Chapter 10
elaine
We made it safely to the house, and I spent the whole drive fussing with my ring, turning it side to side on my finger, sneaking glances at the matching one on Vera’s hand where she held tightly onto the wheel.
We didn’t share a word—she was intently watching the road, scanning our surroundings, and I could see that gleam in her eyes as her mind worked.
And it worked well. We took some side roads, and she didn’t explain why, but I knew she had her reasons. And in the end, we made it without any trouble back to Mom’s house, and I pointed her to it as we passed.
“That’s it. That’s the one.”
She stopped the car, pulling into street parking. I reached for the door handle, but Vera caught my hand.
“Hold it,” she said. “I’ll go first. Make sure there’s no threats.”
“Vera… I don’t want you to get hurt, either,” I said softly, and she stopped, giving me a strange smile.
“Well. Don’t I have a considerate wife?”
I blushed, looking down. “I just…”
“They couldn’t kill me if they tried. Look after yourself first.”
I didn’t know why I’d even said it. I felt silly as she left the car, heading around to my side. She wasn’t my wife, and she wasn’t even my friend—she was an assassin, and if the situation were even slightly different, she’d be trying to kill me.
But I couldn’t stop thinking of how she’d swept in to save me. Of how safe I felt when I was with her.
She opened the door for me and took my hand, leading me out, and I felt ridiculously like a fairytale princess, in my beautiful flowy dress with this strong and beautiful woman leading me up towards the front door.
The fairytale ended fast, though. I heard shouting even before I’d gotten to the door, and my heart hammered. I knocked quickly on the door, and I gasped when I heard glass breaking inside. Vera’s grip on my hand tightened.
“No way they’re targeting…”
“Oh—no. Mom just has a habit of breaking dishes when she’s angry.
I just hope Caitlyn…” I knocked harder, banging on the wood, and I heard everything stop, Mom’s voice growling something low before footsteps came stomping towards us.
My chest clenched up in knots at the sound behind it—Caitlyn crying softly in the background.
The door flung open, and on the other side, Mom did a double take at the sight of us, looking at Vera. “Who are you?” she said. “What are you doing here?”
“Mom, I have to tell you something,” I said, and Mom shot me a dirty look.
“You thought you’d be able to bring a friend around and hide behind her? Are you trying to manipulate me?” She shook her head. “If you didn’t bring the rest of the money you owe me—”
“Ms. Whitner,” Vera said, stepping in between us, extending a shielding hand so that the light gleamed on her ring. “I won’t let you talk to my wife that way.”
My heart jumped. Mom’s pupils shrank, her lips parted. “Elaine… what?”
Just like that, she was… scared. The look in her eyes like she wanted to backpedal. I felt so guilty, I wanted to cry, but there was no going back now. “This is Vera,” I said. “I have to tell you something.”
“This is… this is some kind of joke,” Mom said, sounding faint.
“What’s this about money Elaine owes you?” Vera said, and she walked forward, muscling into Mom’s space so she stepped back and let us into the house. “I’ve heard she’s been offering you support, not that you loaned her money.”
“I—well, it’s not that—” Mom started, and I rushed to soothe her.
“It’s okay, Mom, I’ll make sure you get the money—”
“No, darling,” Vera said, pulling me into her side and wrapping an arm around me, “you won’t. Go on, Ms. Whitner. Tell me all about what my wife owes you.”
“When did you… how long have you two…”
Vera smiled like a cat with a cornered mouse. “You haven’t been paying a lot of attention to Elaine’s life, have you?”
“Vera,” I started, but she didn’t slow down.
“Just to how much money she can give you. How long, Ms. Whitner? That’s what I should be asking. How long have you been bleeding her dry? How much money has she given you?”
“Vera—”
“How much do you owe her?”
Mom snapped, her eyes going wild as she leaned forward. “Who are you, and what did you do to my daughter? Elaine doesn’t know anyone like you, and I should call the police on you right now—”
“Go ahead,” Vera said, holding up her phone. “I’ll even dial them for you. While you’re on the line, you can explain the mark on your palm.”
“What?” Mom leaned back, eyes flush with fear.
“Your hand.” Vera nodded towards Mom’s left hand. “Redness in a flush pattern. Consistent with hitting skin. Who have you been hitting, Ms. Whitner?”
