The Sisters Nightmare

Chapter 13: I'm sorry 😞

Mrs. Janny had expected tears. At the very least, concern.

Instead, the entire living room looked like a group of girls waiting for a delayed movie to start. Luna was stretched across the couch with one leg hanging over the armrest, scrolling lazily through her phone. Calista and Thea sat on the rug arguing over nail polish colors like the world hadn’t shifted an inch. Noa stood near the window sipping cold juice with the same calm face she wore whenever she pretended she wasn’t thinking too hard.

It irritated Mrs. Janny immediately. The woman had driven home with her chest tight the entire way from the hospital. Vera had looked horrible. Pale. Tubes running into her arms. Machines breathing and blinking around her like little metal witnesses waiting for death to decide something. Then she walked into her own house and found peace. Too much peace.

“You girls are behaving strangely,” Mrs. Janny finally said, dropping her phone on the table.

Nobody answered immediately. Luna looked up first. “Why?”

Mrs. Janny stared at all of them carefully. “I just told you Vera was hospitalized.”

Aurelia shrugged faintly. “People get hospitalized every day.”

The sentence landed hard. Mrs. Janny narrowed her eyes. “The part that really broke me was the cause of her sudden illness.”

That got attention. Not panic. Just attention. Aurelia slowly lowered her glass. “What was the cause?”

Mrs. Janny hesitated. Then she said it. “A slap.”

The room changed instantly. It was almost physical. Like somebody had quietly opened a freezer door. Calista stopped moving. Thea’s lips parted. Even Luna sat upright now, staring directly at Aurelia.

And Aurelia… God. That girl could hide emotions better than most adults. But fear still touched her face for half a second before she buried it again.

“A slap?” Luna repeated slowly.

Mrs. Janny nodded. “That’s what the doctor implied. They said the shock from the impact may have triggered something severe internally.”

Silence. Heavy silence. The kind that forces everybody to hear their own heartbeat.

Then Luna let out a dry laugh. “I know exactly the slap they’re talking about,” she muttered, pointing at Aurelia. “Your kung-fu warrior slap in the mall.”

Aurelia shot her a dangerous look. “Shut up.”

“No seriously,” Luna continued. “You hit Vera like you were trying to reset her factory settings.”

“It wasn’t that serious.”

“Clearly it was.”

Mrs. Janny suddenly felt cold. Because now the memory came rushing back vividly. The mall. Vera screaming publicly. Insulting them. Pushing boundaries like she always did. Then Aurelia stepping forward with that terrifying calmness she inherited from nobody in particular. The slap had echoed so loudly people stopped walking. At the time, it had felt deserved. Now it felt dangerous.

“You girls…” Mrs. Janny whispered. “Do you realize what this means if that slap truly caused this?”

Nobody answered. Because they all understood. Hospital bills. Police cases. Public disgrace. Possible arrest. Aurelia crossed her arms tightly, but Mrs. Janny noticed the stiffness in her jaw. That girl was nervous now, whether she admitted it or not.

Then the doorbell rang. Everybody jumped. Literally everybody. It was such terrible timing the sound almost felt supernatural. Nobody moved at first. The bell rang again.

Mrs. Janny inhaled slowly and stood up. “Stay here.”

The walk to the door felt longer than usual. Her mind was already racing ahead. Police? Hospital representatives? Vera’s relatives? When she finally opened the door, she froze. “Kelvin?”

Kelvin stood outside looking like a man who hadn’t slept in days. His shirt was wrinkled. His beard had overgrown unevenly. His eyes looked hollow in a way that frightened her more than tears would have.

“What brings you here?” she asked carefully.

He swallowed. “I really need your help.”

That alone was shocking. Kelvin had once been the kind of man whose pride entered rooms before he did. Back then, he talked like life owed him applause for existing. Now he sounded broken.

Mrs. Janny stepped aside slowly. “Come in.”

