Dad and Brother’s Regret After Mom Left

The day Dad’s hypnosis stopped working on Mom, she slit her wrists. I ran crying to find Dad. My brother just stood there laughing. "Sis is such a liar. That water's just red food coloring. She and Mom are putting on a show for you." Dad's face flipped from worried to furious. "How long are you going to keep this up?" "Vanessa's depression can't take any more stress. Are you trying to drive her to her grave?" "If you hadn't stolen her parents from her, if you hadn't drugged me and crawled into my bed pretending to be her, I never would have ended up with you." "Pull this act again and I'll throw you back to the slums!" My brother clapped his hands in delight. "Yes! I want Mom gone! I want Aunt Vanessa to be my new mommy!" Mom closed her eyes, all the life draining out of her body. I stood there, jaw clenched, watching Dad walk away with his arm around Vanessa Bennett. A cold, mechanical voice of my mother suddenly echoed in my mind: [Mission failed. Host will be terminated. Countdown: three days.] Dad wouldn’t even have the right to beg her on his knees anymore. Chapter 1 I threw myself on top of her, shaking her, crying so hard I couldn't breathe. "Mom... please don't go..." She looked at me. Her eyes were hollow, not a flicker of light left. I remembered when I was little, she wasn't like this. She used to smile, sing, hold me and tell me stories. But then Mom’s sister Vanessa came, and everything changed. Vanessa told Dad through tears that Mom had stolen the love of her foster parents. But Mom had only been cast out for years and was the real daughter, finally come home. Vanessa spread lies about her too. Said Mom was calculating and manipulative, that she'd drugged Dad to sleep her way into his life. Dad had grown up with Vanessa. He believed her. After that, he loved Mom and hated her in equal measure, constantly using hypnosis to test whether she truly loved him. The first time, he pretended to go bankrupt, a total collapse. Mom didn't leave. She hauled bricks at a construction site, washed dishes at a restaurant, worked herself to bleeding hands just to keep food on the table. Dad was satisfied. The second time he pretended to be disfigured. Third time, a terminal illness. Fourth time, a lowlife gangster. Fifth time, and on and on. Ninety-nine times. Each time, Mom fell in love with him all over again. Dad thought that was love. But Mom had told me once: her love used to be so full. Now it had been worn down to almost nothing. By the time Dad had broken her completely, she finally understood the truth. A system had been controlling her all along. She was on a mission to "redeem the villain." She was giving up. The water in the tub was ice cold, cold enough to terrify me. I choked back sobs and dialed 911. When Mom was lying in the hospital bed, Dad walked in, fresh from the office in a tailored suit, looking like he owned the world. Mom's face was white as paper. She pulled out a document. "Ethan. Sign it." Her voice was barely there, like speaking cost everything she had left. Dad took the separation agreement and glanced at it. His expression went flat. He tore it to pieces. "Miranda. What the hell is this?" "You want to leave me?" "Yes." She looked at him calmly. "We're done." "Are you out of your mind?" He grabbed her shoulders, hard enough that she couldn't hold back a sound. "I'm just tired." Mom smiled, something strange and bruised in it, the kind of smile that makes you want to cry. "I used to tell myself, if I just try hard enough, you'll love me. Really love me." "But I get it now." "Ethan Carter, you never loved me. You just liked being loved like someone would die for you." Dad took a step back, like something had hit him in the chest. "That's not true. My tests were to prove you were worth it. If you'd passed all of them, I would've only ever wanted you." "I don't want that." Mom cut him off. "I don't want any of it." She coughed twice, and a thread of red appeared at the corner of her mouth. Dad stared at her, eyes bloodshot, like he hadn't seen it. "You don't want it? Then what do you want?" "I’m warning you, Miranda. You’ll never get away from me." The door swung open. Vanessa walked in. She had golden waves of hair and a tight burgundy dress, the whole package, glamorous and somehow innocent-looking at the same time. She drifted to Dad's side and melted into him like she had no bones. "If Miranda wants to leave, let her go. You still have me." She paused. "And now... there's a baby too." Chapter 2 A flash of panic crossed Dad's face. His instinct was to push her away, to explain things to Mom. But Mom just watched them both, her expression perfectly still. "Congratulations." No feeling in it at all. "All the more reason for me to go." "You—" Dad started forward, but Vanessa caught his arm. "Ethan, the doctor said I can't have any stress. Please don't fight with her." Dad took a long breath. When he looked back at Mom, his eyes had gone cold again. "Miranda, if you had even half of Vanessa's sense, I wouldn't treat you like this." "If you want to leave, then get out." "But Sandra stays." Mom's eyes went red. She bit down hard, not letting herself cry. "Ethan Carter, don't push me." "I'll push you all I want. What are you going to do about it?" He grabbed her by the collar and hauled her up out of the hospital bed. She