Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Abigail
25 BONUS
“Abigail’s right.”
Conrad’s agreement caught me off guard, so much so that almost didn’t believe my ears. The surprise must have shown on my face, but I quickly masked it.
Apparently, Susanna didn’t believe her ears as well, as her face twisted into a picture of wounded disbelief. She looked as if she’d just been betrayed by her most loyal supporter.
“What?” she said, her voice high–pitched.
“Abigail’s right,” he repeated firmly, turning to Susanna with a seriousness that had only been directed at me before and never her. “Harry is at an age where recklessness can lead to disaster, What if it had been you he ran into today? What then?”
Without waiting for her to speak, Conrad continued, “I’ll find somewhere else for Liliana and Harry to stay. It’s better this way.
He barely finished speaking before chaos erupted.
“You’re trying to tear our family apart!” Harry shouted, lunging at me so suddenly that I barely had time to register what was happening. His face was twisted in anger, his hands outstretched. My breath caught, and for a moment, I froze. My brain registered his sudden movement too late. I could not dodge it in time.
Then Roxy was there, stepping between us with a ferocity hadn’t seen in her before, using her own body to shield me. “Back off!” she snapped, her arm outstretched like a barrier.
Harry didn’t listen. His arms swiped at the air, still trying to reach me. The room erupted into a mess of shouts, accusations, and chaos. Roxy held her ground, her voice cutting through his tantrum as she warned him to stay away.
“Don’t you dare touch my son!” Liliana screeched, her face twisted with rage as she lunged toward Roxy. Her hand was raised and ready to strike.
Roxy didn’t flinch. “Go ahead,” she dared, her eyes flashing dangerously. “Lay a hand on me and see what happens. I’ll make you regret it.”
Liliana hesitated but didn’t back down. Behind her, Susanna’s voice rose, shrill and indignant. “Abigail, call her off!” She demanded, her gaze snapping to me. “She’s out of control!”
“You mean like your nephew?” I shot back, my voice cold and steady despite the puré chaos.
Susanna stormed towards Roxy, raising her hand. As she opened her mouth to respond, she suddenly clutched her stomach, her face going pale as she staggered back, gasping.
“Susanna!” Liliana cried, rushing to her sister as she crumpled to the floor.
The room went silent for a beat, the chaos replaced by shock. For a moment, no one moved. Then Harry’s voice rang out, loud and accusatory.
“They pushed her!” He pointed directly at me and Roxy, his eyes blazing with fury. “I saw it! They pushe
“That’s a lie!” Roxy shot back, her hands clenched into fists
Before I could speak, Conrad’s voice cut through the noise like a whip.
Chapter 11
+25 BONUS
“Officeri Call an ambulance!” His tone left no room for argument, and the officers snapped into action, moving quickly. Within moments, we could hear the wall of sirens the distance.
Conrad rounded on Roxy, his expression thunderous. “This is your fault!” he roared. “You’re the reason she fainted!”
Roxy stepped forward, ready to argue, but I placed a hand on her arm to stop her. My anger boiled beneath the surface, but I forced myself to stay calm.
“This isn’t Roxy’s fault,” I said, my voice firm. “If anyone to blame, it’s Harry. He’s been out of control since the moment he ran into me. And if he keeps this up, I won’t hesitate to press charges.”
Conrad stared at me, his jaw tightening, as if he were restraining himself from saying something he’d regret.
Wisely, he said nothing.
The paramedics arrived moments later, bustling into the room with practiced efficiency. Susanna was placed on a stretcher, her face pale and her eyes fluttering closed.
“Are you family?” one of the paramedics asked, glancing at Conrad.
“Yes,” he said without hesitation, his voice softer now. “I’ll go with her.”
He didn’t look at me as he spoke. He didn’t even glance in my direction as he followed the paramedics to the ambulance. Liliana and Harry climbed in after him. I refused to follow them.
The doors slammed shut, and I stood there watching as it sped away, the siren’s wall fading into the distance. The silence that followed was deafening. A part of me couldn’t believe Conrad had just left like that. “Abigail,” Roxy said softly, her voice pulling me back to the present. “Let’s go.
