Meryl watched as Cassie's car pulled up to the curb, and she hurried to the passenger side. Cassie unlocked the door and Meryl climbed in.

As soon as Meryl was settled, Cassie started the engine and pulled away from the curb. "What were you doing at the hospital so late?" Cassie asked, her voice laced with worry. "Is everything okay?"

"Well... I almost got into an accident earlier," Meryl began. "But Tyrson saved me and the man driving the car ended up hitting a tree, so I and Tyrson brought him here to the hospital."

Cassie let out a little chuckle. "So, you and Tyrson are finally getting along?" she teased.

Meryl scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous," she said. "I didn't mention that Tyrson humiliated me in front of the board earlier, and dismissed our entire project.

"W-well, I wasn't aware of that," Cassie stammered. "But the fact that he saved you shows that he still cares about you."

"He only saved me because he had to," Meryl snapped. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Cassie threw up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay," she said. "We can change the subject.

How's Michelle?"

"When I left the house, she was reading," Cassie replied.

"Did Mr. Pagnole ask about me or about the payment?" Meryl asked again.

"I was expecting him to show up, but he didn't," Cassie replied. "Have you gotten the money yet?"

"No, I haven't," Meryl said, sounding frustrated. "I'm waiting for my salary to be paid, so I can pay Michelle's school fees and Mr. Pagnole's rent."

A few minutes after the long conversation with Cassie, Meryl's phone buzzed with a notification. She looked down at her phone to see two unread messages. One was from her office, alerting her that her monthly salary had just been paid. The other was from Michelle's school, saying her tuition fees must be paid by the next day.

Meryl couldn't believe it her salary had come through so quickly! She turned to Cassie. "Pull over at that bank over there," she said, pointing to a nearby bank.

"What, why?" Cassie questioned. "My salary has just been paid, and I need money for Mr. Pagnole's rent and Michelle's tuition fees"

"I'm sorry, I don't have much money on me right now," Cassie said, sounding apologetic. "But I want to help you however I can."

Meryl smiled warmly at Cassie. "You've already done so much for me and Michelle," she said. "I'm so grateful for your help." She reached out and placed her hand on Cassie's thigh.

Meryl will never forget the kindness Cassie had shown her and her daughter. When Meryl was recovering from childbirth, Cassie had been there to help with the baby and with chores around the house. She had bought them clothes and toys, and even provided them with a place to stay.

And she worked tirelessly to make sure they had food on the table. In short, Cassie had been like an angel sent from heaven to help them. But as grateful as Meryl was, she knew that she and her daughter needed to become self-sufficient.

Cassie pulled up to the bank and Meryl got out of the car with her ATM card in hand. She walked inside and up to the teller window, and after a few moments she returned to the car, clutching her receipt.

"I withdrew everything from my account," she said to Cassie, handing her the receipt. "I'm going to use half of it to pay Mr. Pagnole, and the rest to buy food and pay for Michelle's tuition fees."

Cassie nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation.
                                        *

As Meryl walked through the front door, she was met with a scene of chaos. Ethan, Mr. Pagnole's son, was rampaging through the house, knocking over furniture and scattering belongings.

In the corner, Meryl's daughter Michelle was sobbing, clearly frightened by the destruction. Meryl's heart sank - she should never have left her daughter alone.

"What's going on here?" Meryl demanded, trying to keep her voice steady. Ethan turned to look at her, a smirk on his face.

Meryl's fury was building, and she couldn't contain it any longer. She rushed forward and grabbed Ethan by the collar, she raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face, the sound echoing through the room.

Cassie gasped, her eyes wide with shock. Meryl couldn't believe what she had just done she had never hit anyone in her life. But in that moment, all she could think about was how much Ethan had frightened her daughter.

Ethan staggered back

Meryl's fury reached a boiling point as Ethan continued to taunt her. "Your daughter is a bastard," he sneered. "She's just as worthless as you are."

Meryl saw red. All she could think about was the pain this man had caused her daughter, and she would not let him get away with it. Before she knew what she was doing, her hand shot out and grabbed the nearest object a vase.

With a cry of rage, she swung it at Ethan, who barely had time to duck before it shattered against the wall behind him. Shards of glass flew everywhere, and Michelle screamed

"How dare you come into my house and act so disrespectful!" Meryl yelled, her voice shaking with anger. "Do you think you can just do whatever you want? Do you have no sense of shame?"

Ethan's smirk only served to irritate Meryl further. She wanted to make him understand that his behavior was unacceptable. She thought of different ways to get through to him, but she didn't want to resort to violence. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"You're a sl*t, you hooked up with a man and it resulted in this, so why can't you just let me make you happy, I'll take care of her" he slurred.

