I turned and looked straight at her. “Want some?”
Before she could react, I yanked her forward.
“If Mr. Haynes cooked it himself, then it shouldn’t go to waste. Eat every last drop of it.”
I forced her face down into the mess of steaming oatmeal. She sputtered and thrashed, her muffled cries echoing as she pounded the floor.
Immediately, Stanley kicked me hard in the back and pulled me off, then wrapped her protectively in his arms.
“Avery, you’re insane!” he roared.
Yet I didn’t even bother answering. I turned, walked straight to my room, and slammed the door.
Blood seeped through the bandage on my palm. At last, I couldn’t hold back anymore. The tears I'd been holding back finally trickled down my cheeks.
Standing by the window, I dialed the number my father had given me.
“One o’clock tomorrow afternoon for the marriage license. Does that time work for you?”
The man on the other end sounded like he was still in a meeting, but he still calmly replied, “Yeah. I’ll have my assistant set it up.”
Not long after we hung up, the notification came through. Among the long string of divorce registration records, that single marriage license application stood out like a bright red flag.