They Bled Her Dry, So She Burned It All Down

My brother's wife had a son.

Then she fired all five of the postpartum nurses I'd hired for her, one after another.

And insisted, no matter what, that I come take care of her myself.

She even used my dead mother against me.

Shouldn't you be here caring for me in your mother's place?

So the moment I showed up, she started picking fights.

"Why is this footbath water so cold? Are you trying to give me a lifelong illness?"

"Why is the rice so dry tonight? Are you trying to choke me to death?"

"You used to look down on me because you had money. Now you're jealous I gave birth to a son, aren't you?"

My brother, Terry Perry, piled on right beside her,

accusing me of having it out for his wife.

Then it hit me.

Arlene Chavez was using her postpartum recovery on purpose, using it as a weapon to grind me down.

Well, I wasn't going to play along.

But she refused to let me leave.

"No. The baby's one-month party is in a couple of days. You have to handle all of it!"

I almost laughed from anger.

Before, when she wanted money or things from me, at least she asked with some humility.

Now she just wanted to reach out and grab whatever she pleased?

"Throw the party yourselves. I'm out of it!"

I turned to go.

Terry grabbed my arm.

"Sis, don't be so stingy, come on!"

"You're not getting married, not having kids anyway. So down the road, isn't your company and everything you own all going to my son?"

He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

That really did make me laugh.

Over the years, everything I'd given the two of them added up to well over five hundred grand.

Even their house and their car, I bought.

And still their appetite had no bottom.

"Terry, if that's really how you think"

"I'd sooner donate every last cent than leave you two a single penny!"

That stopped him cold.

He and Arlene traded looks.

"Okay, okay, sis, I misspoke!"

Terry made a show of slapping himself on the mouth.

Arlene pulled it back a notch too.

"Fine. We'll set the one-month party aside for now."

"But you still have to help out these next few days, until my parents get here."

Just then the baby started crying.

Arlene shoved him straight into my arms.

"He's crying. Hurry up and soothe him!"

I let out a soft sigh.

"Then I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll get a nurse to take over first."

After that I was on my feet, busy, until late into the night.

That was when I noticed their bedroom windows were shut tight.

The room was stifling.

So I cracked one window open a little to let some air move through.

Arlene woke with a start and blew up at me.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

"My mom said you can't be exposed to a draft during postpartum recovery!"

I explained patiently: "A little fresh air won't hurt. Besides, your recovery period is almost over."

The high that day had hit ninety-nine degrees.

She wouldn't let anyone turn on the AC, and she wouldn't let a window open either.

The room had been a steamer all day.

"What do you mean, won't hurt? Delia Perry, you're doing this to me on purpose!"

"If I end up with a lifelong illness, I will never be done with you!"

Arlene was hysterical, shaking with rage.

And that was when I realized something was wrong with the baby.

Eyes squeezed shut, face flushed red, hair soaked with sweat.

I took his temperature. A hundred and four.

"This is all your fault!"

"Why don't you just drop dead!"

Arlene only got more worked up.

She lunged, clawing for my face.

I shoved her back with one hand.

"Save your breath. Getting this baby help is what matters!"

That stunned her, and she finally went quiet.

I grabbed our things at once.

Terry and I rushed the baby to the hospital.

The diagnosis was severe heatstroke.

After a round of treatment, his condition finally stabilized.

They kept him for observation.

Terry, though, was in a hurry to get home and look after his wife.

They left me at the hospital to watch the baby.

By the time the small hours came around,

I was just about to close my eyes for a bit when my glance snagged on the baby's birth certificate. Blood type: A.

Wait.

I was fairly sure Terry was type O.

And Arlene was type B.

So how could the baby possibly be type A?

I was still puzzling over it when the door to the ward flew open under someone's kick.

A big-bellied man in a tank top and boxer shorts came barreling in.

Before I could even react, he slapped me hard across the face.

So you're Delia Perry, huh?

The blow knocked me to the floor.

But he wasn't finished.

He kept going, kicking and punching.

You disgusting woman, you nearly got my son killed

It took hospital security, the doctors, and the nurses rushing in to finally drag him off me.

