Chapter 4
"I told you not to do this kind of work, but you just wouldn't listen!" Finley complained.
"Let me see, did you get hurt?" he said, reaching out to check.
I pushed his hand away, keeping my face expressionless.
Then I snatched up a stick from nearby.
Before anyone could react, I bolted forward.
I brought the stick crashing down on Tollie's urn.
There was a loud bang.
The urn shattered.
Tollie's ashes scattered all over the place.
I didn't stop. My eyes were blazing as I kept pounding it again and again.
"Maddison!" Kelsey screamed.
Kelsey rushed over, trying to block me.
With a fierce glare, I swung the stick straight at her.
"Kelsey!" Finley shouted.
Finley dashed over and threw himself in front of her.
The stick smacked him square in the back.
He gritted his teeth, letting out a muffled groan as his face turned ghostly pale.
My mom's eyes went wide in shock as she snapped at the two bodyguards.
"Are you blind? Stop Maddison Lewis!" she yelled.
Before I could swing the stick again, the bodyguards pinned me down.
The stick was snatched from my grip, and I glared at Finley, my eyes burning with rage.
I yelled, "We agreed to cut ties, but you just can't stop messing with me!
"What the hell did I ever do to you guys?
"How far are you gonna push me before you finally leave me alone?"
Finley's forehead broke out in cold sweat.
Before he could get a word out, my mom swung her hand and slapped me.
She snapped, "I knew you still hadn't let that go!
"Such a temper, and so petty.
"How could I have a daughter like you?"
I ignored the pain on my face and scoffed, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I'm not your daughter anymore. Haven't been for a long time," I shot back.
"Shut up! Stop getting Mom all worked up!" Finley snapped, his teeth clenched in frustration.
Then Finley turned to the funeral home owner, who was still frozen in shock.
"Maddison Lewis is my little sister. I won't allow her to work here," he said, his tone icy and authoritative. "She's done here, starting now!"
"Who are you to decide my life for me?" I snapped.
God, I wanted to march right up and slap him twice, just to make sure he got the message.
The owner looked at him, then at me.
Finally, he let out a sigh.
He said, "Sort out your family stuff yourselves.
"Maddison made such a mess. I'd have fired her anyway."
A chill crept through me, bit by bit, until my heart was completely frozen over.
"Let go of me!" I shouted.
I knew arguing here was pointless.
I shook off the bodyguards and bolted out of there.
I was going to the police.
As soon as I stepped out of the funeral home, I headed straight for the police station.
Kelsey and my mom stayed behind to take care of things.
Finley burst out of the funeral home, chasing after me.
I jumped into a taxi, heart pounding, just seconds before he could grab me.
When I got to the police station, I laid it all out, every messy detail, from how it started to how it blew up.
By the time Finley rushed in, I'd already finished telling the whole story.
The cop's brow was furrowed, but Finley just whipped out his ID and started explaining, "Sir, she's my little sister. She's a bit unstable right now.
"We just had a fight. Sorry for the trouble."
The officer took Finley's ID and stared at it for a long moment, then pulled up his info on the computer.
I kept trying to explain, desperate for them to understand.
I kept saying, again and again, that we weren't family anymore.
But in the end, the officer just let out a sigh and turned to Finley.
"Even if you two were fighting, you shouldn't have gotten physical. Look, your sister's hurt," he said.
I was stunned, completely blindsided by his words.
Finley nodded obediently, going along with it without protest.
"Yeah, I get it. It was my fault," he said, sounding all apologetic.
The officer gave him a little lecture, reminding him to keep his cool next time.
Then he patted my shoulder, trying to comfort me.
He said gently, "Come on, sweetheart, just forgive your brother, okay?
"Family's family. Even if you wanna go the legal route, it's not that easy..."
He kept talking, but I couldn't really hear him anymore.
But I couldn't really hear him anymore.
Yeah, even if I called the cops, what good would it do?
I could hire a lawyer and try to sue Finley.
But what chance did I really have of winning?
He never hit me, never cursed me out.
Sure, he stole my house and fired me without even asking, but none of that was actually illegal.
But none of that was actually against the law...
In the end, I had no choice but to go home with Finley, feeling completely defeated.
He looked pretty relieved, kept trying to calm me down the whole way home.
Finley said, "Maddison, you haven't been home these past few years, so you wouldn't know. Mom's sick.
"She's got Alzheimer's. Soon, she won't even recognize us.
"I'm begging you, as your brother. Just let it go, for her, okay?"
I kept silent, stone-faced, just gazing out the window, refusing to let any emotion show.
Whatever Finley kept saying, I just tuned it all out. None of it registered with me at all.
When we got home, I got out of the car first, not waiting for anyone else.
I shoved open the front door and headed straight for my bedroom, not even glancing back.
But I never expected my room had been turned into a shrine for Tollie.
No, to be exact, it was a full-on memorial hall for that mutt.