Seeing her husband approach, Melissa snatched the dirty clothes from the basin and hurled them to the floor, one piece at a time.
"There! Look at this—your precious little niece!"
"She steals money from us, you give her a few smacks, and suddenly she's too good to do her chores? Leaving these filthy clothes here for who to deal with?"
"I'm telling you right now—get rid of her. Ship her off somewhere. If she corrupts our daughter, don't come crying to me!"
Raymond's gaze locked onto the heap of soiled laundry. His eyes darkened until they seemed to swallow the light.
Without a word, he turned and strode toward the storage room. His foot connected with the door, sending it crashing inward.
"Blanche! You must have a death wish—"
His voice died the instant he saw my body.
"What... what is this?"
A tremor crept into his words, barely perceptible.
He crouched down beside my corpse. His hand hovered in the air above me, wanting to touch, not daring to.
I stood nearby, watching the color drain from his face.
You beat me to death, Uncle. Why are you the one who's afraid?
When no sounds came from the storage room, Melissa's patience frayed.
"Raymond, what are you doing in there? Can't even handle a little girl anymore?"
"Is she asleep? Wake her up. These clothes aren't going to wash themselves."
"If she thinks she can skip her chores, I'll show her—"
She marched toward the storage room as she spoke.
Raymond remained crouched beside my body, blocking her view.
"Why are you just squatting there? Move. Tell Blanche to get the laundry done."
He turned his head slowly. Terror was written across every feature.
"She's... she's dead."
Melissa's irritation peaked. She stepped forward to shove him aside.
"Dead? Have you lost your mind? What nonsense are you—"
Her movement froze the moment she saw me.
They stared at each other, reading the same fear reflected back.
After what felt like an eternity, Melissa forced the words out.
"What... what happened?"
Raymond's legs gave out. He collapsed onto the floor, hands clawing at his hair in despair.
"How should I know? You're asking me?"
"It's not like this was the first time I hit her. How was I supposed to know she'd actually die?"
"Goddamn rotten luck. This jinx—steals my money, and now she's dead just to spite me."
Something snapped Melissa back to reality. She dropped to her knees and beat her fists against his shoulders, tears streaming down her face.
"How could you? Don't you know when to stop?"
"The child is dead now—what do we do? When her mother finds out, she'll tear us apart!"
Raymond's grip on his hair tightened.
"How the hell should I know what to do? You're the one who told me to teach her a lesson!"
"Now you want to ask what we do? Where were you when it mattered? Why didn't you stop me then?"
In the bathroom, Lily had been waiting. When her mother didn't return, she wandered out to the living room and headed toward the storage room.
"Daddy? Mommy? What are you talking about?"
"Weren't you going to give me my bath?"
At the sound of their daughter's voice, Raymond and Melissa exchanged a glance. They composed themselves instantly and stepped out of the storage room.
To keep Lily from seeing my mangled body, Raymond pulled the door shut behind him.
Melissa hurried to rearrange her expression, forcing a thin smile onto her face.
