CHAPTER SIXTY SIX – FIGHTING FOR LOVE

Eventually, she found her voice again, haltingly relaying the events to her parents through hiccuping gasps. Their expressions morphed from shock to outrage to heartbroken sympathy as they listened to Barbara's cruel ultimatum and Kayla's agonizing decision. "Oh, my beautiful girl," her mother said once the tale was told, gathering Kayla's trembling form into her arms. "You sacrificed so much for that boy's sake." Her father reached out and squeezed her hand, his weather-beaten face etched in sorrow. "I'm so sorry, kiddo. Sorry you had to endure that kind of pain from people who didn't deserve your big heart." Kayla managed a wan smile at her parents' consoling words, but it did little to dull the hollowness rapidly spreading through her. She had thought walking away from Lance, from the life they had started to build, would be the most excruciating torment. But now, as the reality of her solitary existence settled in, she realized her heartache was only just beginning. That night