Chapter 3

3

"Okay, guys, let's stop it with Riley," Mindy said, putting on a fake smile and grabbing my arm.

She gave me a look full of hate, like a snake, and my instinct was to pull away. But, she was holding me so tight.

Her sharp nails dug into my skin, it hurt, but I didn't dare make a sound.

The warden had told me that if I bothered Mindy, I'd be punished.

I couldn't risk that, not again.

The memories of what I went through in prison were enough to make me feel ice cold.

"It's Grandma's birthday, let's all be happy. All that other stuff is in the past." Mindy cooed as she pulled me forward.

Her head was close to mine, and to outsiders it must have looked like she was hugging me.

But then she hissed in my ear, her voice like venom, "Bitch, you stay away from Jake, he's mine!"

"I made sure you were taken care of in there. Did you learn your lesson? If you make me mad, I'll do it all again!"

I looked at her, scared.

Mindy was evil, pure evil.

As a child she'd bullied me, a nightmare who left me covered in bruises.

And now, after prison, Mindy had become an unshakeable terror.

I looked around the house, it was still in the European style that Mindy liked.

The couch was cluttered with her toys.

It was very much Mindy's home, with no trace that the real daughter of the Mueller's had ever lived there.

My little bunny slippers were missing.

Mindy put her head to one side, faking a look of concern, "You know, when you were, um, away, I had to throw those slippers away. I totally forgot to tell the housekeeper to get you some."

She called out, "Housekeeper! Get our guest some disposable slippers, will you?"

Mindy turned back to me with a sweet smile, "Use these for now."

She acted like she was the lady of the house.

"I'll have the housekeeper clean out your old room tonight, it's a mess right now."

Then Jake jumped in, "No need for that, Riley can stay with me tonight."

Mindy's face warped, it was just visible as she glared at me.

"No... that's okay." Seeing Mindy's rage, I started to tremble.

"Yeah, Jake, don't worry about it." Mindy forced a stiff smile, "Riley just got out. She's probably still a bit out of it."

But Jake insisted that I come with him.

"Jake!" Ben yelled, angry. "You know you shouldn't be�C"

The atmosphere was tense. Then Grandma was wheeled in.

Since her fall down the stairs, she'd been a mess.

Her mouth hung open, drool dripping down her chin.

Her gaze was unfocused, and she couldn't talk.

But she still stretched out her hand to me, her eyes full of tears and love.

My heart twisted. I ignored the pain in my leg and limped towards her.

But Mindy stopped me.

She stood in front of the old woman, arms spread, "I won't let you hurt her again."

She looked like she was about to cry. "I won't let the same mistakes happen again."

Ben pushed me to the floor, yelling, "You monster, stay away from Grandma!"

A glass tumbler that was sitting too close to the edge of the table fell, smashing over my head.

Glass shards dug into my scalp, and blood began to trickle down.

But I didn't feel a thing. I just sat on the floor, blank.

What was so monstrous about me?

I hadn't pushed grandma. Mindy had. But nobody believed me.

When I'd seen Grandma at the bottom of the stairs covered in blood, I was in shock. I called 911, but that was all I could do.

Mindy had walked up to me, a horrible smile on her face, "That old woman thought she could protect you? I'll teach her! I told her everything I did to you."

"You know what? She got so mad, she went to hit me, ha! So, I just took care of her."

She laughed, "You Mueller women are so pathetic."

My grandma, who'd always protected me, was a vegetable. Combined with the hell I'd been through, it made me snap.

I reached out to her.

But before I could touch her, Mindy smiled and just... fell backwards.

My mind was spinning. I saw her grab my hand and use it to drive a knife into her own stomach.

I heard Ben and Jake yelling, full of rage.

"Riley, how could you be so evil!"

"No, I didn't…" I tried to explain.

But Mindy cried out, "Jake, Ben, come here… it hurts so bad."

Later, Mindy said that I had thrown grandma down the stairs, because grandma had refused to send her away.

That I was jealous and vengeful.

She said that she had been trying to save grandma, and that's why I had attacked her with a knife.

I was helpless, Grandma couldn't speak, and there was no way I could explain the truth.

They believed every word Mindy said.

Ben had stabbed me with the same knife that I supposedly attacked Mindy with.

"Why did you ever come into this family?"

Jake had his security drag me away, hobbling on one leg, his eyes full of disgust.

"This is the least you deserve for being so evil."

"If you can think of such a terrible thing, you belong in prison."

My own brother, and the man I had loved, had thrown me into jail, ignoring all of my pleas.

That day was the most despairing.

Before they took me away, I tried to find Jake.

I told him to take care of Grandma, that I was afraid Mindy might hurt her.

He'd just sneered at me, "You? Worrying about grandma? Give me a break."

That's how I'd ended up in prison, enduring the worst torment for a year.

When she saw the blood dripping down my face, Grandma's eyes filled with tears, and she started babbling.

Jake frowned, annoyed, "You need to take care of that cut."

He got up to go look for a first aid kit.

"Don't! Don't go!"

I yelled at him, remembering what Jake had said to Mindy.

Her gaze was sharp and hateful, just like the prison warden.

"I'll take her and take care of it." Mindy smiled, and dragged me into a room.

As soon as we were inside, she grabbed my face hard. "How can you keep seducing people, you little slut?"

"Do you need me to remind you of how things were in prison? You just can't go without a man, you whore!"

Mindy chuckled, "I thought the warden was taking care of you, putting all those men at your disposal. Not enough for you?"

"Ah!" I cried, hugging my head, my eyes blank.

The memories played like a bad movie in my head.

The warden had smiled at me, saying that Mindy had sent a gift.

Anything connected to Mindy equaled pain, it could never be a gift.

I clung to the wall, refusing to go. But they'd broken my fingers and dragged me out.

The wall was smeared with blood.

Waiting for me were three hideous, repulsive men.

I don't know how they got in there.

They were able to overpower me, despite my kicking and screaming. They slapped me, then they abused me.

At that moment, I hit the lowest I could go.

Huddled on the floor, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

What had I done to deserve this?

I didn't understand why I was even alive.

That day, I'd taken a razor blade and cut my wrist, but they'd saved me.

Otherwise, I would have finally been free.

Mindy laughed, seeing my pain, "That's good, you remember, you little slut. Stay out of line, or I'll send you back."