Chapter 78
“Liberty, Hank works every day to earn money for you and Sonny. His job can be exhausting and stressful. As his wife, you should take care of him. How can you leave all the house chores for him to do?” Mrs. Brown scolded, trying to turn the tables. “Hank only mentioned going halves so you don’t overspend. Why are you fussing over every little thing with him? Hurry up and clear the table. Don’t make Hank angry. It’s already tough enough that he has to work so hard, so show some understanding.”
Chelsea chimed in, echoing her mother’s thoughts. “Yeah, as if you know what that feels like. All you do is take care of Sonny at home, while spending Hank’s money. You have the nerve to order him around?”
Liberty, already fed up, left the kitchen and walked toward the children’s toy motorbike to pick up Sonny. With a blank expression, she responded, “I don’t have a job or any source of income. I can only rely on Hank because I’m a full-time mom. Yet, he expects me to pay for my half?! So, what’s this supposed to be? Fine. I’ll pay my half, but he must do his share of the house chores too. We’ll go halves on everything. Didn’t you say I have it easy at home and don’t do anything? Well, you get your wish. I’m not going to do anything now so Hank will see that the house doesn’t clean itself. His dirty clothes and socks won’t wash and fold themselves.”
With that, Liberty picked up her son and grabbed the gifts Zachary had brought before heading into the bedroom. She slammed the door behind her.
“She’s gone mad!” Hank shouted in frustration, slamming the fruit knife on the coffee table. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to confront Liberty and show her who was in charge.
“Hank,” Mrs. Brown intervened, pulling her son back. “What are you trying to do? Sonny’s inside. Don’t scare him. Wait until he’s asleep before you teach Liberty a lesson. And don’t hit her where the bruises are visible. Serenity will go after you if she sees any bruises. We’ve got to watch our backs with her husband.”
Hank knew that Zachary worked for a big corporation, though the sisters had never revealed the name. Despite Hank’s attempts to befriend Zachary, the man had kept his distance. As a manager in his own company, Hank took offense to Zachary’s aloofness and started to feel inferior.
Flipping his lid, Hank snapped, “Whatever happens between me and my wife is none of their business! What? Is Serenity going to hit me? They should be the ones watching their backs!” Chelsea, ever the instigator, added fuel to the fire.