Lavender:“You’re a psycho,” I whispered, and he rolled his eyes.“At least ask me first what I’m asking for,” he sighed. “It was a small thing. As small as saying thank you, but of course, you had to be dramatic.”I suddenly calmed down a little. The way he explained it made it sound like he was only asking for something minor. Maybe it was just an apology, or maybe he just wanted some time to explain whatever it was he wanted to say back when I saw him surrounded by dead bodies.I took a deep breath and asked, “Fine. What is it?”I had a feeling he was just being dramatic and probably handcuffed me because he thought it was funny.“Now you’re talking. See, this is why it’s important not to be loud. At least let the other person explain before you judge them,” he said, walking over to a drawer and pulling some papers out. “You’ll be out of here and living in a huge mansion where no one will dare question you or ruin your peace of mind.”As he spoke, I started to feel a strange sense
Lavender:“Mommy, but it’s my birthday,” I cried, holding onto the hem of her dress while my stepsisters were cutting my cake.“Happy birthday to you,” my mother and the neighbors continued to sing—- to my stepsister, even though they knew well that it wasn’t her birthday.“Mommy, it’s not her birthday. It’s my birthday,” I stomped my feet, crying hysterically.“Ugh, this four-year-old is so loud. Why don’t you shut her up? She’s ruining her stepsister’s birthday,” said a woman with four kids of her own. Yet she had no compassion for me. She seemed to enjoy teasing a child. She knew her words would provoke me, and that’s exactly what happened.“But it is my birthday. I turned four today.” I had such a small, meek voice, almost like I had a lisp. But I didn’t. I just couldn’t speak properly for months because of a split lip. My stepsisters had fought me over a toy I owned, and when trying to snatch it from me, they pushed me and I landed face down.“Look at her, so rude. Arguing with a
Nikon:The thing that shocked me the most was Lavender’s mother’s reaction. She seemed to b e agreeing a lot with the others as if she didn't even know her daughter.Even if she accused Lavender of stealing her chance to ever get pregnant or blamed her for something else, no mother in her right mind would wish that kind of punishment on her daughter. Especially if the daughter had been through something traumatic. Mothers are supposed to be empathetic, sensitive but this one? She stood beside my father and suggested he strip Lavender naked and make her stand in public.They were happy that I was going to punish her in the worst way possible.“And then they also suggested everyone could throw tomatoes at her,” the guard told me. I was in my office now, after comforting Denise. The rest were still outside, but I had called in my guard to get the details.What he told me was horrifying. The way they beat her up reminded me of an instant that occurred before. I began to wonder if it was s
Nikon:“It’s okay, take your time. Only return once your job is done,” I said to Igor on the call, helping him for the past few minutes with how to deal with the ones who weren’t doing their job well.I believed in hard work. If my brothers wanted to achieve something, they had to work for it.“Okay, thank you brother. One last thing before you hang up. Please don't be harsh on Lavender. She is just a teenager who saw you kill many people. I think her reaction was justifiable,” it was the way he was practically begging me to treat her well that made me feel an ick. I was watching and noticing everything. It's not that I was clueless or could easily be fooled.I was just not confronting my brothers for it yet. They were spending way too much time alone with Lavender.“You have my word,” I said and I heard my brother let out a sigh of relief.Once I hung up the call, I got out of my car to go and change. I was exhausted but had no time to rest for more than ten minutes.I hated my mind
Lavender:“Wait, I don't understand how you can say you are innocent when his wife saw you on top of him,” I have never seen Igor look at me with so much disgust in his eyes.My body shuddered and my hand started to slip from his hand, which he never held.“That was such a second action where I hit him and he grabbed me before falling so I ended up on top of him,” I felt like a broken record trying to explain myself and my innocence to everyone.“With your breasts out? I can't believe you would stoop so low,” Easton hissed, refusing to look my way. My jaw met the floor when I stared at both of them one by one. And then there he was, the devil with his arms folded and back leaning casually against the wall. I knew they would come to confront me once Denise tells Nikon what had happened. But I had high hopes that Easton and Igor would not be a part of it at least.I thought they will believe me."Why is no one believing me? I did not lie about anything," I sniffled, "you can ask the who
Lavender:I didn’t have my phone, and neither did the guards provide me with one to contact anyone. I was too numb to even speak for myself. They made sure to take me to the ferry and then to my uncle’s home. Throughout the journey, I couldn’t lift my head even once.My dreams were shattered, my body was beaten, and my self-esteem was crushed. The injuries on my body were still fresh too.I didn’t want to go back there ever again. I wasn’t safe there.But I had another fear haunting the back of my mind this whole time. When Denise tells her version of the truth to Nikon and cries in front of him, he’ll come straight for my throat. It wouldn’t matter where I was living—he’d make sure I got punished. Now, he finally had a reason to take out his anger on me.Our car stopped right in front of my uncle’s house, and the guards dragged me out. One of my arms felt a burning sensation, especially at the shoulder, as if all the dragging had dislocated it. I hadn’t spoken a single word after I w