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“The police are on the lookout for the Rover, no one’s seen her yet” There was a sharp bite to my dad’s tone, as well as he looked down at me

“How long have I been here?” I can’t stay here I have to get back to ain, this time with more luck

I had to sit on the side of the bed with my head in my hands to quell the pain and nausea I felt, but I refuse to lay back down Moument would be futile, and I’m sure as a parent, she understood And then my mind went swiftly to her, Jenny I’m pretty sure she’d saved me, and my kids today

JENNY

I’m still in shock Still can’t quite believe all that has happened I looked at the two little girls in the middle of my bed with aIt had taken forever to get the help there

I was finally able to relax when I got the call froe, ht concussion and stitches for the cut on his head Other than that, there were no broken bones, thank heaven She’d really raone outside when I did, she would’ve done more

I know I’ether I keep replaying the sight and sound of hi flesh and bone It makes me sick to my stomach, and I don’t knoin my throat

I haven’t told my parents the truth about what happened, just that there was an e the kids home with me I’d made that decision after Derrick’s parents showed up and asked irls while they followed him to the hospital

I didn’t think it was such a great idea to stay in that house just in case Lauren showed up there, so that’s why I’d suggested bringing them home with me while the police looked for her I’d left it to his parents to make that call since I didn’t know the license plate nu

Now that I’ve had time to calm down and my heart rate was somewhere close to normal, I went over the events of the last few hours in lad that I answered that call and didn’t let it go to voicemail I usually do with unknown numbers

I felt a cold shiver run down ht’ve happened had I not Had I gone abouthohts parked outside their ho

I can still hear her voice tellingto do to the children if I didn’t show up She’d deduced the fact that I’d been avoiding her after that little fiasco that last time I was at their house and had correctly ascertained that the only way to get irls, or Derrick

I didn’t doubt for a second that she would’ve done what she’d threatened because, unlike her husband, I’one undetected or has not been medicated correctly

As someone who likes to dabble in the study of mental disease, it’s hard to bla in here, and I can’t for the life of ht be There’s no way jealousy of a phantoe so completely

Another reason I couldn’t tell my parents the truth is because of my part in it You see, they have no idea that I’m still in love with Derrick To therown years ago

They never questioned why I didn’t date erroneously believing it was because ofthey were proud of The few times he’d been mentioned in our home over the years, I’d always played it off as if I weren’t that interested, while the truth was I was always dying for anyafter a drought

If they, if anyone should learn the truth now, it ht be hard to explain, that’s why I hope no one ever finds my diary because sometimes I find it hard to explain to myself There’s no textbook analysis for what this is For why a young girl, a child really, would latch onto soed to her