Chapter 3 - The Blackmail
The entire room went completely silent.
Mom froze, her thumb hovering over the dial pad on her phone.
I looked between them, completely confused by the sudden shift in power.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Liam ignored me and kept his dark eyes fixed entirely on our mother.
“Go ahead, call him,” Liam challenged, crossing his arms.
“Tell him about the bruises.”
“And while you have him on the line, I will tell him about the letters from Marcus.”
All the color drained from Mom’s face.
She lowered her phone slowly.
“You went through my private things?” Mom asked, her voice shaking.
“I was looking for a pen,” Liam lied smoothly.
“But I found a whole stack of love letters from your old high school boyfriend.”
My stomach dropped.
Our parents had a difficult marriage, but I never imagined Mom was having an affair.
“They are from twenty years ago,” Mom said defensively.
“Dad does not know that,” Liam shot back.
“And with his temper, do you really think he will care about the dates on the envelopes?”
Liam was right.
Dad was a fiercely jealous man who reacted to betrayal with explosive rage.
If Liam told him about Marcus, the house would become a war zone.
Liam took a step closer to Mom, sensing his advantage.
“So let’s just calm down and handle this as a family.”
“Chloe is emotionally unstable, and she bruises easily.”
“That is the story we are going to tell Dad when he gets home.”
Mom looked at Chloe, who was silently crying against my shoulder.
Then she looked at the phone in her hand.
She was trapped.
She had to choose between protecting her daughter and destroying her marriage.
“Mom, you cannot let him get away with this,” I pleaded.
“He is a monster.”
“Maya, stay out of this,” Liam snapped.
Before Mom could make a decision, the sound of a heavy diesel engine rumbled in the driveway.
Dad’s truck had just pulled up.
Liam smiled a genuine, terrifying smile.
“Time is up, Mom.”
The front door opened, and Dad walked in wearing his dirty work boots.
He took one look at the tension in the room and scowled.
“What the hell is going on in here?” Dad demanded.
Mom opened her mouth, but the words would not come out.
Liam stepped forward confidently.
“Nothing, Dad.”
“Chloe just had another one of her meltdowns, and Maya is making a big deal out of it.”
Dad sighed heavily and rubbed his temples.
“I am too tired for this nonsense today.”
He pointed a thick finger at Chloe.
“Go to your room and stop causing trouble for your brother.”
Chloe flinched and looked at Mom for help.
Mom looked down at the floor, absolutely silent.
I could not believe it.
I grabbed Chloe’s hand and pulled her behind me.
“She is not going anywhere with him,” I told my father.
“He has been beating her behind your back.”
Dad stopped halfway to the kitchen and turned around slowly.
He looked at Liam, who simply shrugged with a sad, misunderstood expression.
May you like
Then Dad looked at me, his face turning red with anger.
“Are you calling your brother a liar under my roof?”
