Chapter 3 The package

"I thought I lost you..." Clint said the moment I walked through the door. Before I could even react, his arms wrapped around me in a tight, desperate embrace I never expected.

"Fuck off, Clint!" I screamed, shoving him back with all my strength. "What is wrong with you?!"

"Hey, Clint," Ria said, stepping inside behind me.

Clint glared at her for a brief, tense moment before turning back to me. "Is she leaving soon?" he whispered softly in my ear.

I stared at him, bewildered. "Clint, she lives right next door to us! What is wrong with you?"

"Anyway... you have a delivery," Clint said casually, dragging a small package off the counter and handing it toward me.

"A delivery?" I muttered, taking the box into my hands.

"I think its peanut butter," Clint added, turning his back to walk toward the home bar.

The moment those words left his mouth, my strength vanished. My hands went completely numb, and the glass jar slipped through my fingers, shattering violently across the floor.

"Hey! What's wrong?!" Clint shouted, spinning around as he saw the absolute terror washed over my face.

Ria rushed to my side, instantly realizing the horrific implication.

"I think you should go get something to clean this up, Clint," Ria said quickly, trying to discharge him from the room.

The second Clint turned his back and walked away, Ria grabbed my arm and guided me down the hallway to that secluded room at the far end of the estate ”the same place where I always slept alone.

My chest heaved, my breathing turning into violent, shallow gasps. Ria quickly pulled my inhaler from her bag and pressed it against my lips.

"Calm down, Maya!" she urged as I took a deep hit. "Did you order that? Or..."

"No!" I shook my head frantically, tears welling in my eyes. "I never ordered it! I... I..."

"But you said you killed him!" Ria whispered, her eyes wide with shock. "So who sent this?!"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Clint began pounding heavily on the locked door. "Maya! Maya!"

Ria moved toward the door and unlocked it. The moment it swung open, Clint pushed past her and rushed straight to me. He pulled me violently against his chest, holding me tighter than ever.

"Darling, are you alright?!" Clint asked, his voice trembling with concern. "What happened? Didn't you order the peanut butter?"

"Clint, I think you should leave us for a moment," Ria interrupted gently. "She just received some bad news from home..."

"Bad news?" Clint frowned, looking between us. "That's strange... I just sent Clara some money."

I froze, pulling away from Clint's chest to stare into his eyes.

"I told you not to send any money to my sister, Clint!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, tears finally spilling down my cheeks. "I told you I would handle my own family! Why are you trying so hard to take control of my life?! My sister, my mother”why are you trying to do everything yourself?!"

"Maya, stop!" Ria pleaded, stepping between us. She gently pushed Clint out into the hallway and shut the door behind him.

"Why are you acting like this?!" Ria hissed, turning back to me. "What is so terrible about him sending money to your sister and your mother?!"

"Just get me my phone right now!" I screamed.

Ria rushed out of the room, returning seconds later with my phone. Without wasting a breath, I dialed Clara's number.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" I barked into the speaker the second she answered. "I explicitly warned you not to ask Clint for money! If you need anything, you ask me! Why are you trying so hard to frustrate my life?!"

"Hey, sis, calm down!" Clara yelled back. "I didn't ask him for a single damn dime! He just sent it out of nowhere and he even sent Mother some money too!"

"Hold on... he sent money to Mother too?!" My voice dropped.

Clara went quiet on the other end for a brief moment. "Sis... just deal with your own issues."

Click.

She hung up on me.

I threw myself onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "You see what Clint is trying to do?!"

"Maya, Clint isn't doing anything wrong," Ria reasoned softly. "You're just overthinking everything. Please, just calm down..."

"Fuck!" I slammed my foot against the wooden nightstand. "Nobody understands! Nobody gets it but me! I don't even know how to make you understand..."

"Maya..." Ria started.

"I know Clint!" I cut her off, my voice trembling. "It sounds completely insane, but Clint is gradually trying to buy my family over! Yes,to win them over so I can never leave! It sounds crazy, but I try so hard to pretend it's normal..."

Ria walked over, sitting beside me and tapping my shoulder gently. "Let Clint be for now. We need to figure out who sent that package to you."

The moment she said it, a cold realization struck me. I bolted out of the room, with Ria running right behind me.

We rushed back into the main hallway, but the shattered glass was gone. The floor where the jar of peanut butter had broken was completely spotless.

I marched straight to the kitchen trash can and flipped the lid open. Empty.

"Where is the package?!" I demanded, turning around as Clint walked into the kitchen.

"I disposed of it already," Clint replied smoothly. "I saw how much it terrified you, so..."

"Anything you fucking disposed of should still be in this trash can!" I yelled, pointing at the empty bin. "Why isn't it here?!"

Clint looked at me, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"Because I saw how much it frightened you, Maya," Clint said quietly. "I had to burn it."

I froze.