Unconditional Revenge by Laura Snider

Author:Laura Snider [Snider, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-08-21T16:00:00+00:00

25

VIVIAN

Vivian wasn’t winning; she hadn’t won at all. How could she have allowed herself to think that she could beat Bruce? While she’d been in a medically induced slumber—giving birth to his baby—he’d been out pulling strings, finding a new way to punish her.

“I’m going to jail,” Vivian said to Penny.

They were the hardest four words she’d ever had to utter to her child. How was she going to explain the situation? She’d spent Penny’s entire life telling her daughter that criminals were bad, and now she might become a convicted felon herself.

“I thought you were at the hospital.”

“I am at the hospital, but Ashley says there are deputies outside my door ready to arrest me when the medical staff clears me to leave.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Vivian sighed heavily, “your brother wasn’t healthy.”

“That’s not your fault.”

“It is a little. Honey, these things are so complicated. I didn’t follow all the doctor’s orders.”

“Nobody does.”

Once again, Vivian’s bright, young child was surprising her with her ability to observe.

“Doesn’t Bruce have diabetes?”

“Diabetes. Yes, he does.”

“And he isn’t supposed to have sugar, right?”

“That’s true.”

“But he used to eat sugar all the time. I remember. He ate all my Easter candy one year. He eats so much more sugar than us. He’s not following doctors’ orders. He should go to jail.”

“Oh, honey, it isn’t that simple.”

“Why not?”

“It just isn’t.”

“It isn’t because adults always complicate things. If you can go to jail for ignoring a doctor, then so should he. That’s not complicated. That’s fairness.”

“Unfortunately, the world isn’t fair.”

“Well, it should be.”

Vivian smiled, but it was a sad one that wobbled in the corners as a tear trickled down her cheek. “You are such a good girl. Do you know that?”

“Yes.” There was an intensity in Penny’s voice that Vivian had not noticed in the past.

“One day, when you grow up, you’ll make a big difference. You can be a congresswoman, or maybe even President. You can be anything you want to be.”

“Why are you talking like you won’t see me for a long time?”

Vivian swallowed hard. “Because I’m going to jail, and I don’t think Bruce will bring you to visit me there.”

“Bruce? I’m not going with Bruce.”

“My sweet, strong, intelligent girl. You won’t have a choice.”

“I’m going to stay with Ashley and Katie. They won’t let Bruce take me.”

“They can’t stop it. He’s your father in the eyes of the law.”

“Then I’ll run away. I can come back here, to the public defender’s office.”

“You’ll only get Ashley and Katie into trouble, and they’ve decided to help me out. Isn’t that nice of them?” She was trying to keep her voice upbeat, but it was growing more difficult by the second.

The song Isn’t it Ironic popped into her head. Because it was ironic that she’d considered herself so much better than Ashley and her clients only days earlier, and now, after the worst experience in her life, she was going to have to depend on Ashley. Bruce wouldn’t allow her to hire an attorney. This was her

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.