Sandy's heart pounded with excitement as she walked into the house. The sound of her phone beeped with a notification, and her eyes lit up the moment she saw the sender,it was from Ricky.
"Hope you got home safe, sweetheart."
Her grin widened so much it nearly split her face in half. Why does he keep calling me that? she thought, still smiling. Her gaze flickered to the time,6 p.m.
Her time with Ricky had been perfect.As the memories of their lunch together flooded back to her mind, making her cheeks heat up.
They had left Royalty Plaza earlier in the afternoon and gone to one of her favorite pastry shops.
She loved the place not just for its mouthwatering pastries which was a bonus,but because it was always quiet,and rarely crowded,a little hidden gem in the city.
At first, she had been incredibly nervous,no knowing what to say to the man who had witnessed her being manhandled by her ex-boyfriend. But Ricky had been effortlessly funny and sweet, so she had quickly calmed down feeling at ease in his presence.
They talked about everything and anything from politics, to the state of the country, even music. She had pegged him to be into hip-hop, given his rugged charm and vibe, but to her surprise, he loved jazz and blues.
The biggest shock of the afternoon, however, was when he revealed he was a lawyer. That led to the story of why he had been there that night to rescue her from Michael.
He had been working on a case involving illegal money laundering, and together with the police, they had put a witness under protection. The witness had given up a location linked to one of the suspects.
Although the police had already searched the place and found nothing, Ricky had decided to check one last time. He was just leaving the area when he saw Michael grabbing her.
He had even apologized for not getting there on time, motioning to the faint bruise under her makeup. Sandy had felt embarrassed, about the whole ordeal and was ready to shrink back into her shell, but Ricky had clasped her hands in his and told her never to be ashamed.
He explained how he had worked with abuse victims before and knew how often most of them felt too ashamed to speak up,which wasn't right.His words of encouragement had touched something deep inside her.
And For the first time in her life, she opened up about Michael, not just about the slap but about his unhealthy obsession with her, which had taken a toll on her even before they broke up.
Ricky had asked if she wanted to press charges, but she had shut the idea down immediately. She didn't want to drag this out. She just wanted to move on with her life and be in a better place.
After that, their conversation had turned lighter, more enjoyable. Time had slipped away from them, so much so that she almost lost track of it. If not for the call from her stepmother that had jolted them back from wonderland, she probably would have gotten home even later.
Sandy quickly typed a reply to Ricky.
"You need to stop calling me that. Your brain must be too broken to pronounce S-A-N-D-Y."
She was still grinning when a voice startled her.
"Lunch must have gone incredibly well to have you smiling so hard at your phone like that."
Sandy nearly had a heart attack,as her heart skipped a beat as she turned to see Mariam, her stepmother, standing in the living room.
She had not heard her footsteps coming into the room.
"Oh! No, Mariam, it's not what you think. It was just a business lunch,nothing important,"she lied, trying to compose herself.
Mariam chuckled as she moved closer, waving her off. "Oh, stop it. You don't have to lie to me. I may be in my fifties, young lady, but I know fully well when a girl is smiling because of a man."
Sandy's smile deepened as she took in Mariam's appearance. Even in shorts and oversized shirt, she still looked effortlessly stunning for her age. Her long wavy brown hair now tied up into a messy bun, and her warm brown eyes sparkled with amusement.
Mariam was a woman who took good care herself,so well that the fine lines on her face were barely noticeable, even less than the stress lines that sometimes appeared on Sandy's. Looking at her more closely now, Sandy could see the slight resemblance between Mariam and her late mother.
She had hated the idea of her father remarrying. When he had told her,just two years after Selene left, that he was marrying again, she had been devastated.
At the time, she had just broken up with Michael but found herself crawling back to him,because she was convinced he was the only one who understood her.During that period her resentment toward her father and his new wife had only grown.
But to her surprise Selene had been oddly supportive. Even though she hadn't attended the wedding,even after their father tried inviting to her. Sandy had sent her pictures, and Selene had called her, shocked at how much Mariam resembled their mother.
During the first year of their marriage,Sandy had acted like a spoilt teenager, but Mariam had been patient, kind. Slowly, she had warmed her way into Sandy's heart. And now, Sandy admired her and even looked up to her and regarded her like her own mother.
Her thoughts were suddenly shattered by Mariam's sharp gasp.
"Oh my goodness!"
"What happened to your face, Sandy? Who did this to you?" Mariam rushed closer, cupping her face gently in her hands,to see the full extent of the bruise.
Sandy could see the horrid look in her stepmother's eyes, as her face softened with concern.
"It's nothing, Mariam," Sandy muttered, shifting away from her touch "I'm fine."
She had been in such a hurry earlier, still distracted by her missing journal, that she hadn't done much to cover the bruise properly.
Mariam's voice turned firm. "Sandy King! You will tell me who did this to you, or I will call your father right now!"
Panic shot through Sandy. The last thing she wanted was to involve her father. If he found out, Michael would rot in jail for years, and despite everything, Sandy didn't want that. She knew Michael needed help, several sessions of therapy to fight his demons. He was never really a bad person.
"Please, Mariam",she begged Daddy," her eyes glistening with tears.
Mariam's face softened even more. "Then tell me who did this to you," she asked, her voice softer now.
Sandy hesitated,"It was Michael."she murmured.
Mariam's eyes widened. "Michael? But I thought you two broke up."she said as she moved them towards the leather couch.
"Here sit down"
"We did. But when i got back, he insisted on getting back together. When I refused… he hit me."sandy said softly,as she sat down beside Mariam.
A tear rolled down her cheek as all the emotions she had tried so hard to keep shut from that night came flooding back.
"Oh, Sandy," Mariam mumbled, using her thumb to wipe the tear away. Her finger stained with makeup, but she didn't seem to care.
"I didn't want to worry you or Dad," Sandy admitted. The tightness in her loosening as though she had just lifted a burden from her chest.
Mariam's eyes now clouded with tears"Oh, Sandy, I consider you as my daughter. It my job to be worried."
Sandy blinked back the tears. "Please don't cry," she said sniffing,feeling guilty about the whole situation.
Mariam's lips stretched into a sad smile,as she moved closer pressing a kiss to Sandy's forehead. "So, what do you want us to do about this Michael guy?" Her voice was sharper now, edged with protectiveness.
"Oh, nothing," Sandy said quickly. "You don't have to worry about him anymore. I've already taken care of it."she grinned as she recalled how Ricky had described beating the living daylight out of Michael. "I promise it won't happen again."
Mariam frowned her brows. "Is this the first time?"she asked,eyeing her suspiciously.
Sandy hesitated. "Yes," she lied. She didn't want to escalate things further. If Mariam knew Michael had hit her before, she would never let it go, and it would definitely get to her father.
Mariam studied her for a moment,debating whether to tell her husband or not,before sighing. "Fine. I'll let this one slide for now. But if that bastard ever gets an inch closer to you again, he will rot in jail."
Sandy exhaled deeply as relief washed over her, she pulled Mariam into a warm embrace,hugging her tightly.
"Thank you,so much," Sandy whispered. She hadn't realized how much she needed this,someone close to her to talk to.
Mariam smiled and pulled her toward the kitchen. "Come, i had the chef make something delicious, and I definitely want to hear all about this business lunch that has you grinning from ear to ear."she said chuckling.
Sandy let herself be dragged along, warmth spreading across her chest with joy. Although she had lost her mother, but she had been blessed with another. A woman who loved and cared for her like her own daughter. And that, to her, was more than enough for her.