The irony hit both of them immediately. Not his old house. Not the marriage home he abandoned. Her own house. The one she built after the divorce. Kelvin entered quietly, his eyes moving around the place in disbelief. The living room alone was bigger than the apartment he once moved Vera into after leaving his family. There was warmth in the walls. Real warmth. Family pictures. Soft lighting. Comfortable furniture. The kind of home created by peace instead of performance.

“You’ve done well for yourself,” he murmured.

Mrs. Janny simply closed the door. In the sitting room, the girls had already gathered together, staring. The tension became awkward immediately. Kelvin looked at them one by one. His daughters. Older now. Sharper. More intimidating. Especially Aurelia. That girl looked at him like she could see every failure sitting inside his chest.

Then suddenly, without warning, Kelvin dropped to his knees. Everybody gasped.

“Kelvin?” Mrs. Janny stepped back in shock.

He folded his hands together desperately. “Please forgive me.”

The room went dead silent.

“I was stupid,” he continued, voice cracking. “I destroyed this family with my own hands. I left you… I abandoned my children… all because I thought excitement was the same thing as happiness.”

Mrs. Janny stared at him carefully. Luna looked horrified. The twins exchanged confused glances. But Aurelia looked angry. Not emotional. Angry.

Kelvin continued speaking like years of guilt had finally found an opening. “You were a good wife, Janny. Better than I deserved. I know that now. Every single day I know that now.”

Mrs. Janny honestly didn’t know what to say. The strange thing was… she truly didn’t hate him anymore. That pain had died years ago. People imagine heartbreak stays sharp forever, but it doesn’t. Most times it becomes something quieter. A scar you notice occasionally while brushing your teeth or folding laundry. That was Kelvin now. A scar. Nothing more.

“As long as you’re alive,” Mrs. Janny said softly, “I have no reason to hate you.”

But her daughters did. Oh, they absolutely did. Aurelia stepped forward sharply. “Enough of this. Why are you here?”

Kelvin slowly stood up. His face changed immediately. The guilt remained, but something darker appeared beneath it. Fear.

“Vera is in critical condition,” he said quietly. “The doctors don’t know if she’ll survive.”

Mrs. Janny’s expression softened immediately despite everything. “Oh,” she whispered. “We’re very sorry.”

And she meant it. Because whatever Vera had done, death was different. Serious illness humbled old grudges very quickly.

Joy folded her arms. “Mr. Kelvin… we understand the situation. But what’s the real reason you came here?”

Kelvin looked down. For a second, he seemed unable to speak. Then he said something that shattered the room completely. “Edwin is dead.”

Nobody reacted immediately because the sentence didn’t make sense to their brains at first. Joy blinked. “What?”

“My baby boy is dead.”

Mrs. Janny grabbed the chair beside her slowly. Luna looked horrified. Luna whispered, “How?” Even Aurelia’s face lost color.

Edwin. Berry’s twin brother. That little boy had been alive barely days ago.

“How did it happen?” Mrs. Janny asked carefully.

Kelvin’s face became strange. Not emotional. Not exactly. Just… empty. Like somebody whose mind had stopped cooperating with reality. He didn’t answer immediately. Then finally he spoke. “A dragon ate him.”

Silence. Nobody moved. Because what exactly were you supposed to say to that? Luna frowned first, clearly assuming grief had broken his mind. But Kelvin wasn’t laughing. Wasn’t smiling. Wasn’t acting unstable. He genuinely believed what he said.

“A dragon?” Joy repeated carefully.

Kelvin nodded weakly. “I saw it.”

Mrs. Janny suddenly felt uneasy. Very uneasy. The atmosphere in the house shifted into something colder. Because grief could make people hallucinate, yes. But Kelvin looked too certain. Too calm. Like a man describing rain.

Then he rubbed his face tiredly. “Look… I don’t have strength to explain everything right now. All I need is help with Berry.” At the mention of the child, his voice finally cracked properly. “He shouldn’t stay at the hospital seeing all this.”

Mrs. Janny’s maternal instincts responded instantly. “Of course.”

