Redeeming-Love-By-Francine-Rivers

Twenty-five
And after the earthquake a fire;
but the Lord was not in the fire,
and after the fire
a still small voice.
1 K I N G S 19:12
Paul sought to erode Angel’s confidence every time they met, while Angel set
herself to endure whatever he threw at her. She told herself each time he
made a cutting remark or insulting prophesy about where she would be in
ten years that she would make no retaliation. To fight back would only hurt
Michael. And it wouldn’t change how Paul felt about her. Whatever tomorrow
brought, today she had Michael.
Angel refused to defend herself against Paul. What was the point? She
was polite. She was silent. She stood firm even when she wanted to run
away and hide in a dark place where she could curl into a tight ball.
I’m not a harlot anymore. I’m not!
But the way Paul looked at her made her remember and feel she still was,
no matter what she did. One year did not erase ten, and Paul brought back
the dark years with Duke, the years of fear and loneliness and survival. And
because of it, Paul’s abuse drove her further into Michael’s arms. The harder
Paul tried to drive her away, the tighter she held to what she had. Michael
told her not to be anxious about tomorrow, and she concentrated upon
wringing the life out of each moment with him. He told her not to be afraid,
and she wasn’t, as long as he was with her.
Michael loved her now, and that was all that mattered to her. He made
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