His words were like a slap in the face. Meryl was shocked and hurt by his cruel remarks. She couldn't believe that someone could be so cruel. But she wouldn't let him get away with it. She glared at him and spoke firmly, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" she said. "I'm not a slut, and my daughter is not a bastard. I don't care what you think of me, but you will not insult my child. Now get out of my house!"

She pointed to the door and said, "You need to leave. Now."

"You can't make me leave!" he protested, his voice slurring. "It's not like you own this place!"

Meryl's heart was pounding as she stood her ground, but she was determined to get him out of her home. With a surge of adrenaline, she grabbed him by the arm and started to push him towards the door.

Before Meryl could react, Ethan pushed her hard. She fell, hitting her head on the ground with a sickening crack. Her vision went fuzzy, and she felt a warm liquid trickling down the back of her head. She tried to get up, but her limbs felt weak.

"Stop it! Please!" Meryl pleaded, but her words were drowned out by the throbbing pain in her head. She was suddenly aware of a high-pitched wail.

Meryl!

Mummy!

Michelle, screamed in terror as she watched her mother and Cassie struggle with the man. Cassie tried to pull him away from Meryl, but he threw a punch, hitting her hard in the stomach.

She fell to the floor, gasping for air. Meryl, seeing Cassie in pain, acted quickly and kicked the man in the groin. He doubled over, letting out a cry of agony. Meryl turned to Cassie, who was still struggling to catch her breath. "Are you okay?" she asked, her own voice trembling.

"Mummy!"

Meryl turned to see her daughter, Michelle, struggling in the man's grip. She felt her heart stop for a moment as she was overcome with fear. This was all too familiar - she had seen a similar scene years ago, and the memory still haunted her. She tried to speak calmly, despite the terror she was feeling.

"Please, Ethan," she said. "Let her go." She moved slowly toward them, not wanting to provoke him further. She had to get her daughter to safety.

"If you tryna act smart I'm gonna hit her head hardly on the wall and I promise not to stop till..."

Ethan!

A shout echoed through the room, and everyone turned to see a furious-looking Mr. Pagnole standing in the doorway. Ethan quickly released Michelle, who ran to Meryl's side.

Mr. pagnole walked briefly to Ethan and slapped him hard across the face

"You're not welcome here," Mr. Pagnole said, his voice shaking with anger. "Now out."he said showing him the exit.

Ethan glared at him, but he knew he couldn't argue with his father. With a huff, he turned and stalked out of the room.

"Are you okay mommy?"

Meryl wiped away her tears and turned to face her daughter. "I'm fine, honey. Don't worry about me." She tried to sound reassuring, but her voice was shaking.

"Oh no, you're bleeding," Michelle said, pointing to the small trickle of blood that was making its way down the back of her head. Meryl reached up to touch the wound, and winced as she felt the stinging pain.

"I'm sorry for the damage Ethan caused," Mr pagnole said.

Meryl picked up her purse and emptied it on the table. "This is all the money I have."

Cassie looked at the pile of cash, then back at her Meryl. "No, Meryl, please don't do this."

"This is all my payment for the year," Meryl said, her voice trembling with emotion. "Your son has caused us so much trouble. He's called us names, and we've been afraid for our safety. I'm not going to stand for it anymore. I want you to make sure he understands that."

Mr. Pagnole's face hardened, and he looked away for a moment. Then, he turned back to Meryl and spoke in a low voice. "I'm sorry for the problems my son has caused you. I'll do what I can to make sure he doesn't bother you again." Then he left.

"What now, Meryl? How are you going to pay for Michelle's tuition fees, after you've given Mr. Pagnole all your hard-earned money?" Cassie asked, her voice full of concern.

Meryl knew that she had made a mistake, but she didn't see any other way out of the situation. She just couldn't bear it.

"I know it was a mistake to give Mr. Pagnole all my money, but I didn't see any other option. I'll find a way to pay, even if it means doing a part-time job for a day."

Meryl felt a heavy weight of guilt and regret. Giving Mr. Pagnole her money had been a mistake, and she knew it. But at the time, she had felt like it was the only way to protect herself and her daughter. Now, she felt trapped and powerless.

She couldn't help but think back to the separation with tyrson, maybe things would have been different. But there was no use dwelling on the past. She had to focus on the present, and find a way to move forward.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Meryl said, taking Michelle's hand in hers. "I'll make sure your tuition fees are paid, no matter what. I promise."

She could see the relief on her daughter's face, but she knew that there was still a shadow of worry there. Meryl understood - Cassie was concerned about her friend, and how she would be able to pay for everything she needed.

Meryl gave Cassie a small nod, a gesture of reassurance. "We'll figure this out," she said, her voice firm. "I won't let you down."

*************
I apologize for my late update, sorryyyyyyyyyyy
Pls find a place in your heart to forgive me, I'll try to update sooner.
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