I glared at Stefan. Perhaps frightened by my gaze, Stefan stammered, "Zelda, I didn't mean it. I was too angry. I couldn't control myself. I'm sorry."
I clenched my purse tightly and said nothing, brushing past them to push open my daughter's room.
Inside, I found a completely different scene. What was once a cute, princess-themed room was now covered in Superman posters, thoroughly transformed into a boy's room. My daughter's hand-drawn family portrait was nowhere to be found.
Stefan stood beside me, struggling to explain, but I couldn't hear a word. Turning around, I raised my hand and slapped Stefan across the face with all my strength. "Who allowed you to touch my daughter's things?"
Yolanda stood up, cradling Stefan's face with concern. "Don't blame Stefan. It's my fault."
Without hesitation, I slapped her as well. If she was at fault, she deserved to be hit. Caught off guard, Yolanda fell to the ground.
"I won't let you hit my mom!" Charlie rushed over and pushed me hard to the floor. My head instantly bled after hitting the corner of the coffee table.
Due to his momentum, he couldn't stop himself and fell face-first onto the floor, crying loudly.
They were all gathered around the child, oblivious to my injuries. "Hurry, Stefan, let's go to the hospital! If anything happens to Charlie, I won't live either," Yolanda cried. Stefan carried the child and left, with Yolanda following closely behind.
The physical pain I felt was nothing compared to the emotional agony. I sat up slowly. The blood on my head slid from my forehead to the corners of my eyes and I smiled with tears. "Stefan, Yolanda, you are done. If I can't kill you, I'm not Zelda Nicholson."
I dialed a number I hadn't called in a long time. It was answered quickly. I took a deep breath, my voice trembling slightly. "Benjamin, please help me."
At the hospital, my forehead wound had been bandaged with gauze. I sat on a bench while my brother was towering over me. "Impressive, severing ties with the family over a man!"
I lowered my head even more. "I know I was wrong."
Benjamin sighed. "How can I help you? No one can bully my sister."
"Get me some bodyguards," I said. If I hadn't come home today, I wouldn't have known that my house had almost become Yolanda and her son's territory.
