Ties and Tangles

Chapter 3 — The Puppet

“Oh, my sons, look at me,” Mom sighs dramatically, resting the back of her hand on her forehead like a woman in distress. “I’m old and frail. When do you boys intend to bring me grandchildren?”

Zack scoffs.

“You’re overreacting, Mom,” I say, attempting to wave off the conversation.

“Overreacting? Stop this car at once! I must leave. You boys are clearly trying to kill me.”

I press the car lock shut as she tugs at the handle, her lips forming a pout. Old people are such babies.

“Mom, we can save this discussion for later. Right now, we need to pick out a new dress for the Big Calabria Parade. The stores will be closing soon.” I try to steer her focus elsewhere.

“And you need to pick up your medication by 8pm, remember?” Zack adds.

“My medication is a grandchild,” she retorts. “Have I ever done you naughty boys any wrong? How could you do this to your poor mother?” Her voice turns somber, as if she might actually start crying.

“Naughty?” Zack raises an eyebrow. “I prefer ‘irresistibly dashing’—at least, that’s what the young ladies say. Besides, if anyone here is naughty, it’s Liam.”

I shoot Zack a death stare, but he just smirks, like I’m nothing more than an amused rodent to him.

“Alright, Mom,” I sigh, pulling into the parking lot. “Time to pick you an outfit.”

I step out of the car to help her, but she rolls her eyes and scoots to the other side, yanking the handle of the opposite door instead. Her expression is unreadable, a perfect poker face.

I know that look. She’s waiting for me to give her an update on my relationship status. Too bad she won’t like what I have to say. Daisy and I just broke up—for the exact same reason my mother always complains about. I want a wife, not someone who sees me as an unlimited credit card. The company is already in bad shape; the last thing I need is another person draining my pockets.

“Well?” Mom taunts, her voice sickly sweet. “Are you just going to stand there with the door wide open?”

I shut the door, glancing at Zack, who’s already reclining his seat, making himself comfortable.

“You two go ahead. I’ll wait in the car,” he chirps, adjusting the seat even further.

“No sluts, Zack,” I warn. “I don’t want your juices all over my car.”

“f**k you,” he mutters, flipping me off without even opening his eyes.

I sigh. This is going to be a long night.

I escorted Mom into the store, keeping a close watch on her because the last thing I needed was for her to stage a dramatic episode just to guilt-trip me into marriage. She had that look in her eyes—the same one she got when she spotted a lonely woman at church and suddenly thought she’d found me a wife.

“Liam, look at this one.” Mom held up a navy blue dress with a satisfied smirk. “Isn’t this just stunning?”

“It’s nice, Mom.” I nodded, already bracing for the moment she’d fish for another conversation about grandkids.

She turned to the shelf and grabbed a pair of sleek black heels to complement the dress. “These will do just fine.”

As I paid for her items at the counter, I felt her eyes burning into my soul. I knew what was coming. “So,” she started, her voice sweet as honey—dangerously sweet. “How’s Daisy?”

I almost choked on my own saliva. “Uh—look, Mom! Have you seen these?” I quickly grabbed the nearest display of expensive jewelry and shoved them in her hands like I’d just discovered buried treasure. “You would look amazing in these, don’t you think?”

Her eyes widen. “Oh my, that’s gorgeous!”

Distraction success. Crisis averted.

We leave the store, Mom still admiring her new jewelry, completely forgetting about Daisy. For now.

The second we approach the car, I know something is off.

Mainly because it’s rocking. Like, aggressively.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake”.

I pull the door open, and sure enough—Zack is shirtless, a half-dressed blonde straddling him, both looking as guilty as a toddler caught stealing cookies.

“Seriously, Zack?!” I groan. “We were gone for less than an hour!”

“That’s all the time I need baby bro,” he smirks, shamelessly adjusting himself.

Mom gasps, clutching her pearls like an 18th-century noblewoman witnessing scandal. “Zack! How could you?!”

The blonde giggles and slides out, looking entirely unbothered. As if to add insult to injury, another woman—a redhead—saunters up to me, swaying her hips like she’s auditioning for a music video.

“Hey there, handsome.” She runs a finger down my chest. “Want to have some fun?”

I recoil like she just offered me a lifetime of debt. “Nope. Not today, satan.”

Zack let out a wheezing laugh. “Bro, you act like s*x is a death sentence.”

“No, Zack, I act like I don’t want an STD.” I lie pinching the bridge of my nose. I mean, I don't want STDs. Who the f*ck wants that. It's just… the bills.

Zack snorts towards the redhead. “He won’t. Liam’s scared of bills. Can’t afford it.”

Mom glares at Zack. “Your brother is just being a good boy.”

“Good boy?” Zack laughs. “No, Mom. He dumped Daisy because he couldn’t keep up with her lifestyle. She was supposed to be your future daughter-in-law, remember?”

Mom gasped again, turning to me with a betrayed expression. “Liam, is this true?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Can we not do this right now?”

Mom crossed her arms. “I was expecting a wedding. Grandbabies, Liam. Grandbabies”.

I sigh. “Mom, I can’t marry someone whose idea of love is maxing out my credit cards. Also, can we not do this in the middle of a parking lot?”

She exhales deeply in concern. ““Is your company really that bad?”

I rub my temples. This day just keeps getting better.

“Can we all just get in the car and be quiet until we get to the hospital?” I mutter, already exhausted.

For once, they actually listen.

Zack smirks but says nothing, Mom clutches her new jewelry, and I grip the wheel, questioning all my life choices.

Just another typical day in my dramatic family.

The ride was silent—except for Zack’s occasional snickering. I was about ready to throw him out of the moving car.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get weirder, a girl suddenly ran across the street, right in front of my car. I slammed on the brakes, and the tires screeched as we came to a halt.

“What the hell—” Zack muttered as we both stared at the figure standing frozen in front of us.

She was drenched, her clothes sticking to her like a second skin, her dark hair a tangled mess. Her pale skin was smeared with dirt, and even from a distance, I could see the faint rope marks on her wrists and ankles. “What happened to her?”, I murmur.

I immediately stepped out of the car. “Hey! Are you okay?”

Her black eyes widened in sheer terror. And then—

She bolted.

“Wait!” I called after her. “What’s your name?”

She didn’t answer. She just kept running like I had ‘I eat small children’ tattooed on my forehead.

I sighed and got back in the car. Zack, of course, wasted no time teasing me. “Wow. Even a homeless girl would rather take her chances with the streets than sleep with you.”

I scowled. “Zack, I swear—”

“And you call me the naughty one,” Zack continued. “You were the one mauling Daisy every chance you got.”

Mom, who had been quietly observing our stupidity, finally snapped. “Enough, both of you! Women are not just bodies to use! You should treat them with respect.”

I sighed heavily. This family was going to be the death of me.