I Knelt For Three Years For A Lie. Now I’m Back For Blood Chapter 04
Marcus hauled me through the doorway. My shoulder hit the frame.
Owen was there waiting.
He held out a glass of warm water, his voice soft, as if the last three years had been a minor misunderstanding.
“Drink this, Mia. You’re shivering. I had the housekeeper run a bath for you upstairs.”
That was Owen’s specialty: handing you a bandage while he was the one holding the knife.
I didn’t take the glass. My eyes were stuck on the walls.
Family photos. Everywhere.
The three of them, teeth white, grinning in every frame.
Even the mugs on the table were a matching set. A curated little paradise.
For three years, I’d gnawed on ice in the mountains. They’d been soaking in silk.
“How long are you keeping me here?” My voice sounded like it was coming from the bottom of a well.
Marcus sat on the couch and poured whiskey, taking his time, as if my agony was something to be savored.
“Nobody’s keeping you. You just need to… cool off.”
“When you stop making a scene, I’ll get your papers sorted. Simple as that.”
He lifted the whiskey, watching me through the amber liquid.
“You’re twenty-five, Mia. Grow up. The world doesn’t care about your grudges.”
“Mom and Dad are doing fine back home. I wire them fifty grand a month and tell them it’s from you.”
“They brag about you to everyone. You really wanna be the one to wreck that?”
My nails dug into the raw, weeping meat of my palms.
He knew exactly how to wrap the noose around my neck.
Three years ago, I left to save my parents’ reputation. Now, he was using that same reputation to bury me.
Jenna came down the stairs, the kid clinging to her as if I were a monster.
“Mia, Marcus is doing this for you. Look at yourself. You look like a psycho.”
She sighed, and the condescension in her voice made my skin crawl.
“We’ve been watching you this whole time. Your videos. Owen’s the one who’s been paying to boost your account.”
I looked up. Something in my brain snapped.
“What account?”
Owen cleared his throat, actually looking like he wanted credit.
“You didn’t have a phone, so you wouldn’t know.”
“We hired people to follow you. To film. ‘The Girl Atoning on Her Knees.’ You have over a million followers now.”
The room started to spin.
“People love a tragedy. They sent a lot of money. I donated it all to charity in Jenna’s name. For your karma.”
Something exploded inside me. It wasn’t just rage, it was a physical wave of nausea.
I wasn’t just their scapegoat.
I was their content. Their revenue. A performing animal they used to buy their own peace of mind.
Every time I’d cracked my forehead on the ice, I was printing them money.
“You animals…”
I didn’t think. I just lunged. I wanted to tear that fake, gentle mask right off Owen’s face.
Yet I didn’t get close. Marcus was faster.
He grabbed the back of my neck and slammed me face-first into the coffee table.
The glass shattered. A shard bit into my cheek. Blood spilled across the table.
“Mia! Have you lost your mind?”
Marcus was livid. He held me down like I was a rabid dog.
“Owen builds you a legacy, and you try to kill him?”
“Three years on the road clearly broke something in your head.”
Jenna screamed and covered the kid’s eyes, backing into the corner.
“Marcus, she’s completely gone.”
Owen looked down at me, and the pity in his eyes had turned to pure disgust.
“Let’s go with the plan.”
Marcus nodded, his grip tightening until I couldn’t breathe.
“I already talked to Dr. Sterling at the psych hospital. We’re taking her in this afternoon.”
He leaned down, his eyes flat, looking at me like a piece of broken equipment.
“Since you can’t learn to be quiet, we’ll let the doctors teach you.”