always said you’d protect her. I told myself it was for her.”
“And for you,” I said.
She didn’t deny it.
“Yes,” she whispered.
I shook my head. “You could’ve come back.”
“I thought about it every day,” she said. “But he watched me constantly. He has access to my phone and email. I wasn’t even allowed to keep old photos. I was just ‘Erin’ now. His Erin.”
I shook my head.
I took a step back, my fists clenched.
“Do you have any idea what we went through?” I said, my voice rising. “Do you know how many nights Willa cried for you? How many times I’ve had to lie and say heaven was a nice place?”
Tears rolled down her face, but I didn’t stop.
“You let your daughter grow up thinking her mother was gone. Forever. You let me grieve my child.”
“I hated myself every day,” she cried. “I never stopped loving her. Or you. I was just… trapped.”
“I never stopped loving her…”
I exhaled long and slow.
“And now?”
“He’s away on business,” she said. “I found a way to slip out. He thinks I’m in Florida with a friend.”
Her eyes darted toward the street.
“But he’ll find me,” she added. “He always finds me. He has everything — my passport, my Social Security number, my birth certificate. I can’t even prove who I am.”
“Then we fight,” I said. “We’ll call the police. A lawyer. Anyone. But you’re not going back.”
She hesitated.
She hesitated.
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