Nicole had gone to the extreme. She had taken pills in a bid for attention and her act plunged the house into chaos.
I stood there, my face darkened with suppressed anger, as my mother-in-law shrieked and rushed to her side.
At the hospital, the hysterics continued.
My mother-in-law cried loudly enough to shake the walls, pointing her finger at me in condemnation. "It’s all your fault! You wronged her and now she’s like this!"
She even pretended to call the police, bellowing to anyone who would listen that I was a murderer.
By this point, the neighbors had gathered, drawn out of their homes by the noise. Seeing the audience grow, my mother-in-law's performance became even more theatrical.
She clung to one of her old friends, sobbing dramatically. "Skylar pushed her to this! Call the police—she needs to pay for what she’s done!"
I stood there, torn between anger and disbelief, watching her smear my name in front of the entire neighborhood. "What nonsense are you spouting now?" I finally managed, my voice trembling with restrained fury.
But their eyes told me everything—they believed her.