The entrance of the scrawny lady was striking and intimidating. Selina, already in a vulnerable state, was suddenly thrust into confronting events from her past, which brought on another round of excruciating headaches. The unexpected arrival of her stepmother, Winona Delavigne Axelson, shattered the brief solace she had found in her rumination. Her stepmother's gaunt figure was draped in a fur coat, and her hair was meticulously styled, almost theatrically, but it was held in its place by an overabundance of hairspray. She resembled the titular antagonist in Alice in Wonderland, the Queen of Hearts. She made a formidable impression with her dramatic, bold purple eyeshadow and flamboyant red lips. Her appearance was striking and ostentatious, particularly out of place in the subdued setting of a hospital. Adorning her neck was a string of large and glossy pearls, paired with matching pearl earrings. The jewelry was extravagant, almost garish in its opulence, and seemed to scream for attention. It was overly lavish for a hospital visit. suggesting a desire to impress or intimidate rather than comfort. She wore a velvet dress in deep purple hues, a choice that exudes a sense of regal pretentiousness. The dress was likely tailored to fit her slender figure, accentuating her sharp features. She completed her ensemble with a pair of black high-heeled pumps, clicking authoritatively against the hospital floors as she entered the room. Her over-the-top appearance paints a picture of a woman in her fifties who is acutely conscious of her image and intent on maintaining the status quo, regardless of the setting.
A stocky man then trotted behind the lanky woman. He was even heavier since the last time Selina saw him. He was definitely more accustomed to the lavish life, and his physical appearance described the lack of labor from the young man. Ramsey Roth-Axelson, Selina's stepbrother, entered the room along with his mother. His chubby physique contrasts with his mother's lanky features. He wore an obnoxious and unsettling grin, adding discomfort towards Selina. Both mother and son carried an air of smugness and a hint of malicious intent in their expressions, which suggested that their visit was not out of heartfelt concern.
Selina's momentary peace was destroyed by the mother and son's existence. Her initial shock quickly transitioned to discomfort and a rising sense of dread and anxiety. The sight of them triggered a torrent of painful memories. She remembered the past, when they physically abused and violated her before her eyes. 'How did they find her here?', she thought. It had been five years since she ran away and changed her identity. 'Did I mess up that badly?', Selina was even more curious as to what had unfolded on the night at the club. Her heartbeat fluttered. The heart monitor beside her bed, which was beeping softly and steadily, became erratic. She was having an anxiety attack. She thought of the bottles of alcohol neatly arranged in her room, ready for her to consume; seeing them made her want to drown herself in sorrow again. She wished she could escape from this predicament.
Winona approached Selina while clutching a cigarette with two fingers and a paper fan. Standing over Selina, who was shaking, she grinned.
"Look at yourself. Do you think you can survive without us?"
Ramsey brought a chair over, and his mother easily sat down in it.
"My dear, it is time that you stop these shenanigans and come back to us, Hazel." Winona's face turned serious as she ordered Selina to come home.
"I am not Hazel; I have severed my relationships with the family. How did you even find me?" Selina stuttered.
"You disgusted me. How could Archimedes choose you to be the heir of the Axelson Group of Companies? I do not understand. But Edith wants you home safely locked up so you wouldn't jeopardize her plan." Winona retorted with a disdainful look.
"You cannot cause a scene here at the hospital, so leave before I start to scream." Selina attempted to threaten her boney stepmother.
*Slapped*
"You impertinent fool! How dare you address your mother like that? Know your place, bastard!" Ramsey struck Selina's face with his thick palm when he saw that his mother's authority was challenged. His sudden brutality, reflecting both his own anger and desire to assert dominance,. Selina's eyes watered with tears as her past memories flooded her mind. She was about to break.
"Ramsey, dear, do not stain your hands for an illegitimate, worthless child. A child of a whore, no less. You saw her performance in that skimpy red dress. She was flaunting her body for the public to see." Winona, unfazed by the violence derided Selina further.
She was indignant at the shocking accusation and asked her stepmother, "What are you talking about?"
This time Ramsey answered her, "Your catastrophic performance brought attention to the Axelson Group of Companies. It was also the reason our grandmother sent us to apprehend you. She was furious that you ran away from your arranged marriage and was even furious at your disgusting performance. You covered your tracks well for five whole years, sister, but you were careless and let your guard down, then made a mistake by putting yourself on social media."
"What performance?" Selina was perplexed. If what Ramsey claimed was true, the performance she imagined was not a dream. It was real! She immediately went pale in the face.
"You don't even remember? Hah! I guess all this while consuming those pills has caused you to be mentally disoriented. You are growing crazy! Just like your mother." Winona's high-pitched, banshee-like laugh sent shivers down both Selina and Ramsey.
"I am not crazy and do not mention my mother! You lying b****"
*Slap*
Winona's scrawny hand with witch-like nails struck Selina in the face. A cut was sliced through the dermis of her cheek, causing fresh blood to flow. The slap was done with such force that it worsened the condition of her headache. Selina trembled harder. She thought that after years of running away from the Axelsons, she would recover and not be afraid of them anymore. She was wrong.
"We will come for you tomorrow to pick you up. Be sure to be prepared; you do not have to pick up your things from your dorm. That life is not important to you anymore." Winona said while pumping the sanitizer hanging at the side of the patient's bed to sanitize her hand, showing contempt that she had just interacted with a contagious person.
"And if I don't? Are you going to deal with me like you did with your mother?" She winced as the memories of her mother lying on the floor, convulsing, replayed in her mind.
"Edith knew you would retaliate. Well, if you don't submit to us, your mother will be gone for good. She is currently an empty, mindless being anyway, so in my opinion, it doesn't make a difference."
"You monster!" Selina lunged at Winona but was restrained by Ramsey.
Winona pinched Selina's stomach; her long nails went under her rope and dug deep into her skin, causing her to bruise and wince. Selina's tears continued to flow as the pain triggered pain from her past when she endured abuse at the Axelson household. Her fury was palpable, and she tried to stay strong.
"You have forgotten your place; we need you to remind you where you stand. We will pick you up soon, dear."
As Selina became increasingly anxious at their presence, the door abruptly opened, interrupting the tense conversation with the arrival of a man smelling like the forest.