I was hurt in a dozen places.

My face had swollen up, and my eye burned and stung.

Who are you? I don't even know you!

I was furious.

The man only puffed himself up more, jabbing a finger at me.

You're exactly who I came to beat!

I pulled out my phone, ready to call the police.

Then you can explain yourself to the cops when they get here!

The man's expression shifted.

II'm Arlene's cousin!

Arlene told me you nearly got the baby killed.

So I came to teach you a lesson!

he wheezed out.

Cousin?

Something didn't add up.

But the man wrenched his arm free of the guard holding him and pointed at me again.

Everybody take a look and tell me who's in the wrong here. She's my cousin's sister-in-law, her husband's sister, and she's always looked down on my cousin.

We asked her a few times to come help my cousin through her postpartum recovery, and she refused every time!

Then the one day she finally shows up, the baby ends up with severe heatstroke and almost dies!

My cousin says she did it on purpose, that she wanted to hurt the baby!

The moment he said it, the way everyone else in the room looked at me changed.

Confusion, contempt, and something angrier underneath.

Two of the nurses were whispering off to the side.

Bad blood between a wife and her husband's sister is common enough, but using a baby to get back at someone, that's just vicious.

Put it that way, she had that beating coming. Honestly, I'd say she got off light.

Right? The baby's so tiny

I couldn't help frowning.

It was Arlene who wouldn't open a window or turn on the AC. She's the one who left the baby to stew.

And you say you're Arlene's cousin. How come I've never seen you before?

At the question, the man froze for a second, and his face changed again.

Hmph. You watch yourself from now on!

If anything else happens to that baby, I'll kill you!

He shot a glance at the baby on the bed, then slunk off, still cursing under his breath.

The doctors and nurses who'd been looking down on me a moment ago left too, awkward now.

I made a call, though, first thing, to my assistant, Edna.

I gave her a few instructions.

The next morning,

Terry came to the hospital to see the baby.

I asked him whether he knew Arlene had a cousin.

And I described the man's face for him.

Oh, you mean Darrell. Darrell Lambert.

He's a neighbor of ours, good guy. Arlene took him on as a sworn brother.

How do you know about Darrell?

So I told him everything that had happened.

When Terry finished listening, he actually laughed.

Ah, Arlene must've said something to him. He's just a warmhearted type, wanted to stand up for her

Crack!

I drove my fist straight into his nose.

Terry just stood there, dumbstruck.

What'd you hit me for?

I fixed him with a cold stare.

You think this is funny?

Terry flushed, humiliated and angry.

It's not that big a deal. You really need to take it out on me?

"Look at what you did! You made my nose bleed!"

He fumbled to wipe the blood off his face.

I couldn't be bothered to trade another word with him.

He stood there dazed for a moment, then stalked off in a huff.

"You watch the kid, all right? I'm going back to take care of Arlene."

The second he was out the door, I fished a few bloodstained tissues out of the trash.

They were the ones he'd just used on his nose.

A little while later, Edna Finch came in with someone.

The man collected the bloody tissues and took some biological samples from the baby.

"Ms. Perry, we'll have the results tomorrow. I'll be going now."

"Thank you for your trouble."

The next morning, Terry drove over to take us home from the hospital.

Halfway there, the paternity test results came through on my phone.

Terry and the baby shared no blood relation at all.

"Darrell's a real good guy, you know."

"He let me come pick you up, and he's back there helping look after Arlene..."

Terry sighed away behind the wheel.

"Terry, spare me the nonsense."

"I'll just ask you straight. You really not planning to leave your assets to my son?"

"Even Arlene said it. You don't have any kids. If your money doesn't go to my boy, then who does it go to?"

I was so angry I almost laughed, but I killed the urge to shove the test results in his face.

The big idiot.

His wife had cuckolded him, and here he was, still fixated on my money.

And behind all of it, without a doubt, was Arlene, whispering and egging him on.

We got to their place.

I noticed that Darrell was nowhere in sight.

Arlene's parents had come instead.

The three of them looked at us with strange expressions, a little tense.

