Chapter 15: A Past She Could Never Escape
The house was unusually quiet that afternoon.
Evelyn sat on the edge of the couch, her fingers pressed tightly together. Her mind had been restless all day.
Stephanie was still gone.
Every small sound in the house made her glance toward the door, half expecting it to open.
But it never did.
Suddenly, small footsteps echoed down the hallway.
Her younger son appeared in the living room, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Mum?"
Evelyn forced a small smile.
"Yes?"
"Where is Stephanie?"
The question struck her harder than she expected.
Before she could answer, the other boy walked in too.
"Yeah," he added. "She didn't wake us up today."
Evelyn's throat tightened.
"She… went out," she said quietly.
"When will she come back?" the younger one asked.
Evelyn opened her mouth.
But no words came out.
Instead, she looked away.
"I don't know," she whispered.
The boys exchanged confused looks before wandering back toward their room.
The moment they disappeared, the silence returned.
But this time, it felt heavier.
Evelyn leaned back against the couch slowly.
Memories she had buried for years began creeping back into her mind.
Years earlier.
She had been young then.
Naive.
And hopelessly in love.
She met him at a party.
Louis.
He was everything people admired.
Rich.
Handsome.
Charming.
He had a smile that made everyone feel important.
When he looked at her, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
At least… that was what she believed.
They started dating soon after.
For a while, everything felt like a dream.
Until she discovered the truth.
Louis wasn't the man she thought he was.
He was cruel.
Cold.
And dangerous.
She later learned something else too.
Something no one had told her.
Louis preferred men.
He had always been that way.
But his parents needed an heir.
And he was their only son.
So they found her.
A woman who loved him blindly.
A woman who would stay no matter what.
Even when the truth slowly revealed itself.
The first time he hit her, she had been shocked.
The second time, she had been confused.
The third time…
she started believing she deserved it.
Her first pregnancy ended in tragedy.
She lost the baby after one of his violent outbursts.
She had cried endlessly.
But instead of comfort, Louis blamed her.
"You're careless," he had shouted.
Then he hit her again.
And again.
And again.
The pain never stopped.
Soon, Evelyn began using drugs just to escape the reality of her life.
It was the only way she could sleep.
The only way she could forget.
Then she became pregnant again.
With Stephanie.
His parents were overjoyed.
They constantly told her,
"No marriage is perfect."
"You must be patient."
"Things will get better."
But Evelyn knew the truth.
They knew their son was gay.
They knew he was abusive.
Yet they kept encouraging her to stay.
Because she was the only one who could give them a grandchild.
And despite everything…
Evelyn still loved him.
She loved him in a desperate, foolish way.
She believed that one day he would look into her eyes and finally see how much she cared.
That one day he would change.
But that day never came.
Instead, he continued bringing different men home.
Sometimes he didn't even try to hide it.
And every time Evelyn saw it, her heart broke a little more.
She lived in constant fear.
Fear of his anger.
Fear for her health.
Fear for her baby.
Then one evening…
everything changed.
Baby Stephanie had been asleep in her small crib.
Evelyn was lying on the couch, exhausted.
Between taking care of the baby and dealing with endless stress, she had fallen asleep without cooking dinner.
When Louis came home, he went straight to the kitchen.
Moments later, he stormed back into the living room.
"Where's the food?" he demanded.
Evelyn sat up weakly.
"I'm sorry… I was tired—"
Before she could finish, his hand struck her face.
The slap was so hard that she immediately tasted blood.
She fell to the floor.
"Please," she begged weakly.
But Louis wasn't listening.
His anger had already taken over.
He grabbed her by the neck and began squeezing.
Evelyn struggled to breathe.
Her vision blurred.
She could feel her strength fading.
She knew that if she didn't do something…
she would die.
Her hand reached desperately beside her.
Her fingers touched something solid.
The flower vase on the small table.
With the last bit of strength she had left…
she grabbed it.
And swung.
The vase struck his head with a sharp crack.
Louis froze.
Then his body collapsed to the floor.
Just like that.
Silence filled the room.
Evelyn stared at him in horror.
He wasn't moving.
He never moved again.
That night, she didn't know what else to do.
So she ran.
She packed a few things.
Took baby Stephanie in her arms.
And ran as far as she could.
That was how she ended up in Los Angeles.
Evelyn slowly opened her eyes.
The living room returned around her.
The present.
Her breathing felt heavy.
All these years…
she had convinced herself that she had escaped the past.
But now she realized something painful.
The past had followed her.
And somehow…
it had already begun destroying her daughter's life too.