At Daniel’s and my engagement party, a banner hung right in the middle of the room, screaming, “Homewrecker Takes Over!” My name on it was crossed out, replaced with a scrawled, ugly “Bitch.” Before I could even get angry, Daniel calmly spoke, trying to soothe me. “He’s just a kid who likes to play pranks. Don’t let it get to you.” Yes, Daniel had a son who loved to play pranks, so much so that we hadn’t been able to finalize our wedding for three years. I shoved Daniel aside, grabbed Fitzgerald by the collar. “Wipe it off! And I mean *lick it clean* if you have to!” Fitzgerald immediately burst into tears. Daniel’s face hardened as he strode over, pulling the child into his arms. “Alice, he’s just a child! Is this really worth getting so worked up over?” Before I could reply, a woman’s voice drifted in from the doorway. “Being a stepmom is tough, isn’t it, Alice? Didn’t you know that before?” The crowd automatically parted for her. My face darkened as I turned to Daniel. “She’s back?” A flicker of embarrassment crossed Daniel’s face. He nodded. “She’s been back for two months.” Two months. Daniel hadn’t said a single word to me about it. No wonder he’d been working late so often these past two months. And each time he came home, he carried a faint, sweet scent. I clenched my fists tightly, forcing myself to stand steady. Scarlett, with a familiar ease, took Fitzgerald from Daniel’s arms and greeted me with a smile. “Hello, I’m Scarlett Reed.” “Daniel’s ex-girlfriend, and Fitzgerald’s biological mother.” The entire ballroom fell silent. The story of Daniel and Scarlett, falling in love and having a child at eighteen, was always the dirty little secret no one in our circles dared to mention. No one dared cross the Miller family. After all, they had spun a story that Fitzgerald was Daniel’s younger brother to hide the scandal. Everyone just gossiped behind closed doors. Now, Scarlett, who’d vanished for six years, was back. And the drama was finally out in the open for everyone to feast their eyes on. “Mommy! I hate this woman!” “I don’t want her to marry Daddy! I don’t want to call her Mom!” Fitzgerald, in Scarlett’s arms, pointed at me, his mouth going non-stop. Seeing the “family” of three standing opposite me, I couldn’t keep my composure any longer. Daniel’s face instantly darkened too. He pulled Fitzgerald from Scarlett’s arms and brought him over to me. “Who taught you to talk like that?” “Apologize to Aunt Alice, now!” Daniel frowned, feigning anger as he barked at Fitzgerald. But everyone present could hear that his words were just meant to scare the child. Fitzgerald knew it too. So he cried, shaking his head. “I won’t apologize.” “Daddy, everyone says this woman is only marrying you for the Miller family’s money!” “Daddy, Mommy’s back, why can’t you marry Mommy?!” Daniel frowned, gently scolding him. “Stop it, apologize to Aunt Alice.” “I won’t!” “I hate you!” Suddenly, Fitzgerald pulled out a small pair of scissors from somewhere and slashed my wrist. Blood dripped steadily, and the entire room erupted into chaos. I pressed on the wound, looking up at Daniel. “Daniel, you can only keep one of us: me or him.” A collective gasp went through the room. “Alice, you’re putting me in an impossible position.” Daniel stood there, composed and aloof amidst the crowd, but his feet didn’t move an inch towards me. I continued. “Daniel, you have seven days. If I don’t get an answer within seven days, the engagement is off. And for this injury, I’ll make sure they pay back double!” My gaze landed on Scarlett and Fitzgerald. Scarlett instinctively recoiled behind Daniel, a victor’s challenge in her eyes. Daniel remained indifferent, his gaze cold. “Alice, you know I hate being threatened.” Mrs. Davis, the housekeeper, pulled me upstairs to bandage my wound, her face full of concern. “Just some childish antics, nothing to worry about.” Behind me, Daniel, as always, cleaned up the mess. That word, “antics,” seared itself into my heart. Scarlett held Fitzgerald, gently cooing. “Don’t be scared, Fitzgerald, I won’t let anyone hurt you.” Those words, clearly meant for me, pierced my ears. A chill crept up from my feet to the top of my head, freezing my heart and veins. Six years. All I got in return was being called “childish antics.” “Alice, don’t listen to them.” Mrs. Davis pulled me, quickening her pace. “I watched Daniel grow up; he likes you. That Scarlett, she’s not even fit to tie your shoelaces!” But Mrs. Davis’s words simply wouldn’t reach my heart. Daniel, in that moment, seemed utterly dead to me. I didn’t want him anymore. 2 “Alice, listen to me. Daniel is just confused by Scarlett right now. When he comes to his senses, he’ll come back to you.” Downstairs, Fitzgerald’s laughter and calls of “Daddy, Mommy” were grating. “Mrs. Davis, I’m tired.” Mrs. Davis hesitated, then sighed, told me to rest, and left. In the dark room, I sat on the edge of the bed, tears silently falling. I lost my parents young and grew up in Europe with my grandfather. Six years ago, I returned to the States for the first time. Grandpa always had my uncle take me out to see the world. The first party I ever attended was a celebration for baby Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was held by his nanny, a fair-skinned, adorable little boy, charming everyone. I didn’t particularly like children, but even I found myself looking at him a few times. But to my surprise, he tugged on my sleeve and wouldn’t let go. “It seems the young master really likes Miss Alice.” That one sentence drew agreement from countless guests. Back then, everyone just thought I was a distant relative of the Thompson family, so they naturally tried to butter me up a bit. Later, I often visited the Millers for Fitzgerald’s sake and learned about Daniel and Scarlett. They fell in love young and grew up together. Even when Scarlett’s family, the Reeds, fell on hard times, the