After Rebirth, I Killed the Scumbag's Entire Family

"Hold your horses, Zack," I teased, turning with a playful smirk. "Just us two? That's barely a party. Maybe if you dialed up a few pals..." I pretended to be bashful and gave his chest a light tap. "Catch my drift?"

"You minx, I'll make sure you're over the moon today. Fellas, stop hiding and come on out!" He pulled me close and called into the house. Quickly, a bunch of strapping guys came out, practically drooling at the sight of me.

As they lunged forward, I flashed the bottle of wine, "Easy, boys! I just hooked up with Ethan and haven't even showered. Why don't you guys kick back with some of his top-notch wine while I hit the shower?"

"Cool, let the lady freshen up. We'll wash off Ethan's leftovers first, then dive in! Today, we're playing it clean." They erupted into crude laughter, and I stifled my revulsion.

I managed to pour each one a hefty glass, pushed them to drink up, and then slipped into the bathroom.

After the last mess, I grilled Felicity on why she wasn't around. She claimed she was out buying more groceries. In reality, she had skedaddled to give these animals room! They'd be paying a steep price soon, though.

I waited until the racket outside faded before stepping out of the bathroom. As planned, they were all knocked out cold, sprawled across the floor.

Earlier, I'd spiked the wine with enough sleeping pills, playing nice just to get them to guzzle it down. I gave Zack a couple of kicks; he was out cold.

I made a call, and soon a van pulled up to Felicity's to cart Zack and his cronies away. They were off to a seedy underground club known for other shady activities. The owner would surely find their "talents" useful, and the payoff for me wouldn't be too shabby. Their builds guaranteed customer satisfaction.

After handling Zack, I raced back home, arriving just as Ethan did. Seeing me all composed, he asked, "Babe, where've you been?"

"Just dropped off some wine for Felicity. Heard you had a killer bottle she was dying for, so I ran it over," I said, cool as ever.

"Everything cool? Any trouble?" he probed.

"Nah. Why? I didn't even step inside; just handed the wine off to Zack at the door."

He didn't push it but quickly ducked into another room to make a call, keeping his voice low. I still caught him asking Felicity what the hell was going on.

I remembered how, after being rapped last time, Ethan first soothed me, claiming it wasn't my fault, just the booze talking, and assured me he wouldn't think less of me. But once I dropped my lawsuit, his tune changed fast. He not only brought other women home but let them freely humiliate me. I hadn't forgotten that.

Soon enough, Felicity called too, frantic because she couldn't reach Zack and her house was a disaster. She was bound to hit me up. I just told her I left the wine at the door and split.

Ethan looked worried sick when I mentioned heading to my mom's place. He practically jumped at the idea. He was itching for me to leave, probably scheming on how to deal with me next. And I was itching to confront my sexist mom and abusive brother.

I hadn't even reached the door when I heard my mom's wails, "My darling boy, you're killing me! Stop, I'll give you 2,000 dollars to go have some fun!"