Chapter 3

Only then did Ervin let go of me. Barbara was already heading toward the inner room, and panic shot through me.

"Barbara, come out."

I screamed it.

Ervin kicked me again, glaring, cold.

Out of options, I slammed my head into the corner of the table. Blood welled up, and when I saw Barbara rush toward me, something in me finally settled.

No one had seen it coming. Ervin and the rest of them froze.

I used those seconds to call the police.

The way Ervin's eyes had looked while he was choking me, it was terrifying, ice-cold.

He'd truly meant to strangle me to death.

In that moment he'd been like a different person, nothing like the Ervin I knew.

That wasn't normal. When something goes this wrong, there's a reason behind it.

Right now, the police had to be brought in.

Then I'd have my chance to tell Barbara the truth.

The instant the call connected I put it on speaker on purpose, a warning to Ervin and the others that I'd already called it in.

That was when they finally caught on. Ervin lunged first, grabbing for my phone.

But I'd already given the address. His face went dark enough to drip, and he turned away, cold-faced.

"Shame on this house, shame on this house." Walter's face was ashen. "A wife calling the police to have her own husband arrested. No sense of disgrace at all."

Ervin shot me a vicious look and turned into Jerome's room.

Melissa glanced at me, then followed him in.

Crying, Barbara worked at cleaning my wound.

"Mom, why?"

"Don't ask right now. But you have to trust me. Everything I'm doing is for your sake."

Barbara nodded, good girl that she was, and went back to tending the cut.

She'd just finished when Melissa came running out.

"I'll kill you, I'll kill you." She screamed it, charging at Barbara.

The sudden turn drained the color from Barbara's face. She had no idea what was happening. Neither did I.

I couldn't fathom why Melissa had suddenly gone mad.

"The police are here, they'll handle it, calm down." Ervin stepped up and caught Melissa in his arms.

His eyes swung to Barbara and me, cold enough to freeze the blood. "The police are already downstairs. Let's see how the two of you explain yourselves now."

"Dad, I don't understand what you're saying." Barbara stared at Ervin.

Barbara didn't understand. Neither did I.

He was the one who'd tried to strangle me. I was the one who'd called the police. What was he getting at now?

Something felt off, like something bad was about to happen.

And right then came a knock at the door.