“Travis,” she whispered, tears running down her face. “He has been hitting me for years, and his mother and sister help him, and they treat me like I do not matter at all.”
I stood completely still, trying to process what she had just said while holding back the storm building inside me.
“He hit Mia too,” she added, her voice shaking as she spoke about her three year old daughter.
I felt something inside me go completely cold, because that was the moment everything became clear.
“He came home drunk and angry after losing money, and when Mia cried, he slapped her,” Jenna continued, unable to stop crying now.
I slowly stood up and looked at her with a calmness that surprised even me.
“You did not come here to visit me,” I said quietly.
She looked confused and wiped her tears. “What do you mean?”
“You came here because you need help, and you are going to stay here while I leave,” I replied without hesitation.
Her face turned pale as she shook her head in disbelief. “You cannot do that, they will notice, and you do not know how things work outside anymore.”