Chapter 13
Chapter 13: The Flying Monkey
Toxic people rarely accept defeat quietly. When they lose direct control over their victim, they usually attempt to control the narrative through others.
Aunt Beatrice arrived unannounced on a Tuesday afternoon.
She was Margaret’s younger sister, sharing the same sharp features, the same expensive pearls, and the same terrifying sense of entitlement.
Daniel opened the front door to find her standing on the porch, a look of deep, practiced disapproval on her face.
"Aunt Beatrice," Daniel said, blocking the doorway with his body. He did not invite her in.
"Daniel," Beatrice sighed heavily, crossing her arms. "I have just spent three hours on the phone with your mother. She is weeping. She is devastated. Her health is failing from the heartbreak you've caused her."
Daniel’s expression remained entirely blank.
"If she's unwell, she should see a doctor. Not a lawyer, and not you."
Beatrice bristled, her eyes darting past him, trying to catch a glimpse of Emily inside the house.
"How can you be so cruel? She is your mother. You threw her out into the street over a dropped cake. You are letting that... that girl manipulate you and destroy this family."
Daniel didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
"Aunt Beatrice," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a dangerously calm register. "My mother wasn't thrown into the street. She is living in her luxury penthouse in the city. And she wasn't thrown out over a cake. She was removed because she is a bully."
"She is family!" Beatrice snapped.
"Emily is my family," Daniel corrected instantly, not missing a beat. "And in this family, we do not tolerate abuse disguised as tradition. If you are here to act as my mother's messenger, you can turn around right now."
Beatrice stared at him, genuinely shocked. The compliant, quiet boy she remembered was completely gone.
"You will regret alienating everyone who actually cares about you, Daniel."
"I haven't alienated anyone who cares about me," Daniel replied. "I've only removed the people who care about controlling me. Goodbye, Aunt Beatrice."
He closed the heavy oak door. It clicked shut firmly.
He turned around to see Emily standing at the edge of the hallway. She had heard everything.
May you like
She didn't look scared. She didn't look guilty.
She walked up to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him deeply. The ghosts of his past were no longer allowed across the threshold.