weighed nothing, hanging in his grip like she might fall apart. "I'm telling you, Miranda. You're my woman for life. You belong to me. You're not leaving this marriage, not in this lifetime." He threw her back down onto the bed. Her body shook, and more blood appeared at the corner of her mouth. "Ethan, don't talk to her like that..." Vanessa put on a pained expression, but her eyes were full of satisfaction. Dad glanced at her, softening. "Vanessa, go rest. You're pregnant, don't overdo it." "But Miranda—" "She's fine." He looked at Mom with contempt. "She's putting it on. That's the only thing she's ever been good at, playing the victim." He put his arm around Vanessa's waist and walked out without looking back. The door slammed shut. The room went quiet again. Just the rain and Mom's muffled coughing. I ran to her and threw my arms around her. "Mom! Does it hurt? Let me make it better." She looked down at me, and her eyes finally broke. The tears fell on my face one by one, burning hot. "It's okay, baby. Mom doesn't hurt." She pulled me close and held me tight, but I could feel it. She was shaking like she was about to come apart. The cold system chimed again: [Departure countdown. Two days remaining.] Chapter 3 After she was discharged, Mom became a different person. She stopped crying and stopped fighting. She quietly cooked my favorite steak, sewed the button back on my coat, and told me stories about her childhood. "When I was your age, all I wanted was to marry someone who really loved me. Didn't matter if he had money..." She didn't finish. She just pulled me close and held me tight. Vanessa came over. She looked Mom up and down, thin and pale, and smiled. "Sis, my wedding dress just arrived. Can you tell me if it fits?" She was holding a snow-white gown, the hem studded with crystals, glittering even in the dim room. It was the wedding Dad had once promised Mom. He'd said: "When things settle down, I'll give you the most spectacular wedding in the world." Now Vanessa was the bride instead. Something moved in Mom's eyes when she saw it, but it was gone in an instant. "Sure." She helped Vanessa into the gown. Her hands were gentle and careful, like handling something precious. This dress had been her dream her entire life. Now it was on someone else's body. Vanessa turned in circles in front of the mirror, admiring herself. "It's gorgeous. Ethan has such good taste." She turned, a half-smile on her face. "Don't you think, sis?" Mom said nothing, just looked at her. Vanessa's smile turned cruel. "Sis, honestly, what's the point of you being alive? Your man doesn't want you, and you can't even keep your own daughter. Why don't you just—" She leaned in close, voice dropping to barely a whisper. "Why don't you just die." Mom's voice came out flat as still water. "Don't worry. I'll be leaving." The doorbell rang. The housekeeper brought in Mom's biological mother. She had come to congratulate Vanessa. "Vanessa, you're such a blessing to this family! If that baby's a boy, your place as the young mistress of the Carter family will be secure." She clutched Vanessa's hand, grinning so hard her eyes disappeared. Mom stood in the corner like she wasn't there. The old woman spotted her and her face soured. "You used to throw yourself at Ethan Carter and I couldn't stop you. But he's marrying Vanessa now. What are you still doing here?" Mom said nothing. The woman started wailing, slapping her own thigh. "My God, why did I end up with a daughter like you! All you know how to do is take what belongs to Vanessa!" Mom lowered her head. Her nails dug into her palm. Derek heard the noise and came running. One second he was curled up in Vanessa's lap, the next he spotted Mom and came at her with fists and feet. "Why are you still here? You're not welcome in this house! I only want Vanessa as my mommy!" Mom's body rocked under the blows. This was the son she'd carried for nine months. The one she'd almost died to bring into the world. Now he was kicking her out like she was garbage. Her biological mother cheered him on. "You hear that? Even your own son doesn't want you. What are you still doing here?" The system chimed again: [Departure accelerating. One day remaining.] It was still dark out when Mom woke me up. "Sandra. Mom has to go." "Mom..." "Don't cry." She wiped my tears. Her own kept coming. "Sandra, promise me one thing." "What?" "Find someone who really loves you. Someone who won't make you cry." I didn't fully understand, but I nodded. Mom smiled. She kissed my forehead and walked to the door. I lunged after her and wrapped my arms around her legs. "Mom! Don't go! Please don't leave me!" I sobbed until I was screaming, but Mom still gently pried my hands loose. She turned and walked to the door, one step at a time. Just as she was about to cross the threshold, the door flew open from outside. Chapter 4 Vanessa stood in the doorway with two large men. She tilted her head, voice light and innocent. "Sis. Where are you off to so early?" "Looking to die?" "That'd be letting you off too easy." She waved a hand. The two men shoved inside and grabbed Mom. Mom didn't fight. She only glanced once in my direction, then shook her head to tell me not to come out. I bit down on my hand, eyes burning. Vanessa laughed aloud. She got close to Mom's ear, voice soft enough for just the two of them. "Little