I was jerked awake by pain spreading across my chest and arms. My eyes flew open as I gasped, the shock of hot water burning my skin. Through the steam and my own tears, I saw Ethan standing over me, empty kettle in hand, smiling.
"Are you done pretending yet?". The kettle dangled from his small fingers, a few drops of hot water still dripping onto the floor.
I couldn't speak, couldn't breathe through the pain. My skin felt like it was melting off my body.
"My mom would be alive if it wasn't for you. You're just a replacement part that doesn't even fit right."
The burning sensation intensified as I struggled to sit up. "Ethan, why would you—"
"Stop saying my name like you know me," he spat. "You're nothing to me. Nothing!"
Something in me snapped. Five years of abuse, five years of trying to love a child who only wanted to hurt me. I lunged forward, reaching for his arm, wanting to shake some sense into him, to make him understand the pain he caused me daily.
But my legs were tangled in the sheets, and I fell forward instead. My arm caught on the edge of the bedside table, slicing open. Blood spurted from the wound, splashing across Ethan's face and white t-shirt.
Ethan's eyes widened in shock, and then he let out a scream. "Help! Help! She's trying to kill me!"
Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway. Daniel's mother burst into the room, her face changing from concern to rage when she saw her grandson's blood-splattered shirt.
"What have you done?" she pulled Ethan protectively against her. "My God, look at him!"
"I didn't—" I tried to explain, but she cut me off.
"I always knew you were unstable," she hissed, wrapping her arms around Ethan's trembling shoulders. "You've been jealous of this child from day one, haven't you? Jealous that Daniel loved his son more than he could ever love you."
I pressed my hand against my bleeding arm, wincing at the dual pains of my burned chest and cut arm. "That's not what happened. He poured boiling water on me while I was sleeping."
"Liar!" Ethan sobbed into his grandmother's chest. "I didn't do anything! I just came to wake her up for breakfast and she attacked me!"
The older woman's face hardened as she stared at me with contempt. "You disgust me. My son married a harlot who would harm a child and then lie about it."
"I'm not lying," I insisted, my voice cracking. "Why would I hurt myself?"
"For attention, of course," she sneered. "You've always been desperate for Daniel's attention. But he'll never truly love you. How could he? You're nothing compared to Jessica—now there's a woman who knows how to be a proper wife and mother."
I staggered to my feet, the room spinning around me. "I never wanted to be Melissa's replacement. I only wanted to help."
"Help?" She laughed bitterly. "You've done nothing but bring misery to this house. You don't fit here—you never have. My son needs a real woman, not some pathetic imitation playing house."
Blood dripped onto the carpet as I stumbled toward the closet, pulling out my suitcase with my arm. I couldn't stay here another minute, not after this. The pain from my burns and cut arm was nothing compared to the agony of being so hated in what was supposed to be my home.
I threw clothes hastily into the suitcase, not caring what I packed. My fingers left bloody smears on everything I touched.
The bedroom door opened again, and Daniel stood in the doorway, his expression shifting from anger to shock when he saw my state.
"Kate, you're bleeding badly," he said, stepping toward me. "We need to get you to the hospital. Those burns look serious, and your arm needs stitches."
His voice carried concern, but his eyes held something else—calculation, as if he was wondering how this would affect him.
"I'll call an ambulance. You need medical attention right away."
"Don't waste your time on her," his mother snapped, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. "This is what happens when you treat Ethan the way she does. Let her deal with the consequences of her actions."
I zipped the suitcase shut. "I don't need your help, Daniel. I just need you to sign these." I nodded toward the divorce papers on the dresser.
Daniel's eyes widened. "You're bluffing. You wouldn't really leave."
"I've never been more serious about anything in my life," I shouted angrily.
He ran a hand through his hair, suddenly looking desperate. "Look, I know you're angry, but why make it this way? We can work something out. Jessica can take care of Ethan on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and you can have him the rest of the week. It can be even."
I stared at him in disbelief. Even now, he was trying to negotiate, to find a solution that would benefit him without addressing the real problem.
"I'm done being your backup plan. Sign these, or my lawyer will contact you tomorrow."
I managed to stand up straight despite the pain radiating through my body. My legs trembled as I dragged my suitcase toward the door.
Daniel stepped in front of me, blocking my path. "Kate, please. Think about what you're doing. Where will you go? How will you support yourself?"
"Move," I said.
Jessica appeared in the doorway behind him, her perfectly made-up face showing no sympathy for my injuries. "Let her go, Daniel. She clearly doesn't fit here."
A real woman would know how to handle a child without resorting to violence. You're pathetic.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of them both. I always have, even when you thought you were the only woman in Daniel's bed."
Before I could respond, she grabbed my suitcase and shoved threw it into the hallway. "Your taxi's waiting, replacement."
I stumbled after my belongings, barely keeping my balance as pain shot through my body. Jessica pushed me again, harder this time, and I fell against the wall.
"Don't ever come back," she hissed and slammed the door behind me.
I stood in the hallway, bleeding and burned, listening to Daniel's mother comforting Ethan, Jessica's laughter, Daniel's muffled voice. No one came to check if I was okay.
With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and called for a cab. The screen was slick with my blood, making it hard to dial.
Somehow, I managed to drag my suitcase down the stairs and outside to the curb. The morning air was cool against my burned skin, offering small relief. I sat on my suitcase, waiting, wondering how my life had come to this moment.
Five years ago, I had made a promise to my dying best friend, ever since then I've been trying to love a child who hated me, and be a wife to a man who saw me as a convenient replacement.
Minutes passed and I kept expecting the door to open for Daniel to come rushing out with apologies and promises, but the house remained silent.
Finally, a cab pulled up.
"Miss, are you okay? Do you need an ambulance instead?" he asked as he came and reached for my suitcase.
I shook my head, trying to stand. "No, I just need to get away from here."
"Where to, then?" he asked.
I opened my mouth to answer, but the words wouldn't come.
"Miss?" He asked.
"Anywhere but here," I managed to whisper.
As I reached for the cab door. My body felt suddenly heavy, like I was being pulled underwater. 667
The last thing I heard was the cabbie shouting for help, as darkness swallowed me whole. Then... nothing.
