Chapter 2Waiting for the Devil to Grow Up

For the next three years, I lived like a ghost. I drifted from city to city, working grueling under the table jobs because I had no formal education. I scrubbed floors, washed dishes, and took the lowest pay imaginable.

Yet, I was strangely content. I no longer woke up terrified of a fist. No one screamed at me. Being poor and free was a luxury.

I just didn't have enough to go back for her yet. I pinched every penny, hoarding a meager stash of five hundred dollars in a coffee can. I refused to see a doctor even when I was sick with a fever. That money was my lifeline. Every dollar saved brought me one step closer to my little girl.

Terrified that Jared would track me down and drag me back, I cut all ties with anyone from my home state. If I heard a familiar accent on the street, I would turn and walk the other way.