Chapter 3

Raymond said his mother hadn't been like this when she was younger. She had slowly changed after his father's business became successful, though he couldn't explain why.

I said it was not normal, but he said they had lived this way for years. And I said that was exactly why it was so terrifying for him to have lived like this for so many years.

The living room lights cast a dim yellow glow. The door to the master bedroom upstairs had been creaked open, and neither of us noticed.

-

I woke at first light after barely sleeping. I got ready, packed my bag, and planned to say goodbye to Raymond before leaving.

Every second in that house made me feel suffocating. I could feel sorry for Raymond, but I wouldn't gamble away the rest of my life.

When I opened the bedroom door, a figure in pink fell right toward me. She collapsed at my feet and burst into tears.

"She pushed me! This bad woman pushed Dee Dee!"

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Dee Dee hurts so much from the fall!" Brandy lay on the floor, pounding it as she wailed. "She pushed Dee Dee on purpose! Dee Dee doesn't want to live anymore!"

The noise brought Raymond and Jason running from their rooms. As soon as Brandy saw them, she crawled over and threw herself into Jason's arms.

"I don't want her in our family! She's a bad woman! Last night, she tried to turn my son against me! Dee Dee heard everything!"

She cried until she hiccupped.

"Dee Dee is still a baby! I won't let my son find a wife so soon! Dee Dee wants him to stay with me forever!"

For once, Jason didn't rush to comfort her. Instead, he stood there frowning. The company had been struggling lately, and his patience was already thin.

He rubbed his temple and sighed. "You..."

"Sir," I cut in. "You don't need to say anything."

I looked down at Brandy, who was still on the floor wiping away tears. "Brandy, you misunderstood something. I do love Raymond…but anyone who met a future mother-in-law like you would break up with him without hesitation."

Raymond looked hurt, then lowered his head.

Brandy stopped crying for a second.

"You have security cameras in this house, don't you?" I asked as I pointed to the corner of the hallway ceiling. "You said I pushed you, so check the footage. Otherwise, I could never afford to make up for poor little Dee Dee's injuries."

Brandy's face turned pale.

"You..."

Her lips trembled.

Jason looked at the camera and fell silent. He said nothing, but his silence told me everything.

Pain appeared on Raymond's face. He looked at his mother, then at me. He hurried after me and caught my arm. "Let me explain. My mom..."

"Don't," I said as I pulled free and headed downstairs without looking back. "Let's just break up. With no hard feelings."

Behind me, I heard Jason speak sharply to his wife for the first time. "That's enough!"

Brandy screamed through her tears. "You yelled at Dee Dee for that woman! You're all bullying Dee Dee!"

I hurried down the stairs, my heels clacking as I walked down each step outside. My phone kept vibrating with texts from Raymond.

[I'm sorry... I didn't know this would happen... Can you give me a chance to explain...]

I ignored every one of those texts.

I took a cab home and collapsed onto the couch.

My phone buzzed again. This time, the text came from an unknown number.

[What spell did you cast on my son? He fought with me over you! I'll never let you into my family! Just you see]

The message drained what little energy I had left. I tossed my phone onto the coffee table and sank deeper into the couch.