The house that broke me

REBECCA'S POV

"Why do I have such unease whenever you have that death stare?" Jessica cocked her brow as she stared at me through the mirror just above her head.

"It suits her," Kendrick's voice came on. 

I flickered my gaze over to his side, but his face was locked on whatever thing he was doing on his phone.

I decided to ignore his remark, letting my body relax against the chair as the car sped through the street. 

I took a deep breath, turning my face to look outside the window as my hand draped the coat closer.

His exquisite perfume twirled across my nostrils and my jaws hardened.

Why was his scent so comforting?

"So where do you want to go?" Jessica asked. 

Her hands were fixed on the wheel, but her eyes were locked on the mirror, watching me with concern on her face.

"Sterling Manor," I groaned, the words tasting bitter against my tongue.

Jessica hovered her gaze towards me and I tilted my head. "Is there a problem?"

She cleared her throat and then turned back to the road. "Isn't that Felix's family house?" Her brows arched as she clicked her tongue.

"According to what you told me, they don't like you very much. Are you sure you want to go there?"

A low smirk curled up against my lips. "The feeling was mutual. I don't like most of them either."

I let my head fall back and a sigh escaped my throat. "The marriage was out of convenience, and apparently, it's not convenient anymore. I see no reason to leave my inheritance and shares with those ungrateful people."

Kendrick, who had been silent for a while, turned towards me. His deep ocean eyes pierced through my soul like a knife.

"Do you think they will hand it back easily?" he asked, lips pressed tight, his gaze unwavering.

I averted my gaze from his as I crossed my arm over my chest.

"It's simple," I grinned, reaching out to play with the strands of my hair that fell past my shoulders.

"We can do things the easy way or the hard way. It's the Sterlings' choice."

Jessica shivered and shook her head. "Gosh, you are so scary."

Kendrick's eyes lingered on me, and I noticed the tip of his ears turning red. Then, with a hand over his mouth, he cleared his throat. "Don't you think you should change before you go meet them?"

I eyed him suspiciously, looking down at my body. 

Memories of how I tore the clothes from my body flashed before my eyes as Felix's face flickered before me.

Fist clenched tighter as my teeth gritted, forcing a smile.

"I'm sure my ex-in-laws wouldn’t mind seeing their ex-daughter-in-law like this after what their son did to me."

****

The  huge towering door to the Sterling Manor swung open and my eyes squinted. 

“Tell me again why I shouldn't burn this place to the ground,” I muttered, staring at the gates  like they were the mouth of hell.

I never had any good memories inside this place.

My heels thudding against the floor, I could hear my pulse racing fast inside my ears as I made my way into the sitting room.

Jessica had offered to go with me, but I refused. This was my fight. It was me against them.

Besides, it was about time I revealed my true colors to my former in-laws.

"You witch!"

I froze for a while, my heels stopped  when I heard that familiar voice rammering through the room with so much force that it made the house vibrate at the sound of her voice.

I let out a scoff. If there was one person to throw a fit, then it would be my former mother-in-law... Evelyn.

"What are you doing here? After humiliating my son like this!" Her steps grew even louder, and finally, she stopped right in front of me.

Her chest heaving, and as expected, I could see her husband by her side.

"Good day, Mother," I turned slowly to meet her gaze, trying to muster whatever dreadful smile I had left in me.

"I came to see Grandfather. Is he in?" I added casually, letting my gaze wander past her shoulders and up the stairs.

"You really have no shame. A married woman like you, dressed like that to see your in-laws. So shameless." She spat, her lips curling in a sinister scowl that reached her eyes.

I stepped forward, leaning to her height. "What is the matter? Do you like it? Your son specially picked it out for me."

"You..."

"I have some important news I wish to discuss," I chipped in before she could finish the words she was about to utter.

Her chest heaved, her breath turning ragged with bloodshots in her eyes. I grinned, blinking my lashes sweetly.

For some reason, she always had it out for me since I married her son and never once did she treat me well.

She didn’t like me and she made it obvious.

Five years I had to put up with this crap and what did it get me?

"After you embarrassed my son and my dear Anna in the company, do you think you have the right to call me Mother!" she snapped, her hands on her hips as her feet padded against the floor.

"Honey, please try to calm down," her husband said softly beside her.

His hand reaching out to pacify her, but she shrugged him off, casting an eerie glance at him.

"Don't tell me to calm down," she retorted harshly, sizing him up and down. "I need to teach this  girl a lesson."

Her face flustered, complementing the wrinkles tugged at the corner of her eyes.

Her appearance did nothing but put a smile on my face.

I've played the nice little wife everyone could walk all over, but now things were different.

"Sorry, I guess I misspoke. Evelyn.." smile widened until it reached my eyes while her face went.

"Where is Grandfather Sterling? I have some very important things to discuss. If you have nothing important to say, you can as well stop sticking your face in my business."

"REBECCA!" Felix's father hissed, turning to me fiercely. "You should watch the way you speak to your mother-in-law."

"Hmm." I pursed my lips. "Mother... in... law."

My face trailed off as I rolled my eyes. "Well, there's no need for the fake formalities. Felix and I have parted ways today, and I am here to collect everything your family owes me."

"What!" Felix's parents said in unison, and I arched my brows, eyes flickering between the both of them with confusion.

"I'm guessing he didn’t tell you?"

The shrieking of the tires filled the room and I crossed my arms even tighter.

"What is going on here?" A hoarse voice thundered through the room.