Chapter 6
I ended up staying with the Lewis Family.
I just followed along behind Mom, Ryan, and Ethan all the way to Capital City.
The Lewis Manor was massive, seriously, it looked like something out of a fairy tale, like a real-life castle.
There were a bunch of framed photos in the living room, all of them showing the same beautiful woman.
In some, she was playing the piano; in others, she was painting.
Next to the photos were a bunch of trophies and medals.
There was also a photo of her holding a little boy, maybe one or two years old.
Standing next to her was a man, looking down at her and the boy with a soft, caring look.
He was just as handsome as Ryan.
I looked at the woman in the photo, and she was smiling at me, too.
Her skin was flawless, and when she smiled, it was like the sun itself was shining.
She was even more beautiful than those TV celebrities I used to sneak peeks at back in the village.
She looked so much like Mom, and yet not really.
Mom's face and hands looked exactly like mine.
They were sallow and rough and covered in scars.
But the woman in the photo looked nothing like us.
I couldn't help but stare at that photo, sneaking a few more glances.
Suddenly, I heard Mom crying quietly, her sobs barely audible.
Ryan said something in a low, harsh voice to the maid, and she hurried to put the photos away.
Later that evening, the man from the photo came over.
When Lucas Grant arrived, Ryan was having dinner with Mom, while Ethan was playing video games on the couch.
I was in the kitchen, wiping the floor, when I suddenly heard a loud, emotional voice coming from the living room.
It sounded like Mom, her voice was shaking, full of sobs she couldn't control.
I peeked out cautiously.
Just then, I saw Mom grab a porcelain bowl and smash it right on Lucas' forehead.
Blood streamed down Lucas' forehead, and his eyes reddened with fury.
He looked at Mom with grief in his eyes and spoke to her.
"Emily, no matter what you've been through, and no matter how much you've changed, I'm still your husband.
"And Ethan is still our son."
Mom tried to hit him again, wanting to drive him away, but Ryan held her back.
Her eyes blazed with fury as she kept shaking her head, almost losing control.
Mom cried out. "No, I don't want anything to do with you anymore. Get out!"
Ethan was crying his eyes out as he rushed over and hugged Mom tightly.
Ethan couldn't hold back his tears, and his voice broke as he begged her.
He choked out, "Mom, Dad and I have been waiting for you all this time.
"Please don't drive Dad away. Please."
Mom's body shook harder and harder, her face twisting into something wild and unrecognizable.
The psychiatrist Ryan had brought over hurried forward, his voice urgent.
He said, "Ms. Lewis is in a very unstable state right now.
"Mr. Grant, you should come back another day."
Lucas' eyes were full of sorrow, but in the end, he could only turn and leave.
As he walked away, he was swaying, almost unable to stand upright.
Mom stared at his retreating figure, a single tear sliding down her cheek.
The doctor called Ryan over, and together they helped Mom upstairs to rest.
Only Ethan was left in the living room, crying so hard he was gasping for air.
Suddenly, something seemed to dawn on him.
He spun around and fixed his gaze on me, as I was hiding by the kitchen door.
I quickly pulled my head back, crouched down, and frantically kept wiping the floor.
He stormed into the kitchen, snatched the rag from my hand, and tossed it straight into the trash.
With his jaw clenched in anger, he gave me a rough shove.
I tumbled to the floor, my head smacking against the corner of the cabinet, and my brain started buzzing all over again.
I heard Ethan's voice, trembling with rage and tears.
He said, "It's all your fault. It's all your fault, all of you.
"Mom used to love me and Dad the most.
"Now she doesn't want Dad anymore, and she doesn't even want to hold me!"
He stormed over, crouched down, his eyes red and wild.
He reached out and started choking me, his grip tightening around my neck.
He said, "My sister should be like Sophie, not like you.
"Not someone as disgusting as you.
"Why don't you just die already?
"Why don't you and that guy just drop dead already?"