Chapter 4
Just after the memorial, my eyes still puffy from crying, Mary's call rang in.
"Elsie, do you even care about your family? Everyone's already here, and we're all waiting on you! Typical, the country girl has no sense of manners whatsoever!"
Her harsh words echoed in my ears.
Before I could even react, Kyle snatched the phone right out of my hand.
He put it on speaker, let out a cold laugh, and fired back, "So what if she's a country girl? Did you raise her? My wife isn't yours to boss around. Is this your idea of manners, Ms. Johnston? Shouting insults over the phone? If that's how the Johnston family behaves, I'm not impressed."
With that, he hung up and switched off the phone.
The world went quiet.
The only thing left was the wind whispering through the grass beside the gravestones.
I stared at him in a daze, not knowing what to say.
He pressed the phone back into my hand, locking eyes with me, his tone more serious than I'd ever heard. "Elsie, remember this. You don't owe Vivian anything."
My heart gave a sudden jolt.
How did he even know that?
"Do you really think your parents would rest in peace just because you keep putting up with everything, always giving in?" Kyle's voice was low and serious. "If they knew the daughter they treasured most was suffering like this, they'd be heartbroken."
Suddenly, tears started streaming down my face.
His words pierced right through the walls I'd built, exposing all the lies I'd been telling myself.
Everyone thought I was weak, easy to take advantage of.
But they were wrong.
I never cared about the Johnston family's so-called family bonds, or whatever Vivian stole from me.
What mattered to me was my adopted parents. They gave me the purest love anyone could ever have.
But the moment I found out Vivian was their real daughter, I couldn't help but wonder if they were still around, they'd probably shower her with love, maybe even more than they ever gave me.
But now that they were gone, I'd love Vivian in their place.
So I backed off and stayed quiet.
It wasn't about being weak. It was because I grew up wrapped in so much love, and I wanted to pass that on to Vivian.
That night, my real older brother, Charles, called, sounding as impatient and critical as ever.
"So you're getting gutsy now, huh? Mom just said you were late, and you let Kyle talk back to her like that? You think just because you married into the Sullivans..."
Kyle grabbed the phone and cut him off before he could finish. "Yeah, she married me, and now she's got guts. Got a problem with that? If you want to boss someone around, you better make sure you're even qualified."
He hung up again without hesitation and switched off the phone.
He set the phone down on the table and turned to face me.
"Elsie Shaw," he said, using my full name for the first time. His voice was gentle, but there was a kind of tough love in it. "From now on, you need to learn one thing...
"Don't let anything hurt you. Stand up for yourself.
"No matter what it is, or who tries."
I looked up at him, my eyes brimming with tears. A rebellious thought, mixed with hurt and a spark of newfound courage, slipped out before I could stop it.
"Does that include you?" I asked.
He paused for a moment, then a faint, unwavering smile slowly curved his lips.
"Of course," he said.
"If one day I ever hurt you, don't hesitate to push me away."
Was it my heart that fluttered in that moment? Or his?