I looked at Earl, my posture small and desperate, my voice unable to hide the panic clawing through it.
"Discipline? Where did you send her?!"
"Bess never abused that dog, and you know it better than anyone."
The image of my daughter's arm, punctured clean through by the dog's teeth, flashed through my mind. And now she was gone, taken somewhere I didn't know. Despair crashed over me like a wave.
"My daughter doesn't need the two of you to 'educate' her. I'm begging you, just give her back to me."
"Her condition is unstable. I'm afraid she'll—"
Norma arched a brow. "Bess abused my baby. That's a sin she needs to atone for. You can't just coddle her."
"Since you're so desperate to play the devoted mother, why don't you apologize to Rascal on her behalf?"
"Kowtow to him ninety-nine times. If he forgives you, I'll consider letting that little brat go."
I didn't hesitate for a single second. My knees hit the floor.
I abandoned every shred of dignity and bowed my forehead to the ground before a dog.
I'd learned my lesson long ago. Defying the real lady of the house only brought more suffering.
The ninetieth time Norma had come to "reclaim" her dog, she'd discovered a small patch of missing fur.
She'd screamed that I'd mistreated Rascal and demanded I rip out ninety strands of my own hair as penance.
Because I'd hesitated for three seconds, she'd erupted into hysterics, turning to Earl with a face full of anguish.
"So it's true — once there's a stepmother, the father becomes a stranger too! Earl, is this how you take care of our son?"
"He's the puppy we raised together, back when we were the most in love..."
Earl's eyes reddened instantly, his heart aching for her.
He shot me one cold glance, then seized my daughter by the hair.
The sound of tearing. Clumps of hair hit the floor.
Bess went into shock and collapsed. My hands shook so badly I could barely dial 911.
But Earl only cared about comforting his aggrieved lover.
Even after our daughter crumpled to the ground, he didn't spare her a single look.
What he said that day was what finally broke me into obedience.
"Rascal is Norma's child. If you hurt him, I'll make your daughter pay the price."
I'd known for a long time. Earl didn't love me, and he cared even less about our daughter.
He resented this marriage for destroying any future he might have had with Norma.
So Bess and I were always destined to be sacrificial offerings in their tangled love story.
The unbearable memories flickered through my mind, but my heart had gone numb long ago.
Only one thought remained: protect Bess. Get her out.
I slammed my forehead against the floor, hard and deliberate, not daring to hold back. I was terrified that the slightest hesitation would give them an excuse to turn their cruelty on my daughter again.
Blood soon streamed down my face, soaking into the carpet beneath Norma's feet.
She wrinkled her nose and held up her phone screen. "Hurry it up. Mom's texting me and Earl to come to dinner."
"That feast you cooked can just be Rascal's dog food."
Blood blurred my vision, but I could still make out the family group chat on the screen.
I saw the way Earl's mother fawned over Norma, warm and eager to please, and I let out a bitter laugh.
The truth was, Earl's parents had always been kind to me.
But the moment I'd gone to them in tears, begging them to do something about Norma breaking into our home every other day to "take back her dog," their warmth had vanished overnight.
"Patsy, dear, you need to learn to be sensible and fulfill your duty as a wife."
My mother-in-law had shaken her head, regret buried deep in her eyes.
"Back then, I tore those two lovebirds apart and forced Earl into that blind date. He's never forgiven us."
"The girl just acts out a little. Patsy, you need to show a wife's grace."
Later, they'd added Norma to the family group chat.
Every last member of the Sanchez family knew who the real daughter-in-law was. Who the real lady of the house was.
Norma admired my wretched state, then leaned close to my ear and whispered.
"Your husband, your in-laws — I've taken them all."
