Part 16
"Ethan, get Chloe!" I screamed, the maternal instinct overriding every ounce of fear in my body.
Before Ethan could even grab our daughter, I was already moving. I threw open the front door, rushing out into the freezing air without a coat, my boots crunching violently against the packed snow. I couldn't let her do this. I couldn't let her walk up to my home, look at my daughter, and threaten the life I had bled to create.
"Madison!" I roared, my voice echoing down the quiet suburban street.
She stopped. Slowly, she turned around, leaning heavily on her cane, a sickening smirk playing on her thin lips. "Well, look at you. The high and mighty Emily. You finally decided to come out of your little castle."
I stopped about ten feet away from her, my chest heaving, the cold air burning my lungs. Up close, she looked terrible. The prison years had aged her by decades. Her hair was thin and brittle, and there was a desperate, feral energy radiating from her. But beneath the decay, the bully I had feared my entire childhood was still there.
"Get away from my house," I said, my voice dropping to a deadly, lethal whisper. "Get away from my daughter. If you ever come near her again, I swear to God, Madison, I will end you."
Madison laughed, a harsh, dry sound that turned into a coughing fit. "You? End me? You’re still the same pathetic little girl who used to hide in the closet crying while Dad yelled. You think you’re safe here? You think this perfect little life erases what you did to us?"
"I didn't do anything to you!" I yelled, tears of rage springing to my eyes. "You and Dad and Mom did this to yourselves! You abused me for years, Madison! You watched him beat me and you laughed! You stole my life!"
"You put us in cages!" she screamed back, her face suddenly twisting into a mask of pure, unadulterated hatred. The smirk vanished, replaced by a terrifying rage. "Dad died alone in a hospital bed because of you! Mom died in a filthy room, begging for a dime, because you wouldn't give her a single cent! And look at me! Look at my leg! I got stomped in a prison yard because I was the daughter of a monster you exposed to the world!"
She took a limping step toward me, raising her heavy wooden cane, pointing it at my chest like a weapon. "You took everything from me, Emily. Everything. You think you get to just walk away and have a beautiful daughter and a handsome husband and a nice house while I rot? No. It doesn't work that way. I'm going to take everything from you, piece by piece, starting with that little girl."
A heavy hand landed on my shoulder, pulling me back. Ethan stepped in front of me, his massive frame completely shielding me from her. His face was like granite.
"If you don't turn around and walk away right now," Ethan said, his voice vibrationally deep and dangerous, "I won't wait for the police. I will personally ensure you never walk again. Do you understand me?"
Madison looked at Ethan, her eyes narrowing. She saw the absolute lack of fear in his eyes, the raw protective instinct of a father and husband. She knew she couldn't beat him physically.
May you like
She let out a soft, venomous hiss. "Enjoy your little family while it lasts, Ethan. Houses can burn down very easily. Especially in the winter."
She turned around, dragging her bad leg behind her, and disappeared around the corner of the block just as the distant wail of police sirens began to echo in the distance. Marcus had called them the moment I ran out the door. But by the time the flashing blue and red lights pulled into our driveway, Madison was gone into the white abyss of the afternoon snow.
