Jake burst into the room, each step echoing with fury.
Seeing my battered statebruised, bloodied, barely recognizablehis face turned a shade of stormy gray.
"Linda!"
"Call an ambulance, now!"
His eyes welled up as he reached out to embrace me, then hesitated, afraid his touch might cause more pain.
Uncertain what to do with his hands, he spun and delivered a stinging slap to Sharon's face.
A slap!
Even through my pain, the sound of that slap was strangely satisfying.
"You monster! What have you done to her?"
"If she's hurt, I swear you'll regret it!"
I tried to smile through the pain, but it only caused me to cough up blood.
It felt like my insides were breaking apart.
Jake knelt down in front of me, his eyes red with fear and concern.
"Linda, talk to me, please don't scare me like this. "
Immobile, I could only gaze up at him, my eyes filled with confusion and hurt,
"Dad, this is the 'wonderful' stepmom you picked out for me?"
I wanted to burst into tears, but I knew that crying would make the pain unbearable.
Silent tears streamed down my face instead.
Jake was silent for a moment, visibly pained, then slowly spoke,
"Linda, I'm sorry, I was deceived. "
"I promise, I'll make this right. "
His gaze hardened as he turned back to Sharon.
Sharon, still clutching her face, shivered with fear.
"Jack, what. . . what are you doing here?" she stuttered.
"Did you expect me to wait until you'd beaten my daughter to death?" he bellowed.
Sharon's eyes bulged in disbelief,
"She. . . she's really your daughter?"
She turned to look at me again, trying to piece together my battered face with the daughter she'd heard about.
The other women gasped, their expressions a mix of shock and fear.
"Jack, you said Linda was in France and wouldn't be coming back for the wedding!"
"I thought she was just some mis. . . "
A slap!
Before Sharon could finish, Jake slapped her other cheek hard.
"Clean up your act!" he snapped.
"Linda was here to surprise us, picking out a gift for you before you attacked her!"
"Sharon, I had no idea you could be so cruel. Your act had us all fooled!"
Sharon broke down, tears flowing freely as she pleaded,
"Jack, I had no idea she was Linda. I swear!"
"If I had known, I wouldn't have touched hernot for all the money in the world!"
"Jack, please, I apologize to Linda. I'm begging for your forgiveness. Just this once, please?"
Sharon hadn't expected Jack to show up right then.
If I hadn't managed to send that message to Jake earlier, I might not have made it.
As Sharon surveyed the wrecked store and my injuries, then met my father's enraged look, she realized the gravity of her mistake.
Without hesitation, she knelt before me, sobbing uncontrollably,
"Linda, I'm so sorry, I didn't recognize you. Please forgive me, I truly didn't mean it. "
She yanked the other women down beside her and shouted,
"Kneel and apologize to Linda, now!"
"Why should we kneel just because you messed up?" one woman protested.
"Shut up and kneel if you don't want to end up worse off, " Sharon hissed.
The women reluctantly knelt in a row, muttering apologies to me.
I wanted to laugh, but I knew it would only cause more pain.
Suppressing my laughter, I commanded weakly,
"Each of you, twenty bows. "
Sharon started banging her forehead on the floor immediately.
The other women, grudgingly and under my father's stern gaze, followed suit.
After twenty bows, Sharon's forehead was bleeding. She looked up dizzily, trying to muster a smile,
"Linda, I've bowed twenty times. Can you forgive me now?"
I smirked and spat a mouthful of blood at her,
"Phooey! Dream on, witch. Don't think for a second that I'll ever forgive you!"