Breakfast was probably her favorite meal of the day for multiple reasons. Monty was the only member of the family who usually joined them. And that was because it was Thomas's duty to bring the disabled old man down from the upstairs. Hoyt tended to be on his way out or already gone for the day. And Luda Mae was usually somewhere else in the house.

She didn't mind Monty so much. He rarely ever talked or interacted with her. There were the random days that she was asked to take care of him for a few hours. By taking care, usually that meant wheeling him around the house and being company for him when Thomas or Luda Mae were busy. She didn't offer any small talk when they were alone and he seemed content in grumbling to himself, while he pet his taxidermy dog and stared outside. It was strange, the thought that at one point the family did own a pet. But, Monty must have loved that dog since he carried it everywhere with him.

Elizabeth held onto Thomas as they headed down the stairs into the dining room.

There was another reason why she loved breakfast of all the other meals. It was rare for them to eat meat. It wasn't that they ate human meat all the time. She knew that. She'd seen Thomas butcher a pig before. There was just no telling, for her at least, what meat she was eating unless she had cooked the dish herself. Thankfully, when it came to breakfast, she usually ate cereal or oatmeal which had no meat.

Perhaps, Thomas would reconsider his stance on making her eat meat. Of course, she would rather he reconsider eating at the very least human meat, unfortunately, that didn't seem like a possibility. But, perhaps he wouldn't insist on her eating whatever meat was given. That hope suddenly seemed attainable. That condom had shifted her outlook on their life. He was willing to cover himself up so she wouldn't get pregnant because he knew she didn't want kids yet. Could she start pushing for a different diet? Hell, she'd be more than happy to cook every single one of her meals if they let her.

The dining room, much to her relief, was empty. Maybe she'd be able to go another day without seeing his family.

"Tommy? Lizzy? Is that you?" Luda Mae called out, immediately eliminating Elizabeth's hope.

"Oh good. You both are finally up and about. It's nearly lunchtime, ya know." Stepping out from the kitchen she rushed over to Elizabeth and grabbed her hand. "I'm gonna need help today, dear," she said as she partially dragged Elizabeth into the kitchen.

Elizabeth fought back her wave of panic, half expecting to see Hoyt seated at the kitchen table instead. With that horrible sneer on his face, happy that she'd been forced to see him again. She wasn't ready to face him yet or hear his voice. It was going to happen sooner rather than later, but she was more than willing to wait it out.

"My sister and Henrietta are coming for lunch and we have a lot to do to prepare," Luda Mae said, letting Elizabeth go. "Tommy, be a good boy and go upstairs and check on your uncle Monty and bring him down. When the two of you disappeared yesterday he ended up staying in his room all day."

Elizabeth froze and stared out one of the kitchen windows for a moment as her heart started to beat faster. This was the moment, wasn't it. Thomas would listen to his mother like he always did, and leave her alone. It really shouldn't feel that important. He wasn't going to be gone for very long, but it just reminded her that his mother would inevitably trump her.

Suppressing her sigh, she half turned to watch Thomas leave.

Her breath caught in her lungs as her eyes slightly widened in surprise. Thomas stood by the kitchen doorway, his focus was clearly on his mother. He hadn't immediately obeyed her. Sensing Elizabeth's stare, he turned his head to look at her. Without giving his mother a reply, he walked up to Elizabeth and cupped her face. His brow furrowed into a question and he nodded his head.

"Are you okay that I leave?" Her mind interrupted his gesture.

Elizabeth forced herself to remain calm and not jump on him and kiss him with glee that he was looking to her for direction. It shouldn't have felt so significant to her. He could do whatever he wanted. He was a grown man after all. He didn't need her permission and she didn't want him to look to her for constant guidance of what he could and couldn't do.

But, this was something different. A message to his mother and her. Thomas was including her in his life and decisions. If she told him no, would he stay?

She looked at Luda Mae then back at Thomas. There was a part of her that wanted to test him. See if he would refuse Luda Mae's command if she said she'd rather he stay. But, she found herself nodding instead.

"Yeah," she said, placing her hands on his and lowering them.

"She'll be fine, dear," Luda Mae said with an annoyed huff. "You ain't gonna be gone that long."

Elizabeth wasn't completely convinced that she was going to be fine. Perhaps physically, but mentally was another question. She still felt a little fragile. All that was needed was the right words from the right person to send her spiraling again. But she couldn't live her life constantly hiding behind Thomas. He wasn't always going to be there for her.

Thomas leaned in and brushed his lips against Elizabeth's. She gave him a smile, pretending her heart wasn't pounding a hundred miles a minute. Pulling away, he shifted his gaze to his mother. The room temperature seemed to drop just a little as his face darkened ever so slightly. His hand squeezed Elizabeth's.

Luda Mae's eyes widened in complete surprise.

He didn't need to say it or gesture. What he was thinking was clear. Don't hurt her.

Giving Elizabeth one last kiss he walked out of the room, leaving her alone with his mother.

"Well, don't just stand there," Luda Mae said sharply. "You start on the dishes while I start lunch."

