SEDUCING MY MOM'S HUSBAND

Episode 3

Lisa's Pov

“No…” I watched in horror as dad walked into the kitchen, taking the drink from her hands and downing it in one gulp.

"Stop!" I screamed, rushing forward. My heart pounded as I grabbed the empty glass from my father’s hand, almost knocking it out of his grip.

“Lisa, what on earth…?” Dad frowned at me, his voice full of confusion.

“Spit it out!” I demanded, my voice trembling. “The drink, it’s poisoned! She poisoned it!”

Dad froze, his brows knitting together in shock, “What are you talking about?”

Behind him, my mother gasped, her expression one of perfect innocence, “Lisa, how could you say such a thing? It’s his blood pressure medicine! You know he takes it every evening.”

Her words made me falter, confusion clouding my mind. Was I mistaken? My eyes darted between the two of them. Dad’s puzzled face and Mom’s indignant one. She reached out, placing a gentle hand on Dad’s arm, “Honestly, Lisa, you’re acting ridiculous. If you don’t believe me, I can show you the bottle.”

“I…” I hesitated, the certainty I’d felt moments ago starting to waver, “I saw you…”

“Saw me what?” Mom cut me off, her tone sharp, “Caring for your father? Making sure he stays healthy? How could you even accuse me of such a thing? I gave birth to you!”

Dad sighed and shook his head, “Lisa, you’ve really upset your mother. Let’s all calm down, okay? We’ll talk about this later.”

He placed the glass back on the counter and gestured for us to join him at the dining table. Reluctantly, I followed, though my legs felt like lead, too heavy for me to carry them. The knot in my stomach tightened as I sat across from my parents. Mom served dinner with her usual grace, but I couldn’t stop watching her every move. Something was wrong, I was sure of it.

Dad tried to lighten the mood, starting with small talk about his day, “You know, Lisa, I was thinking we could…”

His words blurred as I kept my eyes on Mom. Her smile seemed too forced and her movements looked too calculated.

What are you hiding? I thought, my chest tightening.

“Lisa, are you listening? Dad is speaking to you? You're acting weird.” My older brother, Liam questioned, cutting and placing a bit of steak into his mouth. However, before I could respond to him, I heard a loud crash. I whipped my head towards the source of the crash and my eyes widened in shock.

On the ground was my father, layed on the floor, his body still.

“Dad!” I screamed, leaping to my feet, Liam was already rushing to his side, his panic palpable as he shook him, trying to wake him up.

I glared at the mother who stood at the back, “What the f**k did you do?! What did you do?!” I yelled, stomping towards her.

“Me?” She shrugged, “What do you think I did?”

“You f*****g… Urk!” I stumbled back, my hand holding my chest as pain shot through me.

“What… What is…” I stuttered, blood filling my mouth. My gaze began to get blurry and I heard another thud and before I could see why fell, the world around me went dark, black spots filling my vision.

When I woke up, everything was different.

The scent of disinfectant filled the air, and the blinding white lights of the hospital ceiling burned my eyes. I blinked rapidly, my body aching as though it had been dragged through hell. For a moment, I couldn’t remember how I got here. Then, like a dam breaking, the events of the night before flooded back into my mind.

“Dad…” I whispered hoarsely, sitting up abruptly, but the pain in my chest forced me back down.

A nurse, startled by my sudden movement, rushed over, “Miss Lisa, you need to rest. You’ve been through a lot.”

“What happened?” I rasped, my throat dry, “Where’s my dad? My brother?” And on second thought, I asked again, “What about my mom?”

Her expression faltered, pity in her eyes. I knew that looks all good well, and now, it can't be.

“I'm sorry, Miss Lisa. But your father and brothers died in a car accident, you and your mother were the only ones who survived. I'm sorry.”

“Huh?” I blinked, confused, “What are you talking about? What car accident?”

No, seriously. What car accident was she talking about? They were poisoned, how come it was a car accident?!

“How… How long has it been since I was here?” I questioned.

“Well… It's been… You have been in a coma for six months so two months has passed since you were brought to the hospital. Your mother had woken up a week after she was brought to the hospital but your father and siblings died on the spot. Then your mother took over the empire as none of you were awake to do so. You…”

I drowned out her words, not willing to believe them. I couldn't believe them, how could I? I had seen everything that happened that night and it's been two months? Ha! An accident?

“That wasn't an accident, it was murder.”

The nurse gave me a concerned look, leaning closer as if to console me, "Miss Lisa, I understand this is overwhelming. Sometimes, the mind creates false memories after trauma to cope with what really happened."

False memories? Was she insane? I wasn’t confused. I wasn’t delusional.

“I saw it.” I insisted, my voice trembling, “I saw my dad fall. Liam was with us. My mom, she...” My voice caught, and I clenched the sheets tightly, “She did something. It wasn’t a car accident. She’s lying. They’re all lying.”

The nurse sighed and placed a hand on my arm, "You’ve been through a terrible ordeal. Please, just focus on recovering. Perhaps talking to someone…"

I ripped my arm away from her hold, "Get out." My voice was cold, my heart pounding in anger. She opened her mouth to protest but thought better of it and left the room quietly, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

The moment she was gone, I forced myself to sit up again, ignoring the pain that shot through my body. Six months? None of this made sense.

Then, the door opened, and my mother walked in. She wore a sleek black dress, her hair perfectly styled. Her face lit up in a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, “Lisa, darling.” She cooed happily, “You’re finally awake. I’ve been so worried.”

I stared at her, every muscle in my body tense, “What happened?” I demanded, my voice low.

Her smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she sighed, a mask of grief settling over her face, “It was terrible.” She said, her voice trembling.

“The accident took your father and Liam from us. I… I’m so grateful you survived, Lisa.”

Liar. You were such a huge liar.

Her performance was flawless, but I saw through it. My mother was many things, but grief-stricken wasn’t one of them.

“Why do you have Dad’s empire? That was your plan all along, wasn't it?” I shot back, my voice sharper than a blade.

Her expression darkened, the mask slipping just enough for me to see the woman behind it, “Because someone had to keep it afloat.” She snapped.

“Do you think I wanted this? I did what I had to do to protect what’s left of this family. You should be grateful.”

“Grateful?” I laughed bitterly, though it hurt my chest, “You poisoned him. You killed them both.”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she stepped closer, looming over me, “Careful, Lisa.” She hissed, her tone ice-cold, “You don’t want to say things you’ll regret.”

“What are you going to do?” I spat, glaring at her. “Kill me too? Oh, you must have poisoned me also, but you didn't expect that I would survive, right? Trying to kill me again would bring in some suspicions to you, after all, since I survived the ‘car accident’, I can't land myself in the hospital again. Honestly, you should thank me, you would have borne the suspicions of so many people if you were the only one who had survived.”

I watched as a series of expressions passed through my mother's eye, each different from the last.

“You…” She began, but before she could say anything else, a knock interrupted us. The door opened and a man that I didn't recognise walked in, he was tall, his aura intimidating as well as a smile that sent shivers down my spine.

“Ah, Lisa.” My mother smiled, beaming happily, “Meet my new husband, Henford.”

“Your new… Husband?” I stammered, shocked. She had remarried? The corner of my lips twitched, my fists clenching but I couldn't burst, not yet. Since she wanted to play a game, then two could play.

I put on a distressed and panic stricken mask, tears gathering at the corner of my eyes, “You… You remarried?”