Chapter 4Third Return And I Am Done

For the next week, the "driver" situation didn't change.

The Mercers seemed to have collectively forgotten I needed a way to get to school. I didn't remind them. I enjoyed the bike ride; it gave me time to clear the mental cobwebs.

The only downside was Tyler.

Harrison was busy with the firm, so Tyler had taken over driving Brianna. Whenever he saw me on the road, he’d floor the accelerator, intentionally blowing a cloud of exhaust in my face.

"Move it, peasant! You’re blocking the view!" he’d yell, while Brianna giggled in the passenger seat.

One afternoon, I’d had enough.

As Tyler’s SUV slowed down to make the turn into our estate, he leaned out to shout another insult. I didn't even look at him. As he passed, I uncapped my water bottle and launched the entire contents through his open window.

"MADELINE, YOU LITTLE—"

I squeezed the rest of the bottle into the car for good measure.

The screech of his brakes and Brianna’s high-pitched scream echoed down the road. It was the most satisfying sound I’d heard all year.

When I finally reached the house, Brianna was waiting by the front door. She looked smug.

"You’re going to get kicked out again, Maddie. Number three? Or is it four? I’ve lost count. You really are a glitch in the system, aren't you?"

I stopped and looked at her, my expression ice-cold. "What are you talking about?"

She just laughed and skipped inside.

I frowned, noticing Harrison’s car in the driveway. He was leaning against the hood, watching me.

"Madeline," he called out.

I looked away, heading for the side entrance. I could feel his mood shifting—the air around him turning heavy and dark. I tried to walk past him, but he stepped into my path.

"Don't give me that look. This family doesn't owe you anything," he said, his voice low. "If anything, you owe us for every second of luxury you’ve wasted."

I stopped. "Is that what you wanted to tell me? Or are you just rehearsing for the next time you discard me?"

I didn't wait for an answer. I brushed past him and opened the front door.

SLAP.

The blow was so sudden my head snapped to the side. My ears rang. The metallic taste of blood bloomed in my mouth.

"Down on your knees! Now!" my father bellowed.

I slowly turned my head, my vision blurred. The whole family was there.

Brianna was wearing a tiny, triumphant smile. Tyler looked like he was watching a premiere of his favorite movie. My mother was silent, her eyes fixed on the floor.

"What did I do?" I asked, my voice trembling but even.

My father grabbed a glass of water from the side table and hurled it at my feet. Shards of glass grazed my ankle. "You have the nerve to ask? You’re still pretending?"

"Dad, you know how she is," Tyler added, fueling the fire. "She’s a stone. You could throw her in the ocean and she’d never soften. Just get rid of her. She’s a parasite. She’ll never be one of us."

Brianna stepped forward, playing the peacemaker. "Dad, maybe she just doesn't know better? Growing up in that... environment... she probably has habits she can’t break. Don't be too hard on her."

Her words were gasoline on the flames.

My father’s face was purple with rage. But before he could scream again, there was a loud THUD.

I had dropped to my knees.

Straight and stiff, right onto the hard marble floor.