Miriam scoffed. “I’m sure evading taxes had nothing to do with it.” Then she turned to Pamela, her voice filled with pain. “How could you do this to me?”
Pamela hung her head and tears began to flow. “I didn’t want to hurt you, Mom. But Frank said…”
Frank interrupted sharply. “Don’t blame me. You agreed from the start.”
Miriam’s tone softened as she reached out. “Pamela, please come home with me. We can fix this. Make things right.”
For a moment, Pamela’s eyes showed a glimmer of hope. But then Frank’s hand tightened on her shoulder.
“We’re staying here,” he said firmly. “This is our life now. We have everything we need.”
Pamela’s shoulders slumped. She turned away slightly. “I’m sorry, Mom,” she said softly. “I can’t.”
Miriam stood still, looking at the two people she no longer recognized. Without a word, she turned and walked away.
Three years passed.
On a gloomy, rain-soaked afternoon, a sudden knock resonated through the house.
When Miriam opened the door, she found Pamela standing on the porch, soaked to the bone. Her arms were wrapped around herself and her eyes looked hollow and lost.
“Mom,” Pamela’s voice trembled. “Can I come in?”
Miriam hesitated before stepping aside. As she regarded her daughter’s appearance, she could see how much she had changed.
“What happened?” Miriam asked calmly.
Pamela slumped onto the couch. “Everything’s gone,” she said softly. “The money, the house – everything. Frank… he got involved in bad investments and started gambling. Then he left. He took everything and disappeared.”
A part of Miriam wanted to embrace Pamela and assure her that everything would be okay. But the pain was still too raw and the betrayal too profound.
“What do you want from me, Pamela?” she asked in a quiet yet firm voice.
Pamela’s lips quivered. “I had nowhere else to go. I know I don’t deserve your kindness after what we did.But I’m so alone, Mom. I need my family. I made a huge mistake, and I’m paying for it now. I’ve been living on the streets for weeks, and I’m so scared.” She broke down into sobs, her body wracked with emotion.
Miriam felt a mix of anger, sadness, and pity. She sat down next to Pamela, her heart torn.
On one hand, she couldn’t forget the pain of the past five years, the grief she had endured thinking her daughter was dead. On the other hand, this was her child, broken and in need.
“I can’t just forgive and forget overnight, Pamela,” Miriam said, her voice choked with emotion. “You put me through hell. I mourned you, I cried myself to sleep countless nights, and all the while you were out there, living a new life without a thought for me.”
