As Angel finishes a longer-term prison sentence, she meets a world that has changed without her. While she is adjusting to the all of these new changes around her, she finds herself in a world wind of love, violence and tragedy. This is 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐢�...
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•𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙽𝚎𝚡𝚝 𝙳𝚊𝚢• Angel lay awake on the couch in Veronica's living room, staring at the ceiling. Despite the comfort of being in a safe place, sleep wouldn't come. Her mind kept drifting back to the past, to memories she tried so hard to bury. But no matter how deep she pushed them, they always found a way to the surface.
The room was quiet, the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen the only sound. Becky was asleep on the other couch, and Veronica had gone to bed with Vinny hours ago. But Angel was wide awake, lost in the dark corners of her mind.
It wasn't your fault, she told herself, as she had countless times before. But the words always felt hollow, like a lie she couldn't quite believe.
As she closed her eyes, the memories began to flood back, unbidden and relentless.
She was only ten years old. It was supposed to be a safe place, a family gathering, people she was supposed to trust. But that trust was shattered that night, stolen by the hands of someone who should have protected her.
"Shit," Angel whispered, clenching her fists as the memory played out like a horror movie in her mind. She could still feel the suffocating fear, the confusion, the pain. It was a wound that had never fully healed, festering under the surface, shaping who she became.
She had told no one, not even her parents. What could they have done? They wouldn't have believed her. Or worse, they would have blamed her. So she kept it hidden, locked away, letting it eat at her from the inside out.
That was the beginning of her trust issues, the reason she kept people at arm's length, never letting anyone get too close. Even with Santos, she had let him in, but only so far. And when he pushed too hard, she lashed out, desperate to protect what little was left of her heart.
Angel opened her eyes, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. She wasn't that scared little girl anymore. She had survived, endured, and now she was free. But the past was always there, lurking, waiting to pull her back.
"Fuck," she muttered, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She wouldn't let it control her, not anymore. She had too much to deal with in the present to let the past drag her down.
But even as she told herself that, Angel knew that healing wasn't something that happened overnight. It was a battle, one she would fight every day, but she wasn't alone. Not anymore.
With a deep breath, she pushed the memories back into the dark, focusing on the here and now. Tomorrow, she'd figure out what to do next. But tonight, she just needed to survive the night.
