Chapter 4

Early the next morning, before the sun had fully risen, a loud commotion outside my door woke me.

Mrs. Doyle had somehow gathered seven or eight relatives and neighborhood gossips.

They packed the hallway so tightly that no one could pass.

The group carried cheap wedding banners and heart-shaped stickers.

They were forcing them onto my security door and the surrounding walls.

Someone had even stuck an enormous heart-shaped "Congratulations" decal over my smart lock.

The whole display was hideous.

Mrs. Doyle sat in her wheelchair at the front of the crowd.

With her hair hanging loose, she slapped her thigh and began wailing through tears and mucus.

"Everyone, come judge this for yourselves!

"This cruel man has no conscience!"

She sobbed dramatically, performing like an award-winning actress.

"He seduced my daughter and chased after her every day, and now he's pretending nothing happened!

"He sprayed poison into my daughter's eyes because he wanted to kill her!

"My poor daughter loved him sincerely, and he played with her feelings!"

The hallway quickly filled with neighbors who had come to watch.

They pointed, whispered, and speculated.

Then Candace made her grand entrance.

Pretending to be a devoted victim, she shouted toward my closed door.

"Ryan, I know you're inside!

"I don't blame you for attacking me yesterday. I was too emotional."

Her words immediately earned sympathy from several older women.

"What a forgiving woman."

"Exactly. That man has no idea how fortunate he is."

Candace grew even more smug when she heard them.

She raised her voice, speaking as if she were granting me mercy.

"Open the door right now and apologize to my mother to her face!

"Then come with me to Alder County Courthouse and marry me!

"If you do that, I'll generously forget everything that happened!

"You can still become a proper son-in-law in the Doyle family!"

The relatives outside immediately joined in.

"Open the door and apologize!"

"Don't reject our kindness!"

Their insults and pounding echoed across the entire floor.

Inside, I watched these ridiculous performers through the security monitor.

The world truly contained every possible variety of lunatic.

Did they think public pressure would force me to obey?

They could keep dreaming.

I didn't rush outside to trade insults with them.

Arguing with garbage only dirtied the mouth.

I calmly picked up my phone.

Then I activated the camera outside my door.

It recorded their intimidation, forced decorations, threats, and lies in high definition.

Every second was solid evidence.

Then I called the Ashford emergency dispatch line.

"Hello, is this emergency dispatch?

"I need police assistance.

"A group is harassing me outside my home and attempting to force entry."