Kelvin looked grateful enough to cry. Right then his phone rang. He checked it and cursed under his breath. “The hospital.” He answered immediately, turning away. “Yes?... I’m coming now.”

When he ended the call, his panic returned fully. “I have to go.” Then he walked toward the entrance and opened the door halfway before pausing.

A small boy stood outside quietly holding a dinosaur backpack. Berry. The child looked up with huge innocent eyes that still carried no understanding of death.

Mrs. Janny’s heart melted instantly. Children that age had a softness that could disarm almost anybody. Berry looked like the kind of child who apologized when someone else stepped on his foot. Kelvin crouched beside him quickly. “Be good, okay?”

Berry nodded obediently. Then Kelvin looked at Mrs. Janny with desperation hidden beneath exhaustion. “Please.”

She answered immediately. “He’ll be safe here.”

Kelvin left almost too quickly after that. Like a man running from collapse. Once the door shut, the entire house became quiet again. Berry stood there awkwardly holding his little bag. Then he looked up at Mrs. Janny politely. “Good evening, ma.”

That alone nearly destroyed her. Such manners. Such sweetness. She knelt slightly. “Good evening, sweetheart.”

His voice was soft and careful. “Daddy said I should not disturb anybody.”

Luna visibly softened immediately. Even Aurelia’s expression relaxed a little.

Mrs. Janny smiled gently. “You’re not disturbing anyone.”

Berry glanced around curiously. “Your house smells like cake.”

Thea burst out laughing first. “That’s because Calista burnt vanilla cookies earlier.”

“I did not burn them!”

“You absolutely cremated them.”

Berry giggled instantly. And that sound… God. It changed the atmosphere of the entire room. Children had that power sometimes. They interrupted darkness without even trying.

Mrs. Janny reached for his backpack gently. “Are you hungry?”

Berry nodded honestly. “A little.”

“Come then.”

As she led him toward the dining area, the boy continued asking tiny innocent questions. “Why are your lights warm?” “Why does your couch feel soft?” “Why do twins talk loudly all the time?”

The twins immediately started fake-arguing again while Berry laughed harder. Soon Calista and Thea were sitting on the floor with him building toy towers from random cushions. Berry turned out to be dangerously lovable. The kind of child who answered questions thoughtfully before asking one back.

Mrs. Janny sat nearby watching him quietly. “Do you like school?” she asked.

Berry nodded while arranging blocks carefully. “Yes. But Edwin liked it more.”

The room fell silent for a second. The child didn’t even realize what he’d done. That innocent mention of his brother cut through everybody instantly. But Berry simply continued stacking blocks. “He always finished coloring first,” he added proudly.

Mrs. Janny looked away briefly. Sometimes adults underestimated how terrifying grief became around children. Because kids could continue speaking normally while your heart quietly collapsed listening to them.

Aurelia sat down nearby eventually. Berry looked at her curiously. “You look like a superhero.”

Everybody nearly laughed. Aurelia raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“You look strong.”

Luna snorted immediately. “Oh she’ll frame that compliment and hang it on the wall.”

Berry leaned closer innocently. “Can you fight?”

Aurelia smirked faintly. “A little.”

“She definitely slapped somebody into another dimension recently,” Luna muttered.

“Auntie Luna,” Berry whispered seriously, “you gossip too much.”

That finished everybody. Even Aurelia laughed properly for the first time that evening.

Mrs. Janny watched them quietly. And despite everything happening — Vera in critical condition, Kelvin falling apart, Edwin dead under impossible circumstances — the house suddenly felt alive again. Messy. Complicated. Human.

Berry climbed onto the couch eventually and sat beside Mrs. Janny naturally like he had known her forever. “Can I ask a question?”

“Of course.”

“Why were you sad when Daddy came?”

Mrs. Janny paused. Children asked dangerous questions because they aimed directly for truth without realizing it. She smiled carefully. “Adults sometimes carry old stories in their hearts.”

Berry thought about that seriously. Then nodded like it made perfect sense. “Daddy carries many stories,” he said softly.

And somehow that sentence stayed hanging in the room long after he spoke.