secret for you. Remember your foster father? The one who disappeared? I had him sold to an illegal coal mine. He's probably been dead for years." Mom went rigid, staring at her like she'd been struck by lightning. Vanessa ticked off her fingers like she was counting trophies. "Oh, and your foster mother's car accident? That was me too. She had the nerve to come make trouble for me." Mom's teeth were grinding. Her whole body was shaking. "Vanessa Bennett, you're pure evil. You won't get away with this." Vanessa slapped her across the face. "Watch your mouth." She turned to the two men. "Take her to the back alley. Do whatever you want. Just don't kill her." "One hundred thousand each when it's done." The two men exchanged a look, greed lighting up their faces. They dragged Mom toward the door. She didn't cry, didn't beg, just kept her eyes locked on where I was hiding. Without a sound, she mouthed two words. “Stay hidden.” Then she was gone, pushed into a van with no license plates. It swallowed her in the darkness before dawn. When everyone had left, I stumbled to the room and grabbed the phone and called Dad. Once. Twice. Three times. No answer. I called my grandmother. "Grandma! They took Mom, please, you have to help her—" On the other end came impatient cursing, the wedding march playing in the background. "Your mother's making a scene again? Vanessa's getting married today. If you cause trouble, I'll beat you myself." She hung up. I called the housekeeper. No answer. I called everyone I could think of. No one came. They all thought Mom and I were putting on a show to compete for Dad’s favor. I sat alone in the empty house, clutching the clothes she'd worn, crying until I could barely stay conscious. At some point, the front door opened. Dad stood in the doorway, his face like stone, and behind him stood Vanessa, still in her wedding gown, crying. "Where's Miranda?" He walked in fast, looking around, cold laughter in his voice. "Tell her to get out here." "Let’s see what your Mom’s faking this time." He stopped. Because he saw the blood. A trail of dark red drops leading from inside the house all the way out the door. "What is that?" His voice went dry and strange. "Mom..." I lifted my face, soaked with tears, and forced out the last words I had. "They took her." Dad's face went white. Chapter 5 Vanessa's phone rang. She checked it and her face drained of color. She hit decline. It rang again. Dad’s cold, shadowed eyes shifted to Vanessa. He took the phone from her hand and answered it. The moment it connected, a man's hoarse, panicked voice came through. "Mrs. Carter, your sister just got brought in here. She's barely hanging on. Do you want us to dump the body in the river?" The back alley. The worst part of the city. The place where the lowest of the low ended up, addicts, prostitutes, disease. Dad ended the call. Vanessa went white as bone. Dad grabbed her by the hair and ran. The car stopped at the mouth of the alley. The smell hit them first, raw and rotting, urine and blood and something deeper, older, impossible to name. Dad kicked open the door to number 318. He saw something he would never be able to forget for the rest of his life. Miranda lay on a filthy, broken-down bed. Syringes scattered on the floor beside her. Her body was covered in bruises, a wad of ripped cloth shoved in her mouth. Her arms and legs were twisted at wrong angles, limp across the stained sheets, dark blood and worse beneath her. Her eyes stared at the ceiling, wide open, pupils so dilated they were terrifying. Two scrawny men were in the room, buckling their belts, heading for the door. One of them laughed, savoring something. "That one had some fight in her. Wonder where Ryan found her." The other one grinned. "Feisty ones are the best. That was thrilling." Dad's vision went red. He swung his fist into the man's face, full force. "How dare you touch her?" The man went down hard, blood pouring from his nose, out cold. The second one grabbed a steel pipe from the wall and brought it down toward Dad's head. Dad turned in time and took it on the shoulder. He grunted, then snarled, grabbed the pipe, and swung it back without stopping. He didn't stop until the man was coughing blood, on his knees begging, spitting out the whole story. Then Dad lowered the pipe. Vanessa had already bolted. She ran screaming, barefoot, one heel gone, wedding dress filthy, into the alley. She didn't get far. Dad's men caught her and dragged her back. Dad kicked her hard in the knee. "On your knees." Vanessa was too terrified to make a sound. She knelt on the filthy floor in front of the woman she'd never thought twice about destroying, pressing her forehead down over and over, screaming that she was sorry. Dad turned and walked to the bed on shaking legs. "Miranda..." He said her name, and his voice was unrecognizable, raw with a fear he'd never felt before. "Wake up. Don't sleep. I'm here. Let's go home, okay?" Her eyes didn't move. Her breathing was barely there. Dad held her and wept out loud. "Miranda. Look at me. I'm Ethan. I'm here to take you home." She didn't respond, like a worn, tattered rag doll. Then the system voice cut through, cold as an electric current: [System alert: body damage exceeds recoverable threshold. AI integration failed.] [Executing death protocol.] [Host will be departing this world.]