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The front door slammed and she heard, “Di? Where you at, sugar plum?”

Diane dried Alyssa’s tears with the pad of her thumbs. “I’m in here!” she yelled. Alyssa quickly reached for her jacket, worried about what Mr. Jackson would say, but Diane stopped her. “No, don’t hide it, sweetie.”

Putting her trust in Diane, Alyssa agreed.

“I brought you your favorite—” Clark said, but halted when he saw Diane and Alyssa standing in the kitchen. “What in good heavens?” He dropped the tulips on the counter and rushed over to them. Placing his hands on his hips, he said, “Alright, who do I have to kill?”

A light chuckle rolled off Diane’s lips. “You’re not killing anyone, Clark.”

Clark’s face turned beet red. “Who did this to you?”

“Ben Jones.”

Clark swore under his breath. “We need to go to the police. Does he know you’re here?”

Alyssa’s heart began to hammer in her chest. “No, he doesn’t know. But the police?”

Pulling out a barstool, Clark sat down. “So this is still going on, huh?”

Diane tilted her head at her husband. “What do you mean, still?”

“Relax, Di. When John came home, he told me he saw Alyssa and suspected she was being abused, but he had nothing to go on because,” he trained his eyes on Alyssa, “she wouldn’t tell him anything.”

“I was scared,” she said quietly.

Diane patted her arm. “So you knew she was pregnant then?”

“I did.”

“And why didn’t you tell me?”

“John and I decided not to mention it because we didn’t want to add stress to you.”

Immediately, Alyssa felt like an utter fool for coming to John’s house. Her heart sank into her stomach. She hadn’t even remembered the MS, she’d only been thinking of herself. It was completely selfish of her.

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Jackson! I should leave. I apologize for coming here like this.” Alyssa grabbed her jacket and slipped it on, but before she could take another step, Clark stopped her.

“Now you listen here, young lady. We’re not about to let you leave and go back to that boy. You’re here and we’re going to figure this out.”

“But–”

“No butt’s about it,” Diane said. “I’m completely fine. I’ve been on medication and doing well. Sometimes I have flair-ups, but it’s manageable.”

Alyssa sighed. She really didn’t want to leave. She actually felt safe under their roof. She was so alone inside, no mother to confide in, no father for her unborn child and no education to fall back on. What the hell was she supposed to do?

Between her hormones and everything that had been going on, she was due for a good cry. She just wished it hadn’t been in front of John’s parents.

Rinsing off her hands, Alyssa grabbed the towel and dried them. She had a lot to figure out, but thankfully she had someone to talk to about it for once.

Opening the bathroom door, she went back to the kitchen where Diane and Clark were chatting. “We have some ideas, Alyssa.”

Clark spoke first. “You can stay in John’s room for as long as you like. We’re not expecting him back, only for small breaks since he’ll be stationed somewhere else.”

Alyssa’s shoulders dropped. As happy as she was for John, she missed him dearly. The irony of the situation was not lost. Funny how you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone, not that John was truly hers … but in a sense he was.

“In order for that to happen you really need go to the police and report what’s been going on. We won’t stand by and watch Ben get away with what he’s done to you.”

Alyssa exhaled a heavy breath. Pressure was growing on her chest. “I’ll be there with you, honey,” Diane said, grabbing her hand, comforting her. “I’ll be by your side so you don’t have anything to worry about. Otherwise you’ll be living in fear everyday of your life and I’m sure that’s not something you want for your baby?”