WHY HAD CURTIS COME BACK RIGHT WHEN JACK DISCOVERED THE TRUTH?<\/p>\n
WHAT SECRET HAD THEY BEEN HIDING FOR YEARS ABOUT ELSIE\u2019S LEG?<\/p>\n
AND WHAT WOULD JACK DO WHEN THE MAN WHO SOLD HER DEMANDED TO TAKE HER BACK?<\/p>\n
What happened next\u2026?<\/p>\n
Jack didn\u2019t answer right away.<\/p>\n
He stood still, rifle in hand, eyes fixed on the door like he was measuring something far beyond the wood and the storm outside.<\/p>\n
Elsie\u2019s breath came in short, shallow bursts.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t\u2026 don\u2019t open it,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
But Jack didn\u2019t look at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo upstairs,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n
She shook her head immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pounding hit the door, louder this time.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t make me break it down, Hale!\u201d Curtis shouted. \u201cThat girl ain\u2019t yours!\u201d<\/p>\n
Something in Jack\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
Slowly, he walked to the door.<\/p>\n
Elsie felt her chest cave in.<\/p>\n
This was it.<\/p>\n
He was going to hand her back.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s how it always went.<\/p>\n
Men made deals.<\/p>\n
And she was always part of the price.<\/p>\n
Jack unlocked the door.<\/p>\n
The wind pushed it open hard, slamming it against the wall.<\/p>\n
Curtis stepped inside without waiting.<\/p>\n
He looked the same.<\/p>\n
Heavy boots, thick coat, that same cruel smirk that had followed her through every nightmare.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Curtis said, brushing snow off his shoulders. \u201cThere she is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elsie took a step back.<\/p>\n
Her leg trembled.<\/p>\n
Not from pain.<\/p>\n
From memory.<\/p>\n
Curtis glanced at Jack.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeal\u2019s off,\u201d he said casually. \u201cI want her back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence filled the cabin.<\/p>\n
Jack didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n
Curtis snorted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat ain\u2019t your concern.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack\u2019s grip on the rifle tightened just enough to notice.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Curtis\u2019s eyes narrowed.<\/p>\n
Then he laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t even know what you bought, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Elsie\u2019s heart skipped.<\/p>\n
Jack didn\u2019t respond.<\/p>\n
Curtis stepped closer, lowering his voice like he was sharing a secret.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat girl ain\u2019t just some useless cripple,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s land. Her daddy left land. Papers are tied to her name.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room spun.<\/p>\n
Elsie stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2026?\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
Curtis ignored her.<\/p>\n
\u201cProblem is,\u201d he continued, \u201cshe needs to sign. And she won\u2019t. Not unless she\u2019s back where she belongs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everything inside her went cold.<\/p>\n
So that was it.<\/p>\n
Not pity.<\/p>\n
Not shame.<\/p>\n
Control.<\/p>\n
Her whole life, twisted around a lie so she would never stand up, never leave, never question.<\/p>\n
Jack finally spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not going anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
Curtis\u2019s smile vanished.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t get a say.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack raised the rifle\u2014not aiming, just enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The air snapped tight.<\/p>\n
For a moment, no one moved.<\/p>\n
Then Curtis scoffed, but there was something uneasy in it now.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really gonna start something over her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack didn\u2019t even hesitate.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That single word hit harder than a shout.<\/p>\n
Elsie felt something break loose inside her.<\/p>\n
Not fear.<\/p>\n
Not weakness.<\/p>\n
Something stronger.<\/p>\n
For the first time, she stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not signing anything,\u201d she said, her voice shaking\u2014but loud enough.<\/p>\n
Both men looked at her.<\/p>\n
Curtis\u2019s expression darkened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t decide that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I do,\u201d she shot back, surprising even herself.<\/p>\n
Her leg hurt.<\/p>\n
Her hands were trembling.<\/p>\n
But she didn\u2019t stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou lied to me my whole life,\u201d she said. \u201cYou kept me broken so I\u2019d stay under your thumb.\u201d<\/p>\n
Curtis\u2019s face twisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou ungrateful\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet out,\u201d Jack said.<\/p>\n
Quiet.<\/p>\n
Deadly.<\/p>\n
Curtis looked between them.<\/p>\n
Then he laughed again\u2014but this time, it was hollow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis ain\u2019t over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack didn\u2019t lower the rifle.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is today.\u201d<\/p>\n
A long moment passed.<\/p>\n
Then Curtis turned and walked out into the storm, slamming the door behind him.<\/p>\n
Silence returned.<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t the same silence.<\/p>\n
Elsie\u2019s knees nearly gave out.<\/p>\n
Jack reached her just in time, steadying her before she fell.<\/p>\n
For a second, she froze at the contact.<\/p>\n
Then she didn\u2019t pull away.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s going to come back,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
Jack nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked up at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you let him take me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Jack met her gaze.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you\u2019re not something to trade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Simple.<\/p>\n
Clear.<\/p>\n
True.<\/p>\n
Elsie felt tears burn her eyes\u2014but she didn\u2019t let them fall.<\/p>\n
Not this time.<\/p>\n
Because for the first time in her life\u2014<\/p>\n
she wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n
And for the first time\u2014<\/p>\n
she wasn\u2019t afraid of what came next.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
WHY HAD CURTIS COME BACK RIGHT WHEN JACK DISCOVERED THE TRUTH? WHAT SECRET HAD THEY BEEN HIDING FOR YEARS ABOUT ELSIE\u2019S LEG? AND WHAT WOULD JACK DO WHEN THE MAN WHO SOLD HER DEMANDED TO TAKE HER BACK? What happened next\u2026? Jack didn\u2019t answer right away. He stood still, rifle in hand, eyes fixed on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5293"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5294,"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5293\/revisions\/5294"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappyli.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}