Chapter 28

• **Evelina's POV**
• As I traced the path my papa had followed to the bar, I couldn’t help but think about Gabriel’s words. He was right, in a way. I had always believed that my papa loved me and that I was good enough for him, but maybe I had been wrong. Maybe he did resent me for taking Kyle’s side all these years. The thought sent a wave of nausea through me, and I clutched my stomach as I made my way through the crowded sidewalks. Tears stung my eyes, and fell down my cheeks. I angrily slapped them away. I love my papa. He was the first man in my life, way before Kyle entered the picture. And if I just took care of him, he might go back to the man I remember. The man I wanted him to be.
• Morosely, I thought back to the times he’d complained in front of me. Complained about my mama always being at work. Complained about Mama not being happy. He’d let slip a bad word here and there about her. Then hastily looked at me and say to pretend I hadn’t heard anything. Had he… somehow groomed me to get used to him talking about mama like that? Gabriel was right. It was not O.K. for Papa to talk about Mama like that. But as a child, I’d grown up hearing him say such things and later he’d tell me he didn’t mean it and to forget about it. I bit back a sob. My mama was the most wonderful person in the entire world. She had sacrificed so much for us. She’d worked so hard to provide for Mia and I. Mama did not deserve to be talked about the way Papa talked about her. My thoughts went to the one time I’d seen Kyle hold my papa by the throat. Because Papa had said something demeaning about Mama. Something told me that Gabriel would not spare my father if he slipped up again. Papa had survived Kyle. He wouldn’t survive Gabriel.