Chapter 3 - The Threat
By Monday evening, the public shame had driven my family to desperation. They weren't sorry for what they had done to Willa; they were angry that they were facing consequences.
A heavy knock sounded on my front door at 8:00 PM. I looked through the peephole and saw my father standing on the porch, flanked by Truitt and Desmond. I locked Willa in her bedroom with her tablet and headphones before opening the door just a crack, keeping the security chain fastened.
"Open the door, Evelyn," my father said. His voice was low and gravelly, the same voice that used to make me freeze as a teenager. "We are going to settle this as a family."
"We aren't a family anymore, Dad," I said through the gap. "You sat there and looked at your plate while your son humiliated my daughter. You didn't say a single word."
"You are destroying this family over a childish prank!" Desmond shouted from behind him. "My boss called me into HR today! They saw the post. They said if my name is tied to public cyberbullying and child mistreatment, it violates my contract. I could lose my job, Evelyn! Do you want your own brother to starve?"
"You didn't care if Willa starved at that table," I replied, my voice steady, though my heart was hammering against my ribs. "You snorted. You laughed."
Truitt stepped forward, his face twisted in a sneer. "Listen to me, you miserable divorcee. If you don't take that post down tonight, I’m going to call your ex-husband. I’ll fund his custody lawyer myself. We’ll tell the judge that you are mentally unstable, that you're using social media to alienate your child from her extended family. We will take Willa away from you."
The threat hung in the cold night air. A year ago, that threat would have broken me. But looking at Truitt, I realized he was nothing but a cowardly bully who hid behind a golden-boy facade.
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"Go ahead and call him, Truitt," I whispered. "My ex-husband hasn't paid child support in three years, and the court knows it. And if you ever threaten my daughter again, I’ll take the security camera footage from this porch and post that too. Get off my property before I call the police."
I slammed the door and locked it.
