Darlene felt very angry at this development. If only she had found out sooner that her sister and Zach would be getting married, she would have planned to stop it a long time ago.

She had to think of a plan. She wondered if she should storm in to stop the wedding. The usual thing people did was to wait for the part when the priest asked if anyone stood against the union or coming together of the couple. She could just waltz into the church then, and everything would become chaotic. But that was too cliché. People did it all the time. She wanted to think of something more dramatic. Something more evil.

Darlene smiled to herself as an idea crossed her mind. She would let her sister get married, all right, and then she would give her a great shocker that would make her lose her mind completely. This idea in her mind would manifest into Perry’s worst nightmare.

***

The morning after Perry’s wedding, she woke up late. Zach was still sleeping by her side. She smiled at him and kissed his forehead as she used her hand to move some of his hair behind his ear. He was a handsome man with toned muscles. The hair on his head was brown and reached up to his shoulders. His skin was tanned and suited him perfectly. His lips were perfectly shaped, and his long nose and emerald eyes made him extremely charming. Anytime Perry saw him, her breath would catch in her throat, and now that they were married, it was no different.

Perry felt a bit hungry. She covered herself with a robe and headed downstairs. Her plan was to go to the kitchen and grab a cup of milk. She entered the brown and cream-colored kitchen and picked up a glass cup. She took out the milk from the freezer and poured some into the cup. But as she lifted up the cup to place it in her mouth so that she could drink it, she heard a voice behind her. “You have not still gotten rid of the bad habit that makes you wake up late, have you?”

Perry shook and almost jumped. The cup slid from Perry’s hands and fell to the floor. She recognized that voice. She also recognized the scolding tone. It was always like this when her mother was around.

Perry turned to see her mother, Juliet, in a yellow dress, staring down at her in anger. One hand was placed on her hips, and hot words escaped her lips. “Just see how careless you are, and you call yourself a wife now. Your late sister, Darlene, was much better than you when she was alive. She was calm, charming, and dedicated. But just look at you. First, you wake up late, and then, you make a mess in the kitchen.”

Perry swallowed the lump in her throat and bowed her head. “Welcome, Mother. I did not know you were around. I did not expect you would visit me so early.”

“Stop with your crappy speech. Bend down and clean up that mess right now,” Juliet shot.

Perry bent down immediately and began picking the pieces of broken glass hurriedly. She was going so fast that a piece of broken glass pierced one finger. “Ouch!” she complained.

Juliet’s eyes reddened in anger. “You are just so clumsy. Are you going to spill your blood too? I give up. It is pointless to think you can make anything good out of yourself even now that you have gotten married. I wonder what Zach Ceader saw in you that made him marry you anyway. Maybe he married you because he saw a slight resemblance of my late daughter, Darlene, in you. He will realize the truth as he spends more time with you. You are worthless, and you always make a mess wherever you go.”

Perry felt tears well up in her eyes. She continued picking the pieces of glass.

Juliet raised her shoulders slightly. “I will be in the living room. Make hot chocolate and toast for me. Be quick.”

The tears ran down Perry’s face like a torrent. She cleaned up. Then she made the toast and hot chocolate. As she approached the living room, she noticed her mother was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed. Beside her were two big briefcases. Perry wondered why her mother had brought briefcases to her matrimonial home. Was her mother planning on staying with them? She would ask her.

Perry set the tray of food before her mother on the table in front of her. Then she sat opposite her. Maybe she could talk to her now.

Juliet looked at the food before her and looked up at Perry. A frown rose to her lips. “How many times have I told you I do not like to see your face whenever I am eating? Move somewhere I can’t see you. You irritate me.”

Perry’s face was a mask of pain as she rose to her feet and moved to stand at the side of the chair. This way, her mother would not directly see her face.

At that moment, Zach was coming down the stairs. He was wearing a blue polo and dark pants. “Hey, honey, I woke up and I did not see you.” But as he came closer, Zach noticed that Perry looked sad. He rushed towards her without saying a word to Juliet, whom he had seen a while ago. He grabbed Perry’s hands, and she flinched from pain. “I did not hold you too much, did I?” He looked at her hands. He saw the wide cut. “How did this happen?”

Perry tried to smile. “It was an accident, dear. I am fine.”

“Why don’t we treat it now?” Zach asked as concern filled his eyes.

At that moment, Juliet cleared her throat loudly. Perry knew there was nothing wrong with her mother’s throat. Her mother only hated being ignored.

Perry spoke, “You have not said hello to my mother.”

The look in Zach’s eyes showed that he really did not care. Perry nudged him, so he finally turned to Juliet. “Hello, Mrs. Juliet Cardozo. I was not expecting you here on the first day after our wedding.”

Juliet answered with a smile. “Well, Zach, I came here to see how my daughter is doing. She is my only daughter now, you know. I have to make sure she is doing fine. By the way, when are the both of you traveling for your honeymoon?”

Zach answered with disinterest. “We will be traveling tomorrow night. I have work to take care of, and that is why we have this delay.”

“I see,” Juliet said as she put down the cup of hot chocolate.

Zach continued, “I also see you here with two big briefcases. Why did you bring them here if you only came to visit, as you said?”

“Well, dear, I felt my daughter would need me, so I have come to stay with you both for a while. I believe Perry, or the maids, can clean up an empty room for me,” Juliet said.

Zach folded his hands across his chest. He hated the way Juliet put Perry in the same group as the maids with her words. “I am sorry, you cannot stay here. I do not want you here. Perry and I are newly married, and we need time to bond without the interference of anyone.” He walked into the kitchen to get a drink of water without waiting for the words that Juliet had to say in response.

Juliet’s mouth opened to say something, but as she watched Zach walk away, the words hung there. She closed her mouth slowly and balled her fists. Her jaw clenched as she rose to her feet. Juliet walked over to where Perry was standing and pulled one of Perry’s hands. As she did that, she dug her sharp nails into Perry’s skin. Perry groaned in pain.

Juliet looked into her eyes and said, “Have you seen what you have caused? It is because of you that Zach treated me that way. He saw your teary face and bleeding hand and thought I hurt you. Now, he wants to kick me out. He wants to throw me out just because of you. You better go to him and convince him to keep me here. I am going to stay in this house, got it? If you are a good daughter, if you truly love me as you claim, then convince your husband to let me stay here.”