Chapter 5
I stopped doing any shopping for the house. From now on, I only bought food and items for myself.
I made meals just for me, and only did my own laundry.
I ignored the mess in the living room. Even when the trash was full, I wouldn't touch it unless I had filled it myself.
It didn't take long before Danny's finances started to nosedive. His private funds couldn't keep up with Claire's family visiting every week.
He looked worse, with darker shadows under his eyes.
On weekdays, our dinners had shrunk from lavish spreads to a simple plate of pasta.
He finally couldn't take it anymore.
One night, he tentatively voiced his complaint. "Harper, this can't keep going. My money just isn't enough. They come every week, and the food costs too much."
I was lounging with a face mask on, book in hand. When he spoke, I didn't even bother to look up.
Calmly, I said, "Really? Didn't you say it's no big deal? It's just a little cash for the family, right? Why are you stressing out now?
"Look at you, always so generous to your sister. If your mom found out, she'd probably call you the perfect son."
Every word I spoke was sharp, leaving Danny speechless.
His face turned pale, lips twitching for a long while, but he finally hung his head in defeat, unable to utter a word in reply.
He realized that the version of me who once let him smooth things over with half-measures was gone.
Being the nice guy was turning into a role he just couldn't pull off anymore.
Whitley also sensed something was off.
She realized I wasn't making things easy for her anymore, so she began bombarding me with calls.
This time, she wasn't yelling her head off. Instead, she switched tactics, dropping hints and subtle reminders to try to guilt-trip me.
She said, "Harper, I heard Danny is running low on cash. You two need to stick together as a couple. You're in charge of the money, but don't be too strict with him, or he might get upset.
"You're just too stubborn about money. Being a happy family is more important than anything else, right?"
I didn't bother responding to any of her guilt-tripping.
If she persisted, I would even hang up the phone.
After a few times, she finally gave up trying, but I knew that, given her nature, she would never let it end.
I knew a bigger storm was coming.
I'd hit my limit with Danny's behavior and his family's greed.
This family was leaving me more exhausted than I'd ever felt before.
Whitley's revenge came faster and more insidiously than I had anticipated.
When force and persuasion both failed, she started a carefully plotted scheme.
She started spreading all sorts of juicy rumors about me among the relatives, in countless versions.
She said I was being mean to Danny, taking his salary and only giving him 100 dollars a month, so he couldn't even treat his coworkers to a meal.
She also said I was rude and that I hadn't visited her since our last fight and didn't even make a single holiday call.
The most ridiculous version painted me as a domineering person. She said I hated Claire and forced Danny to cut ties.
Suddenly, the Simmons family saw me as a villain.
Even my parents, back home, got calls from distant relatives complaining about me.
My parents called, sounding worried and wanting to know what was happening.
I didn't hide anything, nor exaggerate; I calmly told them the entire story.
I said, "I haven't done anything wrong. I just want to protect my family and set up some boundaries for us. If even that's considered wrong, then I really have nothing else to say."
After hearing me out, my parents were silent for a long time. Finally, they said, "Harper, do whatever you think is right. We've got your back."
Having my parents' support made me feel a little better, but I never imagined Whitley's schemes would go even further than that.
She actually called my boss.
She called the director of the Marketing Department, acting like a worried family member, and complained that I couldn't handle my family drama, had major personal issues, and was always in a bad mood.
She said it might mess up my work or even make the company look bad.
The call hit like a bomb, setting the office into chaos.
My coworkers started giving me weird looks; some felt sorry for me, some were just nosy, but most of them looked like they were enjoying the drama and waiting to see what would happen next.
The director called me in for a talk. He tried to be polite about it, but the message was obvious. I needed to get my "family stuff" under control and not let it mess with my job.
Those few days were incredibly stressful.
The constant scrutiny at work and family gossip felt like huge burdens, almost suffocating me.