The Line She Crossed, The Line He Refused to Draw

Synopsis

The company let us out early, so I headed home, only to walk in on my mother-in-law Monica Carter washing her socks in my bathroom sink. The persistent, burning itch on my face these past few days suddenly made sense. Her filthy socks soaked right there in my sink. I swallowed down the rising nausea. "Monica, that's my sink. How could you use it for your socks?" Not a single flicker of guilt crossed her face. She barked, "Everything in this house belongs to my son. I'll use whatever I want." That was when I snapped. We shouted at each other, and my husband Ben Carter immediately took her side. "So she used your sink. We're family. Must you really be this petty?" His blind loyalty only emboldened her. She grabbed my face towel and wiped her hands on it. That was why a fungal infection broke out across my face, leaving it red, swollen, and a complete mess. I'd had enough. I slapped her. My father-in-law Larry Carter roared that I'd committed an unforgivable outrage, yelling at Ben to beat me within an inch of my life. My sister-in-law Jenny Carter chimed in, saying if he wouldn't do it, she would. Then Ben's palm struck hard. I was sent flying from the living room all the way to the balcony. I lost my footing and fell. When I opened my eyes again, I was back in time, right before Monica touched my sink. This time around, I was determined to make her whole family experience every bit of the misery I endured before.