Alicia stopped to catch her breath because she was saying all this really fast, as if afraid to say something that would hurt Elizabeth’s feelings by this reminder, but she was startled by the sound of Elizabeth’s laughter. She thought that the mere mention of the last night’s events would horrify Elizabeth, but hearing her laughing was the last thing she’d expected.

“What’s so funny?” she asked fearfully, thinking to herself that her new friend might have a nervous breakdown.

Elizabeth continued laughing and said after a few minutes, “You are funny, I never heard anyone speaking like that before.” After another brief pause, she gave Alicia a hug and said tenderly, “Thanks for saving me, thanks for making me laugh, and thanks for being my friend. Let’s go find my mother and calm her down before she has a heart attack.”

After finding and talking to Maxine, Elizabeth and Alicia went to the local sheriff’s office. Alicia didn’t think it was a great idea, but Elizabeth insisted.

“I need to look him in the eye and show him that he didn’t ruin my spirit. He might hurt me physically and emotionally, but I’m a survivor. I am my father’s daughter who is the toughest man I know. I might have a scar on my heart, but it will heal.”

“That’s the spirit, Bette.”

Alicia understood that Elizabeth was saying this more to convince herself that she is over that horrible ordeal that Eric put her through, but in her heart Alicia knew that Elizabeth was not as fine emotionally as she appeared to be and her duty was to be there for her and to support her anyway she could.

When they finally got to see Eric, they found him sitting on the bench behind bars, beaten and disheveled. When he raised his head to look into her eyes, Elizabeth gave him a stern and intent look, not saying anything for what seemed like a long time. The silence was unbearable even for Alicia, who was modestly standing in a corner, all the while keeping her eyes and ears open so she won’t miss anything in the upcoming drama.

Finally, Elizabeth took a deep breath and said with unexpected calmness, “Before, you were a man to me, someone I looked up to and even thought about us having a future together. Now, you are pitiful image of a human being. I loathe you for making me doubt even for a second my integrity and my values. But I still believe that this world has some goodness, which I will find, especially when a scoundrel…," she suddenly stopped and turned to Alicia, “What did you call him earlier?”