Mom clutched her hand to her chest like Vera had just stabbed it, but my stomach dropped, a horrible feeling plummeting inside me. “Mom,” I gasped. “Did you—”
“I fell,” she blurted. “Just now. I was in the middle of an argument when I heard you at the door—”
“You should consider your own mobility support, then,” Vera said. “Judging by the skin responsiveness, it’s accustomed to that specific impact type. You must fall a lot.”
“Who are you?” Mom hissed, anger and panic snarling over her features, but I felt tears stinging in my eyes, betrayal like a knife in my gut.
“Have you been hitting Caitlyn?” I said.
“You don’t understand anything! This family is like this because you abandoned it!”
Vera smiled wider, eyes narrowed. “As far as I understand it, Caitlyn is an adult now. This is no longer a corporal punishment case. This is full-fledged battery and assault against another adult. In which case, if I were to help her… it could be argued protective interventionism and defense.”
Mom took a step back, swallowing hard. “Are you threatening me?”
“Yes,” Vera said. “I’m telling you that if you hurt her one more time—if you hurt my wife or her sister—then I will make you feel it.
I’ll make you feel what it’s like to be on the other end of every blow you’ve ever dealt, of every word you’ve ever said, all at once.
I’ll make you scream for it to stop like I know they both did so many times.
And I will ignore it. No matter how much you beg. Just like you did to them.”
Mom clutched the wall, terror in her eyes. I couldn’t help it any longer—I pushed past her, into the next room, and around the corner, to where Caitlyn was sitting crying at the kitchen table, and I dropped down to my knees next to her.
“Caitlyn,” I said, and she looked up, blotchy and surprised.
“Elaine,” she said. “Why are you here?”
“I came to see you,” I said, and I tugged on my sleeve. “Look at this dress I got with the gift you gave me.”
Caitlyn welled up, a ray of pure joy shining through the dark clouds on her face. “You… you got a new dress,” she said. “It’s so pretty.”
“Thank you for the gift.”
She sniffled, wiping her eyes. “Thank you for mine…”
I hugged her, and I whispered in her ear. “How long has she been hurting you?”
She stiffened. “It’s never been that bad…”
I squeezed her tightly, tears flowing down my cheeks now. “You could have told me…”
“You’ve already been doing too much for us! I didn’t want to cause trouble!”
“Listen—” I pulled away from the hug, holding her shoulders. “We’re going to make sure you’re safe, okay? We’ll get this figured out. We’ll make sure Mom never hurts you again. I promise.”
She welled up, but she stopped when she saw my ring, going wide-eyed. “Elaine—what—do you—”
“Oh…” I didn’t get to say anything before footsteps strode in behind me, and I looked back at where Vera entered the room with a strong, confident stride, putting her hand on my shoulder in a way that flashed her matching ring.
“You’re Caitlyn?” she said. “Elaine told me all about you. I’m Vera.”
Caitlyn’s jaw dropped. “Elaine!” she screamed, turning to me. “You got engaged?”
“Well, no, technically…”
Vera smiled, squeezing my shoulder. “Am I not what you had in mind for a sister-in-law?”
“Elaine!” Caitlyn screamed, louder this time. “You got married? What? When!?”
“It’s a… it’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything another time, okay? I wanted you to know I’m going to go away for a little bit—”
“On a honeymoon with your new wife!?”
“Well…”
“That’s right,” Vera said. “If you need anything, reach out. Just make sure you’re not doing it as a proxy for your mother. I don’t think I made a good impression on the mother-in-law.”
“Elaine!” Caitlyn clasped her hands over her face. “You’re married?”
“Like I said, I’ll explain everything later,” I laughed, standing up. “But I promise everything is going to be all right. I love you, okay?”
“How long have you… I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend! When… what…”
Vera’s posture tightened next to me, in that slight, subtle way I was learning to pick up on, and my stomach clenched. I glanced at her, and she pursed her lips.
“Vera?” I whispered, and she shook her head, whispering back.
“It’s too quiet.”
“What?”
“The birds stopped. Even the wind seems to be holding its breath.”
Caitlyn cocked her head. “Are you two whispering about marital drama instead of answering my questions?”
“What’s going on?” I whispered to Vera, and she narrowed her eyes.
“Yulia is here.”