Chapter 44

Yvonne looked at Alisa, her heart aching as she saw the tears in her daughter's eyes. Tenderly, she wrapped her arms around her daughter. 

"What happened at school?" Yvonne asked gently. "Can you tell me?" 

Alisa hesitated, but she mustered the courage to say something. 

"When I am in school, my friend keeps saying that I am a fatherless child, and my father doesn't want me," Alisa finally admitted. 

"What?" Yvonne removed her arms around her, utterly flabbergasted by the cruelty of her daughter's friend. 

"Why would they say something like that to you?" Yvonne questioned, a mix of disbelief and anger in her voice. 

Alisa remained silent. 

"Is that the reason why you haven't been saying anything to me?" Yvonne probed gently. 

"I didn't want to tell you because I am afraid you might get hurt," Alisa confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.