Before Harold—no, Hunter—could even answer, a sharp voice cut through the air.
“Harold? What the hell is this?!”
I froze. Alicia stood in the doorway, eyes wide, her chest heaving. The moment her gaze landed on our lips, she went wild.
“You bitch!” she screamed, shoving me so hard my back hit the edge of the bed. “What did you do? Did you just kiss my husband?”
My mouth opened, but no words came out.
“How dare you!” she spat, the venom in her tone making my skin crawl. “Are you going to seduce my husband now that your own is gone? Is that what you’ve been planning?”
“I’m sorry,” he said quickly, turning to Alicia. “I was just comforting her, and then she… kissed me.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. My breath caught, my chest tightening until it hurt to inhale. This was the man who used to stand in front of me whenever anyone dared raise their voice at me. The man who once told me he’d take on the whole world if it meant keeping me safe. And now… he’d thrown me under the bus without blinking.
My heart shattered into a million unfixable pieces.
Alicia’s lip curled in disgust as she stepped closer. Without warning, her fingers tangled in my hair, yanking hard until my scalp burned.
“No—he’s my husband!” I cried, the words tumbling out before I could stop them. Maybe he’ll admit when he sees me getting hurt by Alicia? Maybe he’d change his mind?
Her laugh was sharp, cruel. “You’re delusional. He is Harold! He is my husband!”
The door suddenly burst open.
And there she was my mother-in-law. The woman who had once told me I was the daughter she never had. My relief was so instant, so deep, I almost sagged against the bed.
“What is going on in here?” she stood there, eyes darting between us.
Finally, I thought. She’ll tell the truth. She’ll defend me.
But instead, she stormed up to me, her face twisted with anger. Her hand swung fast, landing another slap across my already throbbing cheek.
“You should get back to your senses and know your place,” she said coldly. “Your husband is dead. Stop embarrassing yourself.”
I swayed where I stood, unable to comprehend what was happening.
“Please, Mom,” Hunter said—pretending to be Harold—his voice soft, almost pitying. “Don’t be harsh on her. You know she’s grieving my brother. We look alike, that’s all. She’s confused.”
Confused. That was the word he chose. Not misunderstood, not innocent—confused. Like I was some fragile, broken thing who couldn’t tell reality from delusion.
Then, as if twisting the knife, he turned and wrapped his arms around Alicia. She clung to him like she belonged there, her face pressed to his chest. But over his shoulder, her eyes found mine, and she smirked. Smirked—like she had won.
“Victoria,” my mother-in-law’s voice snapped through the room like a whip. “Kneel and ask for forgiveness.”
My head jerked up. “What?”
“Kneel,” she repeated, her tone leaving no room for argument. “You disrespected your sister-in-law. Apologize.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “She’s not my—” I stopped myself. What was the point? No one here would believe me. Not him. Not her. Not even the woman I once thought loved me like a daughter.
Hunter—still pretending to be Harold—looked at me with a strange mix of false patience and quiet authority. “Victoria… you shouldn’t have done that,” he said. “You need help—therapy—because of what happened. You’ve been through a lot.”
I wanted to scream that I didn’t need therapy. I needed my husband to stop lying. I needed my best friend to stop pretending she wasn’t the reason my life had been burned to the ground. I needed someone—anyone—to believe me.
“Come on,” he pressed, his tone soft but insistent. “You won’t do it? My Victoria will feel stress if you keep this up. Just apologize, and we can move on.”
My jaw trembled. “No.”
Tina’s eyes hardened, her voice turning to steel. “You will kneel. You will apologize. Now.”
I could barely hear them over the pounding in my ears. My body felt like lead. My heart was a stone in my chest.
And yet… with every second of silence, the weight of their stares crushed me until my knees finally buckled. I sank to the cold floor, pain shooting up my legs, my dignity splintering with every heartbeat.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Alicia’s smirk deepened. “Don’t do it again.”
Something inside me cracked. That was the last straw.
I realized then that everyone—Hunter, Tina, even Alicia—was working together to make me feel insane.
They all left the room without another glance, Hunter’s arm firmly around Alicia’s waist.
And I… I broke.
I buried my face in my hands, the sobs ripping out of me until my chest ached. I was utterly, hopelessly alone.
With shaking hands, I reached for my phone. I didn’t care about pride anymore. I didn’t care about the years of silence between us.
When my brother answered, my voice cracked. “Brother… please. I’m sorry. I was wrong for leaving the house to marry Hunter. You were right. He hurt me.” My breath came in ragged sobs. “Please… take me back.”
“And maybe…” My voice broke into a bitter laugh that turned into another sob. “Maybe kill me too.”