Elizabeth gave her assigned task a quick once over. The counter and sink were full of dirty dishes, making her internally sigh. It was going to take a while. But, that was alright. Hopefully, it would keep her busy till Thomas got back.

Behind her, Luda Mae clanged and banged some pots and pans as she started to prepare the meal.

The tension and stress that Elizabeth normally felt whenever Thomas left her alone was oddly not present. She felt at peace. Stronger. More self-assured. For the first time, since she'd woken up at the Hewitt house, she wasn't afraid of making a wrong move and getting punished.

Maybe she wasn't as mentally fragile as she thought she was.

Luda Mae let out a loud sigh. "I'm sorry, dear," Luda Mae said, breaking the silence. "He shouldn't have done it."

Elizabeth shoulders tensed at the woman's words. No, he shouldn't have, she thought. But, she didn't say anything. She didn't even want to discuss it with the old woman. Instead, she raised her gaze to look out of the dirty kitchen window and into the field outside. A field that led to a broken old home that seemed destiny to be her new home, some day.

He shouldn't have… But?

"But-"

"Shut up." Elizabeth heard her voice say. Her fingers clenched around the handle of the utensil she was cleaning.

"Excuse me, young lady. I will not-"

"Shut up, Luda Mae!" Elizabeth interrupted. She pulled her hands out from the dirty water and spun around. Her muscles bunched as she squared her shoulders.

The old woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"You knew what he planned," she accused, pointing the utensil in her hand at Luda Mae. Luda Mae's face paled and she took a step back. Her retreat fueled a growing fire that was inside of Elizabeth. Feeling intoxicated with courage and anger, she stormed over to the old woman.

"You're the worst out of your entire family."

Luda Mae opened her mouth as if to argue, but let out a startled cry when her back hit a wall. Elizabeth stopped directly in front of her.

"Do you know why?" she asked. She didn't let Luda Mae answer though. The old woman wouldn't admit it even if she saw where Elizabeth was going. "Because you're a liar. At least Hoyt-" She felt a lump develop in her throat the moment his name came out of her lips. "He never once acted as if he didn't want to fuck me. I don't think Thomas really saw the danger he was to me. But I did. I saw how he looked at me with lust and want. And I know you did too. Don't think I didn't see you close by when Thomas wasn't around. That I didn't hear you remind Hoyt that I was Thomas's when he would stare at me for a little to long."

Her chest heaved with deep, heavy breaths as she glared at Luda Mae. The old woman diverted her eyes, confirming Elizabeth's words.

"You all suspected, didn't you? Well, you and Hoyt did. That I may be on some form of birth control. You knew what he would do when I was alone with him if it was true. And you let me leave alone with him. You distracted Thomas so he wouldn't join us, because we both know that Thomas would not have allowed Hoyt to touch me."

"Thomas would have-"

"No," Elizabeth interrupted, shaking her head. She was not about to let Luda Mae put doubt in her mind. "He wouldn't have let Hoyt do a goddamn thing to me. Thomas may have done something to me himself, but he wouldn't have let Hoyt touch me. And you both know it. That's why you distracted him, keeping him here. Because he loves me more than either of you want to admit. And that's why Hoyt tried to silence me." Elizabeth snorted and took a step back. "You fucked up, Luda Mae. You and Hoyt."

Luda Mae swallowed, but then nodded. "I knew you were lying to my boy," she said. "And you needed to be taught a lesson."

"A lesson? What was I supposed to do?" she asked, waving her hands in the air. "Admit I was on birth control to my rapist who wanted to impregnate me? Possibly piss all of you off and find myself in deeper shit than I already was in? I figured you wouldn't kill me but that didn't mean you couldn't do other things to me."

Luda Mae started to look away, but Elizabeth slammed her free hand by the woman's head.

"You cannot blame me for keeping secrets. You kidnapped me. Murdered my traveling companion. And forced me to "marry" your son. I lived every day in fear and I tried my best to not rock the fucking boat so that I could have some relative freedom."

"You killed him, dear," Luda Mae stated. "That "traveling companion" of yours."

Chills ran through her body at those words and she pushed herself away from Luda Mae. Narrowing her eyes, Elizabeth's lips curled into a snarl and she raised her right hand with the utensil, pointing it at Luda Mae. "He was already dead and we all know it. I just quickened it so he wouldn't have to suffer."

Jason. It was a mercy killing. He was going to die. His body was already cut up with limbs missing. But he was still alive when she plunged that knife into his heart. She took his life, a human life. And it really should have fucked her up. Should have haunted her. She should have had nightmares about it. But, her brain must have decided she had enough to deal with and to not add that to her conscience.

"Fuck me," she said as the realization hit her. She ran her left hand across her face in frustration. "I'm so fucked up."

Neither woman said anything for a moment. Elizabeth rubbed her mouth and took in several breaths. As quickly as the rage engulfed her it disappeared, causing her shoulders to sag.

"That's what you choose to focus on? God, you're the worst," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. It was clear that Luda Mae wasn't going to admit to any real fault in what had transpired.

