My Sister's Husband Died in My Bed

My name is Iris Browne. When my brother-in-law, Joseph Paul, died in my bed, everyone believed they knew exactly what had happened. To atone for my so-called crime, my husband, Gale Austin, divorced me and married my adopted sister, Carol Browne. The company I built, the shares that bore my name, all handed over by my brother, Stephen Browne, to Carol, who quickly rose to dazzling stardom. As for me? I was packed off to a mental institution, a convenient exile to dodge justice. By the time the statute of limitations expired, I had already become a ghost in their world. They came to pick me up. Gale carefully draped a coat over my shoulders, looking at me with sympathy. "Iris, it's over now. I'll always be here for you." But outside, reporters swarmed like wasps around sugar. "Ms. Browne, how could you shamelessly seduce your own brother-in-law and get away with his death?" "Isn't it an insult to the victim that you dodged prison with a fake psychiatric diagnosis and spent your days lounging in a mental ward?" I didn't hear them. The endless electroshock therapy in the mental institution had left me with constant tinnitus. Then it happened. A fan of Carol flung a bottle of rancid animal blood straight at me. "You witch! Because of you, Carol had no one to celebrate her birthday!" "You killed her husband, destroyed her family, and now you're trying to steal her last living relative, too? Why don't you just drop dead?" I stood frozen as the thick liquid dripped down my face. But that wasn't true. Back then, they'd dislocated my jaw so I couldn't speak in my own defense. Forged evidence. Painted me as a monster. All to bury the truth: Carol was the real killer! *** Slowly, I raised a hand and wiped the blood from my eyes. No tears. No hysterics. Not even a flicker of reaction. I turned and walked away from the shouting crowd. "Iris?" Stephen's voice cut through the noise behind me, tight with disbelief. "Where are you going?" Gale stepped in front of me, brows knitted. "Don't make a scene here, Iris. We're taking you home." I stopped. Finally, I looked at them. "Home?" "Which one? Stephen, didn't you sign over everything I owned to Carol? What home is left for me?" Stephen's expression stiffened. I turned to Gale, whose fingers were still clamped tightly around my hand. I curved my lips into a bitter smile. "Oh, I forgot to say. Congratulations on your marriage to Carol." "Though honestly, no need to hide it next time. If you could carry on an affair under my roof, clearly public opinion doesn't trouble you." "Iris!" His face darkened. "Must you talk to me with this attitude?" Stephen bristled and reached for my arm. "What kind of attitude is that? After everything we've done for you, this is how you repay us?" As they tugged at me, the same fan barreled forward again, eyes blazing with hatred. She raised her hand to slap me. "Bitch, how dare you disrespect Stephen and Carol's husband? I ought to kill you!" This time, Gale and Stephen caught her. Gale turned to me, exasperated. "Iris, can't you see you're only making things worse? Why can't you just talk through this?" Seriously? I stared at him. It was almost laughable. "Making things worse?" "Let me ask you something. What have I done, from the very beginning to now, that warranted any of this? She's a murderer! You protected her, locked me away in a living hell, and wrecked my life! And now you want me to thank you? You're no better than executioners." "Shut up!" Stephen roared. "There was no murder! Carol is a gentle, innocent girl. Don't you dare slander her!" "You're just jealous! You envied Joseph's love for her, and that's why you concocted this sick fantasy!" "Sending you to the mental institution was mercy. It was for treatment, not punishment. The least you can do is be grateful." Gale sighed. "Iris, please. I know you feel wronged. Marrying Carol was temporary." "She fell into a deep depression after Joseph's death. Being with her was part of your atonement." "Once she's better, we can start over. I promise. And I'll never leave you again." Slap! I swing my hand and strike him across the face with all the force I have. The crack echoed through the air. Gale's head snapped to the side, a bright red handprint blooming on his cheek. He looked genuinely stunned, as if he never imagined I'd raise a finger against him. Stephen gaped at me. "Iris, have you lost your mind?" My breath hitched. My voice broke through the haze of fury. "Start over?" "Gale, you truly disgust me." "Go live your perfect life with your dear Carol. A scoundrel and a scheming snake, you're a match made in hell. I won't keep you company anymore!" Stephen's face twisted with fury. He jabbed a finger at me. "Iris, this is your last chance! Kneel. Apologize to Gale and Carol, right now. Or don't expect me to see you as my sister ever again! Just see how you survive in Seaford without my protection!"

Just then, a sleek, understated luxury limousine glided to a halt at the edge of the crowd. The door opened silently. Carol emerged with poised grace, her assistant steadying her elbow. "Stephen, Gale, please, don't speak to Iris like that." The moment Gale and Stephen saw her, they practically bolted to her side. "Why did you come out, Carol?" Stephen said urgently. "It's chaos out here. Get back in the car!" "He's right, Carol. You don't feel well. You shouldn't have come." Gale added, wrapping an arm protectively around her, shielding her from view. Their cautious demeanor was a blade in my gut. Once, they had cherished me in the same way. *** Some older students cornered me at school back then. Stephen shrugged off his backpack and threw himself into the fight, one against three. Bruised and bleeding, he'd grin like a fool and say, "Don't worry. I've got you." Meanwhile, Gale removed every obstacle in silence. He leveraged family power to crush the other boys' families, forcing them out of the city. His father had punished him for it, six lashes across his back. Yet he never told me. The clearer those memories became, the more grotesque the present felt. It was like I was watching a dream rot into a nightmare. No one was paying attention to me. The same fan who'd attacked me before seized her chance. Along with a few others, she lunged forward, yanking my hair and slamming me to the ground. "Rip that seductive face to shreds!" "Murderer! Let's purge society of trash like you!" "She deserves it! Beat her!" Over the five years in the institution, I'd learned to absorb pain. To curl inward, shield my head and chest, and wait for it to pass. Blurred vision swam as they kicked and dragged me. Through a slit of sight, I saw Gale lean close to Carol, murmuring reassurances. His expression was softer than I'd seen in years. Stephen, meanwhile, glanced at me with undisguised disgust. Carol feigned shock, as if she hadn't noticed the mess until now. "Stop!" She cried, stepping between them and me. Gently, she reached out. "Iris, are you alright?" Yet her fingers dug cruelly into the wound on my arm. I let out a strangled groan. She flinched as if I'd burned her, then burst into dramatic tears. "I... I'm sorry, Iris. I didn't mean to hurt you, I just wanted to help." Before I could respond, Stephen drove his foot into my ribs. I crumpled, rolling across the pavement, vision dimming. "How much longer will you keep hurting Carol?" He snarled, grabbing my hair and yanking my head up. "Still acting? After all this time, still playing the victim? Carol barely touched you, and you clutch your wounds like martyrdom." "Trying to pull that old trick again? Pretending to be her, saving me, then framing her and ruining her reputation? Ruining the career she has built for years?" "Let me make this clear, Iris. Carol is kind. She fears these lies. Me? I'm not so forgiving." The agony in my scalp was blinding. "If you try those stunts again, the mental institution will welcome you back. You better believe it." "Enough!" Gale wrenched Stephen's wrist away. "She's still your sister." "Does she deserve to be?" Stephen shoved him off. "Ever since she ran from that valley and left me to die, all for her own skin, she's no longer my sister. From that day forward, Carol is the only sister I have."

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