The Betrayal Misread, The Years Lost

For five years, Samson Leslie has kept Helen at his side as his personal assistant, parading a new lover before her night after night to punish her for leaving him. He does not know that Helen saved his life from the kidnappers who nearly killed him, or that her mother died that same day because she missed the hospital's call while saving him. Numb to his cruelty, she quietly endures it.

Then Samson brings home Judy, the cousin Helen supported for years and the only person who knows the truth of that day. Pregnant with Samson's child, Judy moves into Helen's room, and when Samson tears apart the doll Helen's mother made for her, Helen finally makes a decision. Her application to a Medical Support Project for epidemic zones has been approved, and in two weeks someone will come to take her away from the Leslie residence for good.