I nodded at her, guilt eating me up. If I hadn’t decided to meet up with her today, she wouldn’t have been dragged into this mess that had become my life lately. “Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”
The sun still blazed in the sky as Roxy and I stepped out of the police station. My legs felt as heavy as lead, and every step seemed to drag, both emotionally and physically. Roxy walked beside me, her expression tight, her lips pressed into a firm line.
“Would you like me to call a cab for you, or drop you home?? A kind voice broke through the silence, and we turned to see one of the police officers standing nearby.
Roxy managed a tired smile, her voice soft but grateful. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. My car’s still parked at the mall.”
The officer’s eyes brightened. “I can drop you at the mall then. It’s on my way.”
I exchanged a glance with Roxy, and we both nodded gratefully. “Thank you,” I murmured.
The ride back to the mall was tense, even though the officer tried making light conversation but neither of us had the energy to engage with her fully. When we arrived at the parking lot, she wished us a good day, her tone warm and sincere despite the circumstances.
“Take care of yourselves,” she said as she waved, driving away.
We stood there for a moment in the stillness of the parking lot. The hum of cars in the distance and the chirping of birds felt so strange after the chaos we’d just left. Without a word to each other, we headed to Roxy’s car.
As soon as we slid into the seats, Roxy started the engine, the low rumble breaking the quiet. She pulled out of the
Chapter 11
parking lot, her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, er knuckles white against her skin.
“What the hell just happened back there?” Roxy finally broke the silence, her walce Incredulous. Her question wasn’t really directed at me–it was more of a rhetorical question that was hoping for a reasonable answer.
My frustration, my exhaustion, my anger–they bubbled to the surface, refusing to be suppressed. I sighed heavily, leaning back in my seat as the words began to spill out. “What happened back there is Susanna,” I said bitterly. “This has been my life ever since she came into it.
Roxy glanced at me briefly before turning her eyes back to the road, her brow furrowing in confusion. “I thought she was your sister–in–law. Why would she even care enough to pull this kind of stunt?”
I let out a humorless laugh, shaking my head. “That’s the thing she shouldn’t. But ever since she moved in, it’s been one thing after another. She’s always playing the victim, twisting every little thing to make me look bad.”
I paused, the words catching in my throat as memories flashed before my eyes. “And Conrad…” I sighed again, deeper this time. “Conrad always sides with her. No matter what.”
Roxy’s lips pressed into a tighter line; her silence heavy with judgment. “And you?” she finally asked, her tone sharp. “Where are you in all that? Watching from the sidelines?”
Her words stung, but they weren’t unfair. “I tried,” I said quietly. “I tried to stand up for myself, for us. But every time 1 push back, it’s like I’m the villain. And now…” I trailed off, unsure how to even put the rest into words.
“Now?” Roxy prompted, her tone softer this time.
“Now I feel like I’m losing him,” I admitted, the confession slipping out before I could stop it. “Every argument, every accusation–Susanna keeps driving this wedge between us, and he doesn’t even see it. Or maybe he does, and he just doesn’t care.”
Roxy let out a long, low whistle, shaking her head in disbelief. “Abigail,” she said slowly, deliberately, “is Conrad your husband, or is he Susanna’s?”
Her simple question was like a slap, cutting so deep it left me breathless.
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
The words hung in the air between us, heavier than anything else that had been said. Roxy didn’t press me further, but her silence spoke volumes.
When we finally pulled up outside my house, I felt a strange mix of relief and dread. Relief to be home, away from all of Roxy’s questions I didn’t want to answer. Dread because I knew this wasn’t over–not by a long shot.
“Thanks for everything, Roxy,” I said as I opened the door.
She reached out, squeezing my hand briefly. “Anytime,” she said simply.
1 stepped out of the car and watched as she drove away, the sound of her engine fading into the distance.
Her question lingered in my mind, refusing to be ignored. Is Conrad your husband, or is he Susanna’s? And for the first time, I wasn’t sure of the answer.
