"Milan? Someone's here to talk to you!" my mom shouts from the stairway.

I come down, wondering who it could be. Since I decided to associate with Meri and people in the same spot in the pecking order, most people at school don't want anything to do with me. Our high school is populated largely by the popular type kids and their friends. Hence, the whole student population tends to be snobbish or else too afraid to go against the flow to associate with me.

Going to the foyer, I put a pleasant smile on my face, intending to greet whoever it is with hospitality as I've been taught. That idea goes out the window when I see who it is. "You have some nerve," I snap. "Showing up here. What do you want?"

"My daughter." Petre smiles at me. "She is legally under my jurisdiction now, unlike last week."

"Well, you can just turn around and get out," I storm over and open the door. "I'm sure you can find the way out."

"You can't stop me from taking her with me."

"Actually, I can. The police are in the process of ordering a restraining order against you." I keep quiet about the fact that they're also looking into the situation to see if an arrest can be made. They informed us that they nearly had enough evidence to put him behind bars, but I don't want to scare him off. They also told us to keep quiet about it if he came looking for Meri. We're supposed to tell him only about the restraining order.

"Well, I haven't been informed of any restraining order, so like it or not, she's coming with me. Her mother needs her back home. The poor woman is beside herself with Meri gone."

"What'd you tell her? That Meri ran away, and you've got the cops looking?" I sneer. "Just like you lied to me about the medications she's supposedly on?"

He glares at me. "I didn't lie to you about that, you insolent child."

I raise a brow, trying not to let out a derisive laugh. "Really? She seems perfectly fine to me. Happy, even. Maybe that's what you really wanted. Was for her to be miserable. If the meds are even real, maybe they're making her crazy. Or maybe," I lower my voice to an ominous whisper. "You and her mother are messing up the life of a beautiful, talented young lady. Regardless, you're never going to have her, and neither will her mother if she doesn't get her crap sorted out."

Fury blazes in the older man's eyes, and his fists clench.

"If you'd like to hit me again, I can call the cops and have you arrested for assault right now," I tell him. "Otherwise, get out of my house!"

He narrows his eyes, and then his gaze shifts past me to the hall. A slow, wicked smile spreads over his lips. "Meri, love... We were so disappointed when you didn't come to the wedding. We were hoping you'd be there. It was a small affair, but it would've been perfect if you could've been the maid of honor. Your mom even had a dress for you."

Meri stands frozen in the hall, her limpid gaze transfixed by Petre's hard one. "I... I..."

"Come now; we aren't angry with you. Just sad that you couldn't be there."

She finally looks at me, her eyes wide and pleading.

"He has nothing to do with this, darling. I'm here to take you home. Your mom is really not doing well."

"She was well enough to have her wedding to you," I interject.

Petre shoots me a glare. "We've been planning for that for ages. She was quite distracted during the ceremony though. Worrying about Meri and the like."

"The like, maybe. Had a little too much to drink or maybe she shot up before the ceremony?" I snap. "I would too if I was getting married to a demon."

Petre's jaw clenches, and the look he's giving me could probably strip paint off a car. "We're working on that problem."

"Are you really?" I ask, crossing my arms. "How? Is she in rehab?"

"She's not that bad. Before you left, Meri, she was getting better. Drinking less. No drugs. She said she wanted to change for me. But now that you're gone, she's going back to all of that. The longer you're gone, the worse it gets."

Meri takes a hesitant step into the foyer, and I watch, nervous.

"How bad is she?" Meri asks tremulously.

"Bad. She hardly gets out of bed. The bank forecloses the house in another week if she can't pay. She doesn't want to stay in the house, but she is because she's hoping you'll come back."

Another step. "She wants me back?"

"Meri," I whisper. "Meri, he'll say whatever it takes to get you to go with him."

"She does. She's been crying constantly and saying how sorry she is. She's out of her mind with grief and worry, Meri. She never meant to break like she did, and she knows how wrong she's done by you."

"Does she?" Meri's voice nearly shatters, and a tear rolls down her cheek as she steps up to stand beside me. "Is she really coming back to herself?"

Petre nods. "And if you don't come back, I fear she'll relapse."

"I..." Meri's gaze darts to me, and she slips her hand into mine.

I squeeze her hand reassuringly. She's about to say something major; it's going to change everything, but I'm not sure how yet.

