Chapter 3

After hanging up, I slipped my phone back into my pocket.

I looked up at the whole family frozen in front of me.

Every trace of Eileen's swagger was gone now, her face gone bone-white in an instant.

Her lips trembling, she pointed at me and said, "You... how can you be so vicious? I only slapped you once, on impulse. Do you really have to cut off my family's whole livelihood over it?"

"I'm vicious?" I let out a cold laugh.

"Whether or not I seduced my cousin, you know perfectly well in your own heart. We share blood. How could we ever do something that filthy? Do you think this is still the ancient days? And another thing. Since you married my cousin, have I ever asked him for anything worth more than three hundred dollars? That bag last time was because I'd picked up your kid for him, and he insisted on buying it for me. It was only two thousand or so. And I turned right around and bought your kid a three-thousand-dollar Lego set to make up for it. How does that turn into me clinging to him for gifts every single day?"

I got it all out in one breath, everything I'd been holding in, and Eileen couldn't string together a single reply. I turned to go.

Seeing this, Uncle Frank hurried to his feet to block me, forcing a smile.

"Patty, Patty, don't be angry... It's my fault, I didn't raise my son's wife right. She's the one in the wrong, don't stoop to her level. This order really can't be canceled, you know that. Your cousin's company still owes money to the bank, and it's due next month. If this order falls through, his company is truly finished."

Aunt Rita ran over too, grabbing my hand, snot and tears running down her face. "Patty, just forgive your cousin's wife this once. She's been under so much pressure lately, her head's all muddled. I promise you, there won't be a next time. Let me have her apologize to you right now, all right?"

Watching his parents lower themselves like that, Charles finally lost it.

He turned and slapped Eileen across the face. A sharp crack.

Louder than the slap she'd given me.

Eileen reeled to the side, covering her cheek, sobbing. "You hit me? Charles, you hit me over this little slut?"

"So what if I hit you!" Charles roared, his eyes red.

"Do you have any idea how much damage you've done? You're going to get this whole family killed! Now apologize to Patty!"

Eileen was the kind who'd never back down even when she was dead wrong.

She'd caused the disaster, but admitting fault was out of the question.

She just kept shouting, refusing to give an inch. "I won't! Why should I apologize to her? It's just one order! What, we can't survive without an order from her? Charles, say there's nothing between you two! If there's nothing, would you protect her like this and hit my own mother?"

Watching this circus, I felt worn out.

I pulled my hand free from Aunt Rita's and said, "Uncle... Aunt... it isn't that I won't give you face. It's that the things she said are just too vile to be wiped away with a simple sorry. So... whether this order happens or not, don't beg me anymore. Take it up with my mother. If she agrees, it's fine. And I won't be coming to your home again. Take care of yourselves."

With that, I stepped around Uncle Frank, pulled open the door, and left.