Chapter 9

I pressed the call button, summoning help to get Stephen into the emergency room just in time. It wasn’t because I cared whether he lived or died; the fact that he still had my daughter meant he couldn’t die yet.

When Stephen regained consciousness and learned it was me who had called for help, he had a rare moment of conscience and actually apologized.

"Teresa, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have trusted that woman. Can we start over? Wipe the slate clean and forget the past?"

A storm of emotions surged within me.

Forget the past?

Forgive the man who killed my daughter?

The hatred between us was irreconcilable!

How could I possibly let go of the grudge against the murderer who, in my past life, had stabbed me thirty-eight times?

If I forgave him, it would be no different than inviting death.

Suppressing my seething hatred, I forced a sigh and said, "We’re family. Let’s not talk about being divided. I’m glad to see you’ve come around. Let’s move forward and live well from now on.