"I want to see her, but I won't go with you," she finally says. "And I won't see her with you there. If she's well enough, I want to meet her at the coffee shop downtown. Otherwise, I'll visit her at the house. But not if you're there."

A smile flits over my lips. Good girl. I couldn't be more proud of her for sticking up for herself and saying no to Petre. She's so timid, but a day or two around my family seems to have helped. She's becoming more outspoken. I think a big part of it is that she's just sick of being mistreated. Anyway, I really hope that's it. She needs to start seeing her own worth not just everyone else's.

Petre pastes a confused smile onto his face, but the malice in his eyes glitters sharply, defying the innocent appearance he's trying to sell. "Why wouldn't you want your new father present? Your mother and I were so hoping you'd approve so that we could be one big, happy family."

Meri laughs, but the sound is hollow. I've never heard such a sound from her, but her next words strike hard at Petre. "You're not my father. You are one of many tormentors. Why would I want you there? I still hold hope for my mother, but not for you. I have tried so hard to see the good in you, but I was mistaken to look. It doesn't exist."

His smile drops, and the look on his face hardens into a sneer. "Well, like it or not, I'll be there. Your mother can't be left alone, and you're, unfortunately, not a capable nurse. You've proven that."

Meri's fingers curl tightly, biting into my palm. "I am not a capable nurse? I have done nothing but love and care for my mom since I was ten. We got along just fine without you."

"I see," he sniffs. "That explains why she wasn't able to break her drinking habit or stop using drugs while it was just the two of you."

"You know what?" I say. "I've had enough. Get out of my house now. I won't tell you again."

"You won't be seeing her if I'm not there," Petre repeats. "So if you want to see her again, you'd better get used to that and give me a call." He thrusts a crisp piece of paper toward Meri.

She stares at it mutely.

Finally, he curls his fist around it and glares at us. "I do hope you'll change your mind, daughter."

When she still doesn't respond, he tosses the paper to the ceramic tiles and storms out of the house. With a feeling of pleasure, I slam the door on him. "And don't come back," I mutter.

Meri bends down and picks the paper up with a huff. "He's such an odious jerk," she declares, stuffing the paper into her pocket.

My eyes widen. Meri's never called anyone a jerk, and she's never had such anger burning behind her soft voice. This visit must've upset her a lot more than I thought it did. "Uh... Yeah..." I stammer.

She smiles and gives me a hug when I walk over to her. "Sorry. He just makes me so nervous, and when he said I wasn't able to take care of my mother, I couldn't take it. He makes me so angry!" Her body trembles in my arms, but I doubt it's from fear.

If Meri ever gets livid, this is what it looks like. There's a flush to her cheeks and a glint in her eyes that promises pain to the moron who made such a sweet young lady so angry. In this case, I almost feel sorry for Petre. His new step-daughter hates him with every fiber of her being. I didn't expect that from Meri, but the evidence is right in front of me.

"How long before he gets arrested? The cops need to make sure he never gets the chance to hurt someone else," she says, pulling away and heading toward the kitchen.

"They called yesterday. Apparently, they have almost everything they need. They just have to get the arrest warrant. Shouldn't be long. Friday, maybe?" I say, hoping that'll be the case right along with Meri.

It's Tuesday, and they informed us that it might take them three to four days to get the paperwork for a warrant filled out. They've built their case, so it shouldn't be too much longer.

"It can't come soon enough." She settles into the chair in the living room, and I follow her in, sitting on the sofa across from her.

"That was really brave of you," I say, smiling at her.

She hugs her knees to her chest and sighs. "Was it? Maybe... All I know is that I can't be anywhere near him. I don't want a repeat of last time, and that's what'll happen if I let him take control again."

My smile widens. "I know. I was trying to get rid of him before you had to deal with him."

"Well, clearly, he was more persistent than you thought he'd be," she teases.

"Yeah, a lot more persistent. But we managed, didn't we?"

She nods, grinning. "We managed."

I settle back in the chair, feeling content. She's a far cry from the timid, shy girl I met a week and three days ago. Is she still hesitant and quiet? Yes, usually. But she's not afraid to stick up for herself, and she doesn't stammer as much around me. For now, it's enough. With time, I'm positive she'll get better, even if it's a long road. She just needs someone to believe in her, and I'm determined that I'll be that person even if everyone else deserts her.