The Woman From Hell

I stood at the side and smacked my forehead. I did not understand what they were fighting about, so I did not know how to be the mediator. After some thought, I turned and went back to the ward. After saying goodbye to Cecilia, I left the hospital.

My initial plan was to have Theo accompany me to my yoga class after visiting Grandmother at the graveyard, but it seemed like he had to accompany Miss Reed now. I did not want to go to class alone, so I took a cab and went back home. 1

When the car was approaching the villa, I saw a familiar black Maybach from afar.

What was he doing here again? I felt a wave of irritation as my expression darkened. I made a beeline to the door.

Tyler came up to me with a smile. "Is this the right attitude to have when you meet your brother? Do you know that I've been waiting all day for you? Where's your phone? Why didn't you answer it? Where have you been?”

I was annoyed at how he was bombarding me with questions like he was interrogating a criminal. A fire o f rage rose from within me as I snapped. "Did I tell you to wait for me?"

"Wandy, I just wanted to come over and visit you and the baby.” His tone was unusually soft, and the usual edge in his voice was gone.

"You've seen us. We're doing good. Now leave.” I angled my body to walk past him, making my way inside.

He reached out his hand and grabbed mine. His expression was slightly pained as he barked, "Wandy, we're family. Are you going to treat me like this forever? I don't have any ill intentions, I just want to b e a good brother to you. Why are you so against it?"

I suppressed the anger within me and calmed my emotions before I spoke again, "Tyler Schuman, family isn't something that exists because one person says s o. Even though I'm not a big advocate of blood ties, I urge you to reflect on your past actions. After what you did to me, are you worthy to be called my brother?

"In the beginning when my mother brought you back, I was elated. I thought I was going to have another family member, but you hurt me again and again.

Your selfishness, ruthlessness, and coldness made me acknowledge you as a demon. How could I think of someone like you to be my family?”

My words made his face contort with a complicated and pained look. "Wandy, I apologize for my past behavior. I was a bigot, but I really do consider you as my little sister. I can't live without you, and you're the only family I have left in the world. Are you really going to toss me aside like that?”

I saw how sad, remorseful, and helpless he was. A trace of compassion arose within me. I tried to calm down and said, "I'm not going to toss you aside, but we're both grown-ups now. We're no longer..."

Before I could finish, Tyler interrupted me, "That’s great, Wandy! As long as you still have me in your heart, I’ll treat you ten times, no, a hundred times better! I'll make up for all the hurt I inflicted on you before.”

His smile was pure and sincere as he pulled out a basket from his car, like a child excited to show off his treasure. "Look, these are roasted sweet potatoes from our village. I got them raw and roasted them using the charcoal from our village. You can heat them up and see if they taste the same."

I was stunned as I looked at the basket of sweet potatoes. "You're...?"

"I deliberately brought them over for you. You said you were craving sweet potatoes from our village, right? I told you, I bought our house from our village and renovated it. The surroundings of the house are still the same as before, filled with vegetables and fruits. They're all from the seeds that Aunt left behind. If you want to, you can go back and eat them anytime."

His lips were still curled up in a smile that was exceptionally dazzling under the sun.

I was confused. The Tyler before me was very unfamiliar. This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

Initially, I thought he was a demon that sought us out because he wanted to fulfill the prophecy he uttered when he punished us back then. Every time I saw him, apart from being fearful and terrified of him, I loathed him. I had never believed in anything he said.

However, seeing how he was doing all these, I felt lost. I did not know how much his temperament could change after all these years.

Tyler saw that my expression had softened. He grinned like a child as he brought down baskets upon baskets of fruits and vegetables from his car. He gleefully said, "These were all planted in our village with no pesticides. Take them and eat them. I'll send over more tomorrow. If you'd like to go back to the village and take a look at the old house, just let me know and we can go back together."

I watched him carry all those things into my yard. His footsteps were light even though he had to make many trips. A warm sensation filled my heart, and I did not know what to say. i