Miller family never officially called off the expected engagement. But after the young lovers’ forbidden tryst resulted in an unplanned pregnancy and a child, eighteen-year-old Scarlett took one look at the newborn and simply ran. That hit Daniel like a ton of bricks. From then on, Daniel’s personality completely changed. Arrogance and coldness became his defining traits. It was then that I became interested in Daniel. Even though Grandpa objected multiple times, I insisted on hiding my true identity and getting involved with the Miller family. I watched Fitzgerald grow up. Until he was three, he was attached to no one but me. But then, two years ago, everything changed. After Scarlett’s first brief return and interaction with Fitzgerald, he was like a different child. The endless pranks started then and never stopped. Yet, I always remembered the cute, clingy Fitzgerald from his early childhood, and I kept hoping he would change. Now I knew, no matter how good I was to him, it wouldn’t change the fact that I was an outsider. If two years ago it was Fitzgerald who changed, then now, it was Daniel. The party downstairs finally broke up at eleven. “Daniel, I want to stay here tonight.” Scarlett’s voice, sticky with a hint of alcohol, came from outside the door. Daniel didn’t respond, but he glanced up at my tightly shut door, an inexplicable irritation rising within him. “Daniel, are you really going to marry Alice?” “Back then, I was rebellious and disobedient, a real pain in your mother’s neck. So after I left, she picked you a docile, well-behaved girl like Alice, didn’t she?” “Daniel, do you truly love her?” Listening to their conversation outside, my chest involuntarily tightened. I didn’t hear Daniel’s answer. I closed my eyes. Darkness surged towards me from all sides, the sorrow almost suffocating me. I don’t know how long passed before silence returned outside the door. I stared at the number on my phone, and after a night of painful reflection, I called my uncle, Robert. “I want to go back to Europe.” He asked a few anxious questions, but seeing my lack of enthusiasm, he didn’t press further. “But before I leave, there’s a mess I need to clean up myself.” I stared at the ultrasound scan in the drawer, lost in thought. 3 This was Daniel’s and my first child, my most precious gift. But now, she was coming at the wrong time. The next morning, as I went downstairs, I saw a picture of a happy family of three. Scarlett had stayed the night. My steps felt leaden, heavy with dread. It seemed seven days wouldn’t even be necessary. “Alice, come join us for breakfast!” “Fitzgerald hurt you yesterday, and I feel terrible about it, so I woke up early to stew some tonics for you. We’re big on health drinks here. Not sure if you’re used to them.” Scarlett enthusiastically waved me over, serving a bowl of soup. I glanced at it, then pushed it away. “I’m not eating.” Daniel’s hand, turning the newspaper, paused. He looked up at me. “I asked Mrs. Davis to make you your favorite dishes.” “What happened yesterday was Fitzgerald’s fault, and I’ve already punished him severely.” Punished? Daniel, who doted on his son so much, when had he ever punished Fitzgerald? I remembered the first time we planned to get married: Fitzgerald stuffed timed firecrackers into my car tires. That time, I flipped the car, ending up in the hospital for a month. Daniel merely brought Fitzgerald to apologize and peeled an apple. Then Fitzgerald ended up eating the apple himself. Back then, I easily forgave Fitzgerald. But later, his pranks escalated, and I was practically worn out, my patience gone. Each time, Daniel would just say, “Fitzgerald is still young, he needs guidance. As parents, we need to be patient and encouraging.” “Alice, I’ll punish him for you.” But I never saw it happen. “Tomorrow, we’ll get married.” Daniel was trying to soothe me with just a few words again. But this time, it was useless. Beside him, Scarlett’s spoon clattered to the floor, the sharp sound echoing. Scarlett’s resentful gaze shifted back and forth between Daniel and me. Fitzgerald had already left for school, otherwise, he’d be the one causing a scene right now. “No.” “Daniel, I’m not going to marry you.” Daniel lowered his newspaper, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. “Alice, don’t be dramatic.” “It’s meaningless to make such a fuss over something so trivial.” Daniel remained calm, as if all this trouble was simply because I was being too dramatic. But for two years, Fitzgerald’s hurtful pranks—he treated them all as jokes. My endless patience, he didn’t see. My heartbreak, he didn’t care about. “When you cool down, we can talk.” Daniel abruptly stood up, the draft from his clothes brushing my hand, cold and distant. In the afternoon, Fitzgerald came back from school. I don’t know what Scarlett told him, but he started a rampage. First, he ripped out all my potted plants. Then he strangled my kitten. And finally, he lined up my pet goldfish, one by one, on the table. Fitzgerald looked at me defiantly. “Aunt Alice, I heard Daddy’s going to marry you again.” “These are my presents for you. Do you like them?” I stifled my rage, letting my nails dig into my palms. But when I saw my wedding dress, shredded by scissors, I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Fitzgerald! Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson!” I kicked away my chair, grabbed Fitzgerald, and marched straight for the fish pond. Behind me, Scarlett cried out Daniel’s name, but Fitzgerald was already in the pond. “Mommy! Help me!” Watching Fitzgerald thrash in the water, I grabbed Scarlett’s neck and pulled her closer. “Want to save your son?” “Then join him.” With that, I kicked her into the fish pond and turned the water hose on full blast into the pond. “What are you doing!” “Alice.” “Are you trying to kill them?”
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