Chapter 3: The Woman I Thought I Married
Denise stood in the doorway wearing a white silk robe.
Her hair was tied back, and she held a coffee mug in one hand.
She looked at the paper in my fingers.
Then she looked at Malik.
"Why are you showing him that?""
I stepped between them.
"Because I found it.""
She sighed.
"Marcus, it's a list of household expectations. Every family needs rules.""
I held up the sheet.
"Explain this one.""
She glanced at it.
"Which one?""
I pointed.
"No visits to Grandma Evelyn without approval.""
"Your mother undermines me.""
"She's Malik's grandmother.""
"And I'm his stepmother.""
"That doesn't give you the right to isolate him from his family.""
Denise placed her coffee mug on the dresser.
"You're being dramatic.""
I looked around the room.
"Why did you remove his television?""
"Discipline.""
"His gaming console?""
"Discipline.""
"Why did you change his bedroom lock?""
She folded her arms.
"He spends too much time alone.""
"Then talk to him. Don't take away his privacy.""
She rolled her eyes.
"This is exactly why he behaves this way. You make everything about his feelings.""
I stared at her.
"He's sixteen.""
"He's old enough to understand consequences.""
"Consequences for what?""
She didn't answer.
I held out the paper.
"Why can't he discuss household discipline with me?""
Denise looked at Malik.
"Because he twists everything I say.""
My son stepped backward.
I saw it immediately.
That familiar movement.
The instinctive retreat.
"Denise," I said, "leave him out of this conversation.""
She laughed bitterly.
"Of course. The poor little boy can do no wrong.""
"Enough.""
"No, Marcus. You need to hear this. I have spent three years trying to make this family work while you treat me like a babysitter.""
I stared at her.
"Nobody asked you to mistreat my son.""
Her face hardened.
"You think raising a teenage boy is easy?""
"I didn't say that.""
"He's lazy. He's disrespectful. He refuses to accept that this house has rules.""
Malik finally spoke.
"I do my chores.""
Denise snapped toward him.
"Nobody asked you!""
He went silent.
I stepped closer to her.
"Don't speak to him like that.""
She looked at me with disbelief.
"You're taking his side?""
"I'm taking the side of the child who was told he couldn't eat dinner.""
She picked up her coffee.
"Fine. Do whatever you want.""
Then she walked out.
I waited until her footsteps disappeared before turning toward Malik.
"Are you okay?""
He nodded.
"Do you want to go to Grandma's for a few days?""
He looked surprised.
"Really?""
"Yes.""
"Would Denise be mad?""
I felt something break inside me.
"Son, her feelings are not your responsibility.""
He looked at the floor.
"Okay.""
I called Evelyn.
She arrived forty minutes later.
When she walked into Malik's room, she opened her arms.
He immediately hugged her.
My mother held him for a long time.
"Come on, baby," she whispered.
"Let's get your things.""
As she packed his clothes, I went downstairs.
Denise was sitting in the kitchen scrolling through her phone.
She didn't look up.
"You're really sending him away?""
"He's going to stay with my mother.""
"That's ridiculous.""
"He needs somewhere he feels safe.""
She placed her phone on the counter.
"And what about our marriage?""
I looked at her.
"We'll discuss that later.""
She laughed.
"You cannot be serious.""
"I'm very serious.""
She stood.
"Marcus, I didn't marry you to spend my life being second to a child.""
I stared at her.
"He's not competing with you.""
"That's how it feels!""
"Then you need to examine why.""
She shook her head.
"You've changed.""
"No. I'm finally paying attention.""
Her expression turned cold.
"Your mother has been poisoning you against me.""
"My mother didn't write this.""
I placed the rules sheet on the counter.
"Your handwriting is all over it.""
She glanced at the paper.
Then she did something I hadn't expected.
She tore it in half.
"There. Happy?""
I watched her drop the pieces into the trash.
"That doesn't change what you did.""
She walked toward me.
"You need to understand something. Jordan and Brianna have had a difficult time adjusting to Malik.""
"How?""
"He acts like this is his house.""
I stared at her.
"It is his house.""
She shook her head.
"You bought it before we got married. You constantly remind everyone of that.""
"I have never told Malik that.""
"Maybe not directly.""
I narrowed my eyes.
"Are you saying you've been telling him he doesn't belong here?""
She didn't answer.
Instead, she reached for her phone.
"I'm calling my sister.""
"Why?""
"Because I'm not going to be interrogated in my own home.""
I stepped aside.
"Call whoever you want.""
Upstairs, I heard Evelyn helping Malik with his suitcase.
A few minutes later, they came down.
Malik carried his backpack.
My mother carried a small duffel bag.
Denise stood near the kitchen island.
"You're making a huge mistake," she said.
I ignored her.
I walked Malik to the front door.
"Call me when you get there.""
He nodded.
Then he surprised me.
He wrapped both arms around my waist.
I held him tightly.
"I'm sorry, son.""
He whispered, "I missed you, Dad.""
Those five words nearly brought me to my knees.
I watched them drive away.
Then I returned to the kitchen.
Denise was sitting at the table.
She had placed her phone beside her plate.
"Are we done?"" she asked.
I looked at her.
"No.""
She sighed.
"Marcus, please.""
"I want to know exactly what has been happening in this house.""
She shook her head.
"I've told you.""
"No. You've told me what you wanted me to hear.""
She leaned back.
"Then what do you want?""
I took out my phone.
"Your rules. The food restrictions. The changed bedroom lock.
The missing belongings. The note threatening him if he told me.""
She laughed.
"You're collecting evidence against your own wife?""
I looked directly at her.
"I'm trying to understand why my son was afraid to sit at his own dinner table.""
For a moment, she said nothing.
Then she stood.
"Fine. Since we're being honest, perhaps you should ask Malik what he did to Jordan.""
I frowned.
"What does Jordan have to do with this?""
She picked up her phone.
"Everything.""
"Explain.""
Her expression changed.
"He destroyed something that belonged to my son. And I have proof.""
"What proof?""
She unlocked her phone and held it toward me.
A photograph appeared.
It showed Jordan standing beside a broken laptop.
Malik was visible in the background.
Denise zoomed in.
"That's your precious son. Now tell me he hasn't been causing problems.""
I stared at the image.
Something about it bothered me.
The date in the corner was three weeks earlier.
But the laptop looked different from the one I remembered.
I took the phone from her.
"Where did you get this?""
"From Jordan.""
"Is this the same laptop you accused Malik of breaking?""
She hesitated.
Then she said something that made my stomach tighten.
"No.""
I looked up.
"Then whose laptop is it?""
Denise snatched her phone back.
"That's not the point.""
"It is now.""
She turned away.
May you like
And for the first time, I realized she might have been hiding more than the way she treated Malik.
She might have been deliberately building a case against him.
