Golden Cage Mommy Mutiny (Elyse) novel Chapter 59

Chapter 7

My brother went to live with Grandma and Grandpa on Dad’s side, and Mom and Dad were the only

ones left at home.

The story of how I’d died locked in the washer had become the talk of the whole complex. The neighbors pointed and whispered whenever they saw my parents.

“Those are the ones who killed their own kid. I guess they really are two of a kind–look at how far they went to favor their son over their daughter.”

“At the end of the day, she was still their own flesh and blood. Kids choke on water all the time; how do you go from that to killing your daughter?”

“I honestly don’t know who they’re putting on this lost, broken act for.”

Mom and Dad clearly heard every word, but they didn’t react at all.

Like walking corpses, they shuffled back home and sat down on the couch, staying there until it was

dark.

I paced in circles beside them, frantic.

Mom and Dad need to eat!

Okay, okay, I forgive you, isn’t that enough? Please just eat something.

I talked and talked until my mouth felt dry, but Mom and Dad’s eyes stayed utterly blank.

They sat there from sunrise to sunset, and from sunset to sunrise again.

It wasn’t until my grandparents from Mom’s side suddenly showed up at the apartment that they finally moved.

Mom’s voice was hoarse. “Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?”

My grandma on Mom’s side looked at them, both anxious and furious. “How long are you planning to keep this up? Do you have any idea what people are saying about you out there?”

“Penny was the sweetest, most considerate child. She suffered so much while she was alive. Are you really going to make her worry about you even after she’s gone?”

Mom and Dad’s eyes flickered, turning red.

“This is our fault.”

“Penny would probably be glad to see us like this. We don’t deserve to be her parents. All we can do now is repent.”

No. Grandma was saying exactly what I wanted to say.

Chapter 7

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Grandma from Mom’s side was so angry she didn’t even know where to start; she just kept jabbing a finger toward Mom’s face.

Right as she drew breath to speak, Mom’s phone started ringing again.

Aunt Lisa’s impatient voice came through the speaker. “Didn’t you say you were bringing your daughter over to play with my son? He’s getting restless waiting for her!”

“Does your Jamie still want to see that holistic doctor or not?”

My grandparents from Mom’s side, plus Dad, all turned to stare at her in shock.

My grandpa on Mom’s side snatched the phone from her hand and slammed it to the floor.

“You knew perfectly well what kind of kid their son is. Did you forget Penny was so scared last time she had nightmares for a whole month?”

“And just so Jamie could see that doctor, you were actually going to send your own daughter over there to play?”

“How did I raise such a biased, play–favorites daughte?”

My grandma on Mom’s side slapped Mom hard across the face.

“You’re a woman yourself. How could you be this cruel to your own daughter?”

Dad’s lips moved. “Why didn’t you talk to me about any of this?”

Mom’s head snapped to the side from the force of the slap. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed, and then her emotions suddenly boiled over.

“Fine, it’s all my fault, okay? I’m awful, I’m biased, I treated my own daughter like garbage, is that what you want to hear?”

“But I had two kids and not one of you lifted a finger to help me. I was losing my mind trying to keep up with them. How was I supposed to make everyone happy all the time? You think I wanted things to turn out like this? She was my daughter too. She was my whole life!”

I stood there staring at Mom, stunned, watching he run crying into my bedroom.

Alister 7