The Me I Used to Be by Jennifer Ryan

Author:Jennifer Ryan
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-04-22T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Rhea waited on the porch for Evangeline to return from wherever she’d gone today. Honestly, she had no idea what was going on with her daughter. It pained her to think that they used to be so close Rhea knew every little thing about her life, her friends, and her hopes and dreams.

Evangeline had been such a fun-loving, bright girl.

When Evangeline got into trouble, she used to apologize and try to make things right immediately. The woman she’d become took everything thrust upon her and swallowed it down deep. She didn’t share anything she didn’t absolutely have to or give anything away.

Rhea missed Evangeline’s bright, cheery smiles and infectious laugh. She hadn’t done either since she arrived home, and probably a lot longer than that.

Nothing but pain and sadness filled her eyes these days.

Rhea didn’t recognize the woman who returned from jail. She didn’t look or act the same. Once outgoing, now reserved, her daughter hid her feelings. The light in her eyes had dimmed. Anger, regret, and resentment shadowed her face.

She had every reason to feel those things after what happened to her. Rhea had put some of the darkness in her eyes with her harsh words and treatment.

Rhea’s regrets weighed down her heart.

Rhea hadn’t said anything at the funeral when Chris talked about how Evangeline got the scars on her body. At the time, she’d thought her daughter deserved to suffer for what she’d put them through and how hard Richard had taken her arrest and absence. Rhea had wanted her to pay, especially on the days that Richard sank into the bottom of a bottle instead of turning to her for comfort.

Richard had been wallowing in guilt and missing Evangeline while his daughter had been repeatedly attacked and nearly died. Richard lived in his misery, while Rhea blamed Evangeline. True, in her more charitable and nostalgic moments, Rhea missed Evangeline, too. She couldn’t fathom what possessed her sweet girl to do something so stupid and hurtful. But more often her anger overtook her.

Even as angry as Rhea had been, she’d never wanted her daughter to be attacked like that. Never.

The sight of Evangeline’s scars made Rhea’s heart bleed. She wanted to hurt those who had hurt her precious daughter.

Now her feelings had been turned upside down, and she wanted to hurt Richard. His silence and cowardice were unforgivable.

Rhea couldn’t forgive herself for the way she’d thought about and acted toward Evangeline.

She understood now why Evangeline had refused to see Richard while in prison or even speak to him. Because of that, Rhea had let her sit and rot in that place instead of demanding that her daughter tell her the truth.

A tear slipped down her cheek. How could she turn her back on her child without ever really trying to reach her? Evangeline had been in pain, betrayed by her father and cast aside by her family, who thought the worst of her when she’d simply been trying to protect them from the awful truth.

Richard, in

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.