I can’t even call Damien for help.
“I know your brother didn’t do this. He’s not that fucking stupid!” Edgar’s anger was off the charts.
“You ruined our home!” My mother was trying to match his rage—and she was obviously past the point of crying about it.
“Then throw me out.” Jenny was still defiant. “Then you’ll never have to see me again—just like Damien.”
“You’ll be leaving Sinn Manor soon enough.” Edgar’s voice sounded like gravel. “But you sure as fuck won’t be going anywhere tonight.”
“What does that mean?” Jenny’s voice echoed with concern.
“I was going to wait a few days to tell you this but fuck it.” Edgar exhaled sharply. “Next weekend, there will be a wedding—maybe not here after what you’ve done…”
What does Edgar’s surprise for my mother have to do with Jenny? Is he just keeping her around until then?
“Are you already tired of your new wife?” Jenny scoffed. “That didn’t take long.”
“No, Jenny.” Edgar’s voice evened out. “We’re not the ones getting married—you are.”
“What?” Jenny’s voice echoed with shock. “Like hell, I am! I’m only seventeen years old! I haven’t even graduated high school yet!”
He’s just messing with her, right? Damien said he likes to play mind games…
“All it takes is a signature, Jenny. I tried to convince Leigh to consider it when she was your age.” My mother sighed.
That—is true…
“Yeah? What about the part where I have to say I do.” Jenny laughed—but there wasn’t much humor in it.
“It really doesn’t matter. There will be plenty of witnesses to swear that you were the happiest bride to ever put on a white dress.” The anger returned to Edgar’s voice. “Martinez, please escort Jenny to her room—and lock the fucking door.”
Oh my god, this doesn’t sound like an idle threat. He is—serious?
Jenny started trying to argue, and I heard a scuffle. I looked around for something that I could use as a weapon if necessary—but then I saw her being dragged towards the stairs. I made a split-second decision to retreat to my room instead of trying to intervene. She wasn’t in immediate danger, and it would be better if they didn’t know that I overheard their conversation. Martinez dragged Jenny all the way to her room and slammed the door. I assumed it was locked because she started pounding on it as soon as he walked away. I barricaded my door just to be safe—not that it would have done much if Martinez wanted to open it.
I sat on the edge
of my bed and tried to process what I had just heard. Was that Edgar’s plan—to force Jenny to get married? Was my mother really going along with something like that? I knew my mother was desperate to have the kind of life she always wanted, but I thought there was still some moral decency inside of her. I had been trying to save her from Edgar, but she didn’t sound like a woman who needed a saving—she sounded supportive of his decision. I wanted to believe in her—but my faith had finally wavered.
Was all of this for nothing? Damien is in jail. Jenny is in more danger than I ever realized. I don’t think I can fix any of it…
I didn’t want to spend the night at Sinn Manor, but I wasn’t sure I had much of a choice. There was still a commotion downstairs. I couldn’t just pack my bags and leave. It would be too suspicious, and I might just end up with a lock on my door to match the one that was keeping Jenny confined to her room. The best thing I could do was stay calm, pretend like everything was okay, and escape on Monday morning when it was time for me to go to work. I was done snooping. There was nothing on Edgar’s computer that would incriminate him.
I turned off the lights in my room and laid down in bed. The entire situation felt hopeless. I was emotionally drained, and the only thing I had left were tears. They streamed down my face until I started sobbing, and I buried my face in my pillow. I couldn’t save my mother. I couldn’t save Jenny. I called Damien for help, and he ended up being led away from Sinn Manor in handcuffs. We all needed a miracle, and that wasn’t something that could be conjured out of thin air—the only thing I seemed to find was despair at every turn.
Maybe it’s time to give up on all of this and try to figure out how to pick up the pieces of what I have left…
I didn’t feel any better about my situation when I woke up the next morning. My brain felt like it was exhausted, but my thoughts wouldn’t stop spinning... I dozed, tossed, turned, and stared at the ceiling for most of the night. The few minutes of actual sleep I did get weren’t very restful. The only thing I could do was get up and face the world in front of me. I took a shower and stood under the water until it started to get cold. After I got dressed, I removed the barricade from my door and surveyed the scene. The house looked even worse than I remembered. I didn’t hear anyone in the house—there was no sign of Pennington or Martinez. I made my way downstairs and heard someone in the kitchen. I was terrified of running into Edgar, but when I peeked around the corner, I saw my mother. She turned towards me before I had a chance to head back upstairs.
“Do you want some breakfast?” My mother’s tone was so cheerful it was almost disgusting.
“No, I’m okay.” I shook my head back and forth as I walked around the corner. “Where’s Edgar?”
“He went to meet with a contractor.” She poured a cup of coffee and sat down at the table. “It’s going to take a lot of work to get this place fixed up again after Jenny’s little temper tantrum.”
“Yeah…” I nodded and poured a cup of coffee for myself.
“Where were you anyway?” She tilted her head to the side.