"Sis, thank you so much for these past couple of days."

Arlene was acting completely out of character, going out of her way to be polite to me.

The smile just didn't reach her eyes.

An alarm went off somewhere in the back of my mind.

Arlene sat down beside me and took my hand.

"Sis, you don't have to pay for the baby's one-month celebration party this time."

"But first, why don't you write a will? Leave your company and your assets to my son. That's no problem, right?"

Her parents crowded in too.

"That's right, that's right. You don't have any children of your own."

"Down the road, who else is going to look after you in your old age but your nephew?"

I was about to fire back when my head suddenly went light.

The strength drained out of me, and my whole body went slack.

My low blood sugar was acting up again.

"Sugar. Give me something with sugar," I forced out.

Arlene's face turned cold.

"Don't change the subject. Write the will first!"

But I couldn't hold on any longer, and I lost consciousness.

...When I came to, I found myself lying on the floor.

Arlene and her family were sitting there eating.

Chatting away, breaking into laughter now and then.

My head was still foggy as I braced myself and sat up.

They all turned to look at me, smug, eerie smiles on their faces.

"Sis, you must be worn out."

"My parents are here now, so you go on home and rest."

"The baby's one-month party is tomorrow. Remember to come early."

Something felt off.

Not right at all.

But I couldn't put my finger on it just then.

So I got up and left.

Once I was home, though, the first thing I did was call Edna.

...

Early the next morning, Edna came over.

She brought me the printed paternity test for Terry and the baby.

She'd also brought along a twelve-man professional bodyguard team.

Once I'd finished briefing them, I headed off to my "so-called nephew's" one-month celebration party.

By the time we reached the hotel,

most of the guests had already arrived.

My father had come too, along with the relatives from back home.

"About time you showed up. You couldn't even be bothered to take your own nephew's one-month party seriously?"

He was frowning and complaining before I'd even sat down.

Before I could answer, he gave a snort.

"Still, seeing as you've finally agreed to sign your fortune over to the boy."

"I won't waste my breath arguing with you today."

"Agreed to what?" I stared at him, genuinely thrown.

But it clicked fast enough.

So that was their game.

"Sis, why'd you bring such a crowd with you?"

Arlene came over with the baby in her arms, Terry and her parents trailing behind.

Behind them lumbered Darrell, big and thick as ever.

Today he'd stuffed himself into a red mandarin jacket.

Gone all festive for the occasion.

Looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

He upstaged the whole room, and not in a good way.

Next to him, Terry could almost pass for a handsome, fresh-faced young man.

Which was exactly why I couldn't make sense of what Arlene was thinking.

"They're colleagues from my company. They came to help out," I said.

Arlene rolled her eyes.

"Fine. As long as they're not here to freeload."

"Then put them to work and have them see to the guests. No standing around!"

With that she swept off, her little parade in tow.

I took a seat nearby instead, waiting for the show to start.

A little while later, the guests had all more or less arrived.

Arlene climbed onto the stage with the baby, Terry and Darrell beside her.

"Today, at my son's one-month celebration, I have an important announcement to make."

"The boy's aunt, Delia Perry, has formally agreed to give her entire fortune."

"Including her company, her houses, everything, all of it to my son!"

The moment she finished, Terry and Darrell were the first to break into eager applause.

"Wonderful!"

Plenty of guests caught the mood and joined in the clapping.

The whole room was warm and celebratory.

"I hear the boy's aunt is some big company owner."

"No kids of her own, so she's giving it all to her nephew!"

"Now that's generous!"

Some of the guests couldn't stop marveling.

When the applause died down, I stood up and raised a hand.

"When exactly did I agree to give my fortune to your son?"

I asked it flatly.

A ripple of shock went through the guests.

Arlene, though, showed no sign of panic. If anything, she smiled with perfect confidence.

"Sis, you signed the gift agreement last night."

"It's all there in black and white, with your fingerprint right on it."

She held the agreement up for everyone to see.

I smiled too, and held up the paternity test.

"All right. Then I'm revoking the gift agreement right now."

"Because the child in your arms is not my nephew!"