Chapter 7 - Amanda's Venom
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My mother stood in the doorway.
She looked wild. Her blonde hair, usually styled perfectly, was messy, and her coat was buttoned crookedly. She ignored Detective Vance completely, striding directly to the edge of my hospital bed.
"You ungrateful little monster," Amanda spat, her voice trembling with pure hatred.
"Ma'am, stand back," Detective Vance warned, stepping between us.
"Get out of my way!" Amanda yelled at the officer. "This is a family matter!"
She glared past Vance’s shoulder, her eyes burning into mine.
"You put your own brother in a holding cell, Monica! Do you have any idea what you've done to his reputation? To our family name?"
"He shattered my knee with a steel bar, Mom!" I shouted back, tears of anger stinging my eyes. "He crippled me! And you clapped!"
"Because you deserved it!" Amanda screamed, her face turning crimson. "You were always jealous of him! Ever since you were little, you tried to steal the spotlight from Austin! He was going to build a legacy with the Millican family, and you ruined it out of pure, ugly envy!"
"He was already married to another woman!" I yelled. "He's a criminal!"
Amanda let out a cold, bitter laugh that sent shivers down my spine.
"A criminal?" she sneered, leaning over Vance's arm. "You think you're so smart with your little spreadsheets, don't you, Monica? You think you're so righteous. You don't know a damn thing about how this family survived after your father died!"
"Ma'am, that's enough," Detective Vance said sternly, grabbing Amanda by the elbow. "You are interfering with a criminal investigation. If you don't leave this room right now, I will arrest you for obstruction."
Amanda pulled her arm free, pointing a trembling, manicured finger at my face.
"If you don't drop these assault charges by noon, Monica, I swear to God I will drop you from my life forever. You will have no mother. You will have no family. You will be completely alone."
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"I've been alone my whole life, Amanda," I said, my voice dropping into a razor-sharp whisper. "Get out."
Vance escorted her into the hallway, her shrill screams echoing down the quiet corridor until the double doors slammed shut.
