Chad always prided himself on being a grounded man, keeping his cool even when Molly poured out her sweet nothings. But that changed at the mall parking lot. He was staring at a trunk full of shopping bags. The phrase “I love you” had never seemed so expensive.
“Did you have to buy so much? You can’t possibly wear all of these even if you change new one every day,” Chad muttered, reorganizing the trunk.
Meanwhile, Molly hopped cheerfully into the passenger seat. “Well, I’ve spent nearly a grand of your money, and it’s not like I’m losing out,” she declared.
Chad then had to drive her out to dinner, realizing he wasn’t just there to accompany her on her shopping spree but also foot the bill. And it seemed that wasn’t enough. He was also expected to help her choose her outfit for the first day of school.
Fed up, Chad pushed Molly out of his room, slammed the door shut, and locked it.
“Did he just... kick me out?” Molly muttered to herself, pouting as she retreated to her room.
Not too long after, Chad’s phone rang with a video call from Molly. “I can’t believe this!” he thought.
Whenever she was not around, she was all he could think about. But when they were together, she was like a nightmare he couldn’t escape. Even in his dreams, he could hear her calling for him, “Chad, Chad, Chad...”
“Chad?”
“Chad.”
“Please, Chad, help me out since mom’s not home...”
Just then, Molly started calling for him again from the other side of the door.
Furious, Chad stormed into her room, grabbed a random dress, and threw it at her face. “Wear this!” he growled.
Finally, Molly realized she had gone too far and decided to keep a low profile.
At dinner, she didn’t dare to sit next to Chad. Even their mother Coleen was surprised. “What happened? Why isn’t the ‘puppy’ following the ‘bone’ around?”
Molly looked down, muttering, “The ‘bone’ probably found a new ‘puppy’.”
Suddenly, there was a loud bang. It was the sound of Chad slamming his hand on the table. The entire Byrne family living room fell silent, and even Molly, who was usually fearless, shivered in fear.
Coleen jumped, and her husband, Kendrick, quickly pulled her into his arms.
“Molly, repeat what you just said.”
Molly, now the center of attention, whispered, “I upset Chad today. I’m afraid he might punish me with sit-ups.”
Kendrick, oblivious to Molly’s antics, was more concerned about his wife. “Molly was just trying to spend more time with you. Was that reason enough for such a tantrum? Look, you scared your mother.”
“Exactly, you scared mom,” Molly chimed in.
Chad was seething but couldn’t let it out.
Molly noticed Chad’s face turning red and didn’t dare to say another word. After all, he would be her ride to school the next day.
After dinner, Molly made herself scarce.
The following morning, on the way to drop Molly off at school, she didn’t dare to utter a word. Chad kept reminding himself, “Patience brings peace. A step back brings silence.”
“Chad...”
“Shut up!”
Molly bit her lower lip, struggling to hold back.
“Chad...”
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