"Mum, have you contacted Radella? What was her reply? Don't tell me she..."
"She will come home and meet the conditions Mummy has set. So just relax, Jessica."
"That's good. If she tries to keep my fiancé, I'll never be quiet. I won't accept her marrying Dominic for any reason!"
"Jessica..."
"This is all because of Mum and Dad. Why marry her off? You know Dominic is mine. I just..."
"Weren't you the one who left Dominic on your wedding day for your stupid reason of becoming an international model? So why are you blaming us?"
"Dad... I-"
"You should thank your brother. If it weren't for her, our family honor would have been destroyed long ago. But apparently you're still arrogant and selfish. You..."
"Darling, never mind. Don't be so hard on our daughter. She's still..."
"Still recovering from being abused by an affair partner? Is that what you wanted to tell me, Theana? Dih! You keep defending and protecting your spoiled daughter," Hans Yori replied to his wife.
"Hans, it's not like that. I'm doing this for the sake of both our daughters. I have never discriminated between Jessica and Radella. It's just that, Jessica, she..."
"Stop covering up your lies, Theana! I've known for a long time how you treat both our daughters. Don't think I'm turning a blind eye. Listen, you two will never be able to separate Radella and Dominic as long as I'm alive. If you insist on doing so, I will not hesitate to throw you both out of this house. Understand!"
Hans-"
"Dad -"
"I assure you, Jessica. I will never tolerate any harm you and Theana do to Radella. Make that clear!" Hans Yori threatened his wife and daughter, who were lost in their own thoughts.
Jessica, not accepting that her father was beginning to defend Radella, felt hurt. In her heart, she was making her own calculations about the younger sister who was considered presumptuous for agreeing to marry Dominic at her father's request.
"Mum, what is this? Dad is defending Radella and threatening both of us. I don't want to know, you must see to it that Radella divorces Dominic! Otherwise you will see your daughter as a corpse! Jessica's threat frightened her mother.
"Jessica. Please don't talk like that. I will make sure that Dominic divorces Radella and marries you. Trust me," the woman replied, reassuring Jessica.
"Just prove your words to me. Don't let what I say come true. Don't you want me to become a ghost and frighten you all for being unfair to me?" Jessica said threateningly.
"Jessica..."
Jessica decided to walk away from the woman who had given birth to her and entered her room. She didn't care if her mother was upset by her behavior or not. One thing was for sure, she was hurt that Radella had stolen some of her parents' affection.
"You think I'm going to let you win, Radella? Hahaha, you're wrong. Instead, I'm going to make you regret taking Dominic away from me. You're going to die at my hands, little sister," Jessica said angrily.
Jessica began to make plans to make Dominic believe everything she said later. She didn't want the man she so desperately wanted to turn against her after finding out what her real job was when she decided to leave on their wedding day. She would make it look like Radella was the one who forced her to leave. Of course, that would definitely make him hate Radella and divorce her.
"Radella, be prepared to lose. Not just the trust and love of our parents. But even Dominic will hate you. Then I will come and comfort him. Then we will both live happily ever after," Jessica said confidently.
If anyone else saw the way Jessica talked to herself, they might think she was crazy. Unfortunately, she is very good at hiding her sudden madness. Especially after what she had been through.
***
"You're home at last. Where's Dominic? Why didn't he come with you?"
Radella had just got home. She had not yet been invited to sit down by her mother. But Jessica - her older sister - asked about Dominic instead of asking about her current situation. But Radella chose to remain silent and say nothing. She chose to follow her husband's words and not start an argument.
"You just shut up and listen to the words coming out of Mum and Jessica. Don't ever fight back. Let them say all the bad things they have in their heads," Dominic said as he let her go to return home.
"What if they get violent with me? Do I keep quiet?" She asked at that moment.
"They wouldn't dare do that to you, darling. Trust me. All Jessica wants is me. If she doesn't see me coming, she won't do anything. You understand what I mean, don't you, Radella?" She said again.
"I hope what I'm afraid of won't happen. But you will catch up with me, won't you, Dominic? To be honest, I'm afraid of facing Jessica's wrath. Even though I am innocent in this matter," she said.
"I will come when I have finished my work here. Calm down. I'll call Mum and Dad to keep you company. Jessica wouldn't dare do anything bad in front of my parents," Dominic assured her.
Dominic was right. Jessica and her mother didn't dare do anything violent to him. Dominic's parents came with the excuse that they wanted to meet him. Of course, they pretended not to know that Jessica was back.
"How are you, Jessica? We hear you've become a famous model there?" Radella's daughter-in-law asked Jessica, who looked happy that they still accepted her well.
"That's not true, Auntie. I'm just an ordinary model. But I love working there. Because I have a lot of experience and I earn more. So..."
"Then why did you come back here? Didn't you leave with your boyfriend? Where is he? Did he not come with you or has something happened to your relationship?" Radella's mother-in-law's questioning left Jessica in a state of confusion.
"I-that...d-he..."
"You should hate yourself for disgracing our family by running away on your and Dominic's wedding day. Fortunately, Radella sacrificed herself and her future to cover up your family's disgrace. Otherwise, I don't know what would have happened to our family and your parents," the woman continued, leaving Jessica speechless.
"Radella, isn't Dominic going with you? He shouldn't leave you alone in this house," her father-in-law asked, as if to suggest that Radella would be in danger if left at her parents' house.
"Dominic will come after his work, Papa. I'm used to being left by him when he's working out of town. Besides, this is my parents' house. How can I feel uncomfortable?" He replied sarcastically to his mother and siblings, who looked at him sharply.
"We're still worried about you, Radella. You better pack your things and come back to our house. You are already a daughter-in-law of the Toretto family," her mother-in-law continued, looking at her fondly.
"Sorry, Mrs Toretto. Radella is my daughter. It's only right that she stays with her parents while she awaits her husband's arrival. Besides, Jessica hasn't been back from abroad for a while. So they must still be catching up," Radella's biological mother reasoned.
"You're right, Auntie. Besides, it's been a while since we've seen each other. So I asked Radella to come with me. The house will be lonely without her. Besides..."
"We're not suspicious. We're just trying to prevent what we don't want to happen to the Toretto family's favourite daughter-in-law," the father-in-law replied, holding Radella's hand as if it were his own.
Radella smiled, touched by the attention her parents-in-law had given her. She realized they were doing it to stop Jessica from doing something they didn't want her to do.
"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mum. I'm really lucky to have in-laws as good as you. But, sorry. I have to stay here until Dominic picks me up. Besides, I haven't met Dad yet. He'll be disappointed if I'm not home later," Radella replied sensibly.
"Then let's go back to my parents' house, Radella dear. Remember, you are married. And that means you have to obey your husband," Dominic said, suddenly appearing and smiling at her.
"Dominic... I miss you ...."
"Stop and stay there! Remember, you're a nobody right now, Jessica. So keep your boundaries. You're just my brother-in-law now," Dominic said firmly, making Jessica stop her steps.
"Dominic. I-I-"
"Radella, we're leaving now. Don't worry, I've already called your father and asked his permission. He's just hoping you won't set foot in this house again. So obey me," Dominic said with a nod of Radella's head.
"Radella, you haven't been here long. Stay here with your husband for a few nights. Mum and Dad miss you very much," her mother pleaded, making Radella smile slightly.
"Sorry, Mummy. Dominic was right. I'm a wife now. I should do what my husband says. We'll stay another time," Radella replied, making her mother blush with anger.
"Come on, Radella," Dominic said, gripping her hand tightly.
"Dominic
, don't you miss me? I-"
"I said mind your boundaries, Jessica!" Dominic scolded, taking Jessica by surprise.