"For the most part, I did. It was good, knowing I was making a difference." Marc tried to get her to meet his eye. "What about you, Angie? Have you been okay?"
The question was abrupt and she lowered her eyes, trying hard to control her voice as she answered, "It's had good days and bad days."
Simple. He studied the bags beneath her long, dark lashes, the broken, jagged fingernails, and the unhealthy color of her pale skin. Too simple.
"More bad than good, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have called me."
She nodded, but didn't give any details and Marc felt guilt roll over him as if she were screaming. "I'm sorry. I made a mistake."
Angela lit a smoke, annoyed that he wasn't clear on what he was sorry for. Did he regret loving her or not coming back? "I don't need your apology, just your help."
Their eyes touched, and he gave her a small smile. "I will if I can. Tell me."
She let out a deep sigh that told him he wouldn't like any of it, and as with the note, he read between her words and missed little.
"I left some things out of the letter. Important to you and me, but it's nothing my son needs to have confirmed and feel bad for."
Marc waved a hand, understanding what she wanted from him as the wind gusted. It moved things around outside and caused her to flinch and Dog to continue pacing restlessly, picking up on her tension. "This all stays between us. My word."
Angela inhaled, blew out a thick cloud of smoke. "We've been living with a man named Kenny for the last fourteen years. We met at the hospital where I gave birth. He was there for rehab on his arm. I had just talked my way into a job as a lab assistant, running packages between floors to pay for my medical classes. He seemed normal enough, safe, dependable, and I ended up telling him everything one night on my break," she paused and sucked in a breath.
"He acted horrified that I was a single, underage mother on the run, living in a sleazy hotel, working ten hour shifts, and then putting in another six hours, four days a week in classes. Was scandalized I had to have the hotel manager's drunken sister and teenage daughter babysit."
"And the concerned Samaritan offered you a deal you couldn't refuse."
She nodded and the hate in her eyes left no doubt. He'd been forced to leave her, and she had been hurt. Marc braced himself. "What was the deal?"