Nicole, emboldened by the spectacle, lashed out at me with renewed fury. "She’s lying! My sister-in-law just wants to smear my name and keep the money for herself. She even threatened me with a knife!"
Her lies flowed effortlessly, her face the perfect mask of innocence.
I knew her accusations were baseless, but what did the truth matter in this house?
Nicole, seeing her dramatics losing momentum, stormed off to her room in mock outrage, slamming the door behind her.
My husband sighed heavily, as though the weight of the world rested on his shoulders and stepped out onto the balcony to smoke.
"That’s enough," he muttered, smoke curling from his lips. "Nicole is just a child. Can’t you just give her some money and let it go?"
I shot him a glare, the icy fury in my eyes unrelenting.
"Eli, how much is your salary this month?" I asked sharply. "Why don’t you hand it over to your precious sister, then?"
His face darkened instantly.
I had hit a sore spot. He knew his salary barely covered anything; it was my earnings that had propped up this household for years. Yet, here he was, chastising me while protecting Nicole.
We stood there in the living room, glaring at one another, the tension suffocating. Neither of us was willing to back down.
From upstairs, a sudden, shrill cry shattered the silence. "Ah, Nicole! What will happen to your mother if you die?!"
I frowned, the sharpness of her mother’s voice jarring me from my thoughts. What now?
Nicole had gone to the extreme. She had taken pills in a bid for attention and her act plunged the house into chaos.
I stood there, my face darkened with suppressed anger, as my mother-in-law shrieked and rushed to her side.
At the hospital, the hysterics continued.
My mother-in-law cried loudly enough to shake the walls, pointing her finger at me in condemnation. "It’s all your fault! You wronged her and now she’s like this!"
She even pretended to call the police, bellowing to anyone who would listen that I was a murderer.
By this point, the neighbors had gathered, drawn out of their homes by the noise. Seeing the audience grow, my mother-in-law's performance became even more theatrical.
She clung to one of her old friends, sobbing dramatically. "Skylar pushed her to this! Call the police—she needs to pay for what she’s done!"