I am in a wheelchair and have difficulty moving around. I am worried that Jeremiah might do something to hurt me.
Panic shook my head as I whispered, “It wasn’t me. I swear it wasn’t me…”
Margaret, tears streaming down, said softly, “Let’s just say Lainey is always right. Brother Jeremiah, please don’t make things harder for her. Maybe she just doesn’t like me…”
Jeremiah said nothing, his expression dark as he carried Margaret away for treatment.
That night, he returned with a kettle of boiling water and stepped into my room. Without a shred of mercy, he poured the scalding water over me.
The 90-degree burn jolted me awake. I tried to crawl away, terrified.
But with my legs powerless, no matter where I fled, Jeremiah followed, pouring again and again.
Exhausted, I finally collapsed, my skin blistering and peeling, raw and broken.
When he finally left, I dialed for help through the searing pain.
When the ambulance arrived, I dragged myself from the bedroom to the stairs, only to hear the man downstairs telling the medics, “This is just a misunderstanding. My wife and I were playing around. Who knew she’d be so dramatic and accidentally called you? Sorry for the trouble.”
Although I no longer had any expectations of Jeremiah, I still felt disappointed when I heard him say that.
When I woke, I found myself locked in the basement. Jeremiah came to see me.
“If you’re willing to go apologize to Margaret, I’ll let you out,” he said.“You know, she donated a kidney to me and is my lifesaver. You should be more considerate."
I was a little confused. When did Margaret also donate a kidney to Jeremiah?
But the pain of the burn and the fatigue of being locked in the basement quickly distracted me.
My eyes were hollow, and I nodded. “Okay.”
Once released, I forced out a sincere apology to Margaret. Jeremiah, satisfied with my compliance, kindly allowed me to be sent to the hospital.
After waking from surgery, I reached for the phone beside me and made a call.
It was answered quickly, and I choked out, “Brother, can you come pick me up in four days?”
“As long as you want, I can come tomorrow, no, I can come get you right now and take you home!”
"No, wait a little longer. I still have some things to check. I suspect the car accident that happened to me and my parents wasn't that simple. Give me another four days."