"That dirty little bitch!" Ri hissed and literally jumped from the spot where she had just been standing. She simply had to move to vent her anger and so she paced back and forth in front of Eve, venting her anger like a steam engine at full speed.

"I'm going to lynch her! Those...! Those...!" Ri scolded and reached for the bottle to pour herself another glass. After swearing like a reed sparrow, Eve at least cracked a small smile. It was the sad smile of a woman who felt supported by her friend's anger, but not necessarily better for it. Frustrated, Ri buried her fingers in her blonde waves as she curled her lips and wrinkled her nose.

"Eve," she continued, reaching for her cousin's hand. "There's no way you're listening to her. Do you understand me?«

"I ... I know, but ..." Eve slumped her shoulders and Ri felt the almost irresistible urge to go to Sally and smack that goat.

"No buts!"

Seeing Eve like this hurt her too and made her sad and incredibly angry at the same time. It wasn't just about the store, although that was bad enough. Everyone in this house and probably in all of Silvershore - after all, they weren't all blind - knew about Eve's dream. But Ri knew better than anyone.

Evelyn - or Kaylen - hadn't come here with a new name and her boy to start all over again because her life had been so wonderful before. Her cousin hadn't just wanted this fresh start. Eve had needed it. She had it hard enough, she didn't need the city bitch making her life here difficult. She simply deserved this chance.

Riona squeezed her cousin's hands as she saw tears welling up in her eyes and her gaze sought out her friend's.

"Hey, listen to me, please. I know I can probably tell you a hundred times. Maybe you'll never believe me because there are too many assholes out there who say otherwise. Assholes and goats like Sally." Riona's voice shook as she searched for the right words. "But I'll keep telling you until you believe me. Sally's a stupid bitch. No one who isn't an absolute asshole would say something like that to anyone. And if she calls you a cripple or fat one more time, I'll rip her ugly streaks out."

Eve blinked against the tears. She pressed her lips together and Riona could read her like a book. She always wanted to be strong. She expected that of herself, and Riona wanted so much to grab the young woman and shake her to make her stop.

This world was constantly spitting on people, preferably many women, and they were expected to keep their chins up anyway. No matter what. Regardless of how they felt. Shit again! They were allowed to be weak. They were allowed to show when they were hurting. What were they always so afraid of? The answer was simple: that they would be trampled on as soon as they showed weakness.

"Kay," Riona now called her cousin by her real name and took her face in her hands. "Fuck this place, okay? There are other vacant buildings in Silvershore, and if we can't make this work, we'll save up for a van and you'll deliver your stuff from here. Don't let Sally spit in your soup!"

Eve burst out laughing, her harsh voice muffled. "Ray said the same thing."

"Did he?" Riona smiled wanly. The handyman didn't seem like a bad guy. A good-looking man, nice to look at. A little grim and cold, but apparently he had a good core. "See, then it must be true."

Riona forced herself to smile, even though she didn't feel like it. "We'll sort it all out. I promise you that. But you have to stop making yourself look small." Ri frowned and took Eve in her arms as she sobbed.

They hugged and Ri hugged Eve tightly.

"I... I know that," Eve whispered, her voice sounding as heavy as lead. "But it's ... not so ... easy."

"I know," Riona whispered softly. And she really did know.

When she had come here, her world had been in shambles, too. The man who supposedly loved her, to whom she had promised her life, had left her. Family and friends... were all always incredibly big and quick with advice and empty phrases. But it was always different when you were affected yourself. When you had to endure the pain. What did you know about loss of appetite, late nights, exhaustion, and self-doubt that couldn't be overcome even with loving words?

"When I arrived here, I only had Grandma and the inn. I felt ... so incredibly alone." Ri felt her throat constrict. "But we're not alone. I wasn't, and neither are you. You have Liam, Edana, and you have me."

"I know that ... And I love you all," Eve murmured against her shoulder. "But I ... I'm so tired of it. I'm so tired of failing and ... of hearing this and ... I'm tired of everything." Eve pressed her lips together and wiped the tears from her cheek, smearing the damp trail down her skin. "I hate it, Ri, I hate looking in the mirror ... or leaving the house ..."

Riona sighed softly as Eve's words faded into oppressive silence.

"What happened was terrible," Ri whispered, brushing one of Eve's blonde strands out of her face. "Don't get me wrong. You can cry and the wound can heal. But you can't and mustn't hide forever, Eve. The scar and the consequences will remain, but your life will go on. And so will Liam's. You're his mother and I know you're doing everything you can to make sure he's okay. But he's not a baby in diapers anymore. He sees that you're sick. And if he doesn't understand it yet, he will one day. You have to stand up. For him, but above all for YOURSELF."

Now Riona's voice became firmer. "I'm not lying to you, Eve, you know that. We promised to be honest with each other. Yes, you have a few extra kilos on your ribs. Some men like it when they have something to touch, others don't. But then you don't need them either." Ri raised her hand and gently pinched Eve's cheek. Yes, she was soft. But that was okay. Eve wasn't ugly, even with the extra few pounds.

"You don't know what that feels like," Eve murmured now, and Rio's smile faded a little.

"Yes, that's true," she admitted. "I can't take that away from you and I'm not in your shoes either. But I am by your side. You've let yourself be talked into crap for far too long. It's time you came out of your shell and realized that you are worth something. That you are beautiful and that you should finally feel that way again. Because what you feel is what you radiate! And when you smile and shine from the inside out, it's not just good for you. Sooner or later, you'll literally dazzle someone! Believe me!"

The younger blonde took hold of Eve's chin and smiled, pinching it with her thumb and forefinger, as mothers love to do with their children.

"Do you want me to tell you something? I know exactly what you need," she then explained, and the cheeky sparkle returned to Riona's eyes. "We're going out together at the weekend. Not here in this town and not in the nearest pub! We'll have to drive a bit, but I know a super cool country bar. And you're not wearing those rags from your closet! We'll get you something fancy."

"Ri, I can't do that. Liam..."

But Ri raised her hand and interrupted her cousin immediately.

"Fiddlesticks. You're bribing Ray with something sweet. We'll give him an extra day off and I'll throw in some babysitting."

"Wait... What?" Eve was obviously still trying to come up with an excuse while her mind slowly stumbled behind. "You want me to just leave Liam with Ray?"

When Riona set her mind to something, she went through with it.

"Sure. That's not a problem, is it? I mean, you trust Ray, don't you?"

Eve was a great mother. And Ray was practically a stranger. But the guy had jumped into an icy lake after the boy. Ri wasn't worried that he might want something bad for Liam and she wasn't going to give up that easily. Eve widened her eyes and opened her mouth like a catfish that had suddenly been pulled ashore. Were her cheeks turning red? Heavens, Eve really was so demure it was cute. Sometimes she acted like a teenager. But luckily the girl had a caring cousin who helped her to come out of her shyness.

"I thought so," Ri said and hurried to the back door before Eve could stop her.

"Ri! No... Wait!" came from behind Riona.

She had already pulled the door open and stuck her head out.

"Raaaay!" she shouted loudly, accompanied by an undercurrent of laughter in her voice. "We have a small request for you! Would you come in, please?"

While she was still calling out, she bumped into something on her way out. Irritated, her gaze slid down and fell on a small, red box.