Chapter 2

The next day, Crystal moved into our house.

I woke up to the sound of car doors slamming and voices in the driveway. When I looked out my bedroom window, I saw Phoenix and Crystal unloading what looked like half of Nordstrom from the trunk of an Uber.

By the time I got downstairs, Crystal was standing in our foyer surrounded by designer luggage, surveying the place like she was planning a renovation.

"This is my new home!" she announced to no one in particular, her arms spread wide. "Isn't it perfect, baby?"

Phoenix was grinning like an idiot. "I thought you'd want to stay close while we plan the wedding."

Wedding? Since when were they engaged?

"Scarlett!" Crystal's voice cut through my confusion. "Perfect timing. We need to talk."

She marched into the living room like she owned the place. I followed, still in my pajamas and feeling like I'd missed several important chapters of this story.

"You need to move out," she said without any preamble. "This house's future lady of the house needs her own space, and having you here is just... inappropriate."

"Inappropriate?" I repeated.

"Well, yes. After what happened yesterday, I think it's clear that boundaries need to be established. Phoenix and I are building a life together, and that requires some adjustments."

I looked at Phoenix, waiting for him to jump in and explain that this was insane. Instead, he was nodding along.

"Maybe it would be good for you to get your own place anyway, sis," he said. "You're 31. Most people your age don't live with their parents anymore."

The casual cruelty of that comment hit me harder than Crystal's accusations. This was coming from my little brother, who'd cried in my arms when he didn't get into his first-choice college.

"I don't live here," I said slowly. "I have my own apartment near UCLA. I'm just visiting for the holidays."

"Exactly my point," Crystal said. "All these visits need to stop. It's not healthy for any of us."

Before I could respond, she was already moving on to her next project. She walked over to the bookshelf where I kept some of my old textbooks from graduate school.

"What is all this?" she asked, pulling out my copy of "Family Systems Therapy."

"Those are my books. From when I got my PhD."

"These need to go," she said, dropping the book into the nearby trash can. "All of them. These books are making you think unhealthy thoughts."

I watched in horror as she started pulling book after book off the shelf. "Abnormal Psychology," "Developmental Trauma," "Therapeutic Relationships."

"Stop!" I lunged forward, but she'd already dumped half my collection into the garbage.

"These are making you obsess over family relationships in a very unhealthy way," Crystal said, brushing dust off her hands. "Normal women don't need to study this stuff."

"I'm a psychology professor," I said, my voice shaking with rage. "Those books are my career."

"Well, maybe it's time for a career change."

I looked at Phoenix again. Surely this would be the moment he'd step in and defend me.

"Crystal has a point," he said quietly. "Maybe you focus too much on analyzing everyone's relationships. It's kind of weird."

I felt like he'd slapped me.

Crystal wasn't finished with her redecoration project. She moved to the mantelpiece where Mom kept family photos and started taking them down.

"These need to go too," she said, removing a picture of Phoenix and me from his high school graduation. "Too many memories of the old family dynamic."

"Those are family photos," I protested.

"Exactly. Phoenix is starting a new family now. With me."

She shoved the photos into a box like they were garbage. Pictures of family vacations, Christmas mornings, Phoenix's acting debut at the community theater.

All of it disappearing into a cardboard box.

"And another thing," Crystal continued, moving on to her next target. "I don't want you spending time in the living room anymore when Phoenix is home. This is our space now."

"It's my family's living room."

"Not anymore. I don't want you hanging around Phoenix, trying to get his attention. It makes me uncomfortable."

Mom chose that moment to walk in from the kitchen, carrying a cup of coffee. She stopped short when she saw the chaos.

"What's happening here?" she asked.

"Oh, Mrs. Ravencroft," Crystal said sweetly. "I was just making some necessary adjustments. I hope you don't mind, but I think it would be more appropriate if you addressed me as Miss Crystal from now on. It shows proper respect for my position in Phoenix's life."

I watched Mom's face carefully. She was trying to process what she was hearing.

"Miss Crystal," Mom repeated slowly.

"That's right. And if it's not too much trouble, could you make me some tea? The water needs to be exactly the right temperature. Not too hot, not too cold."

Mom looked like she'd been asked to solve calculus. "Of course, dear."

As Mom headed back to the kitchen, Crystal called after her. "Oh, and Mrs. Ravencroft? I'll need you to take care of my laundry while I'm staying here. Hand wash only for my delicates. A good mother-in-law should be happy to help with these things."

I saw Mom's steps falter slightly, but she didn't turn around.

"And one more thing," Crystal continued. "Phoenix and I will need the master bedroom. We're planning our future together, and we need the space. I'm sure you understand."

Now Mom did turn around. "The master bedroom?"

"It only makes sense. We're the couple building a life here. You and Mr. Ravencroft can take one of the smaller rooms."

The audacity was breathtaking. She was asking my parents to give up their own bedroom in their own house.

Mom looked at Crystal for a long moment, then at Phoenix, who was suddenly very interested in his phone.

"I'll... think about it," Mom said finally.

"Wonderful!" Crystal clapped her hands together. "Oh, and for dinner tonight, I'd like you to sit next to me so you can help serve if I need anything. Phoenix should sit at the head of the table, of course, since he's the man of the house."

That was it. That was the moment something shifted in Mom's expression. It was subtle, but I caught it.

Mom had built a fashion empire from nothing. She'd dressed Hollywood stars and European royalty. She'd been featured on the cover of Vogue.

And this 22-year-old Instagram influencer wanted her to play servant.

"Of course," Mom said, her voice perfectly controlled. "Whatever makes you comfortable."

But when Crystal turned away to continue her redecorating, Mom looked at me. Really looked at me.

And I saw something in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

Something that looked a lot like anger.