Chapter 3 - Behind the Bathroom Door
Each step I took up those wooden stairs felt like walking through thick mud.
I avoided the third and fifth steps, knowing they always squeaked loudly.
The sound of the splashing water grew clearer, echoing down the narrow hallway.
Then, I heard his voice.
It wasn't the gentle, soothing tone he used when I was around.
It was a harsh, venomous whisper, dripping with malice.
“You know the rules, Lily,” he hissed.
“Hold your breath until I tap the tub three times.”
I crept closer to the bathroom door, which was left open just a tiny crack.
I pressed my eye against the sliver of space and peered inside.
What I saw made my blood run cold and my vision blur with absolute rage.
Marcus was kneeling beside the tub, his large hand clamped firmly on the back of my daughter's head.
He was holding her face underwater.
Lily’s small hands were gripping the edges of the porcelain, her knuckles white, her tiny body thrashing slightly.
He was drowning her in a sick, twisted game of control.
“Don't fight it, you little brat,” he sneered.
“Your mother isn't here to save you, and if you tell her, I'll make sure she never comes home again.”
He tapped the side of the tub three times, and finally yanked her head up by her hair.
Lily gasped desperately for air, coughing and sobbing silently, terrified to make a loud noise.
My vision faded to red.
May you like
I wasn't a scared waitress anymore.
I was a mother, and I was going to kill him.