Luda Mae's mouth dropped and she took in a breath.

"Don't say anything," Elizabeth interrupted. Not that she expected an apology. She let out a deep sigh and turned her gaze toward the window for a moment. A pair of butterflies flew by.

"We can be the family that you need. That is what you told me that first night. The night you tied me to that bed and put that old wedding dress on me. The night you encouraged Thomas to rape me. You said I'd realize that you're the best family for me. But, actions speak louder than words, Luda Mae."

Luda Mae visibly gulped when Elizabeth focused her attention back on her.

"You say I'm family, but no one treated me like I was, except for Thomas. Especially you, plastering that fake-loving smile on your face and acting all nice toward me. Was it because of Thomas? Were you faking it because you wanted him to think you liked me? Because you knew he was happy with me around?"

Luda Mae opened her mouth.

"Doesn't matter," Elizabeth interrupted, waving her hand in the air in a dismissive manner. Her questions were more rhetorical. There was probably nothing Luda Mae could say that would make her feel better. "What matters is that you are a goddamn liar. Hoyt- He lied to me because he didn't want me telling Thomas what happened. But, he always showed me what I was to him. Something to fuck. You? You never wanted me to be a part of the family, did you? All you wanted from me is my uterus. My ability to have children. Why didn't you all just tie me to a bed? Instead of acting like I was part of this family. Dangling that carrot in the air like it was a possibility."

She closed her eyes and suppressed her tears that suddenly threatened to spill out.

"Despite what I went through, somewhere, somehow, I fell in love with Tommy," she continued. Her voice was softer with a mixture of love and sadness. "I wanted to make him happy. And you are important to him. Fuck," she hissed, shaking her head. "I'm so messed up. I started to fantasize about being a part of this fucked up family. I wanted you all to like me. Love me. Treat me with respect. You! A bunch of murdering fucking cannibals who kidnapped me and forced me to stay here."

She tapped the utensil against her leg and looked out the window again. It was going to be a very hot day out. A little smile crossed her lips at the thought of Thomas and how he made sure to protect her from the sun.

"Did you even see it? How I tried to not rock the boat? How I tried to get you all to like me? Or was it that neither you nor your god awful brother cared."

Luda Mae didn't answer, not that Elizabeth expected her to. She snorted.

"Your actions almost ruined it for Thomas, you know," Elizabeth continued. "The other day Thomas found me downstairs in the basement. I had his knife in my hands. The one you use to butcher people." She flicked her hair as proof. Luda Mae gulped. The action of her throat moving caught Elizabeth's attention.

As close as Thomas was to her the other morning, she still would have had time to slit her throat had she wanted to. That thought caused a question to entered her mind.

Raising the utensil in her hand, Elizabeth took a step forward and leaned in, deepening her voice to sound more sinister. "What do you think he would have done? If I killed myself before he could stop me? He would have known what Hoyt did. There was no way in hell I was going to take that to my grave. So, now that we both see how much Thomas really loves me. What he did while I'm alive. What do you think he would have done to you? To Hoyt? If my broken mind decided to end it all then?"

She brought the utensil closer to Luda Mae's pale face. The woman remained frozen and clearly terrified. The scare little victim Elizabeth had allowed herself to be was gone, and was replaced and empowered by anger.

A hand grabbed her right wrist, causing her to jump and gasp in surprise. She jerked her head up and looked at Thomas. His eyes were filled with worry and confusion as he slowly moved her hand back.

She stared at her right hand. At the handle she clenched. At the blade. A rather sharp one at that. Thomas placed his hand under hers and she carefully released her fingers.

"Sorry," she whispered, directing her apology to him. He took the knife and stepped back. His eyes moved as he examined her. He was looking at her as if he didn't know her. What he didn't know was that side of her. The part of her that had more confidence and was more daring, more willing to stand up and defend herself when she needed to.

He looked at the knife then went to the table and set it down. His hands gripped the back of the kitchen chair and he lowered his head. He didn't look at either woman, clearly deep in thought. Elizabeth stepped away from Luda Mae, but still kept distance between herself and Thomas.

The tension in the room turned into feelings of unease.

She'd lost him already, hadn't she. Her heart dropped. She wanted to make some sort of excuse. Tell him she didn't know what she was doing. That she didn't realize she was pointing a sharp knife directly at his mother in a threatening manner. But, she knew what was in her hand. How could she not see the shining metal. She just wanted to frighten the woman. Wanted her to feel just a little bit of what Elizabeth had felt. The terror in her eyes was very satisfying to say the least, but Elizabeth wasn't going to hurt her. At least, she didn't plan on it.

"I'm sorry, but-"

"You're right," Luda Mae said, breaking the uneasy silence.

Thomas's head jerked up as did Elizabeth's. They both stared at his mother in surprise at the unexpected admittance to some wrongdoing.

"I'm sorry, Tommy… and Lizzy," she forcefully added. "I suspected that Hoyt would hurt Lizzy. Although, I didn't think he would go so far."

Elizabeth's heart jumped up and pounded against her chest at the confirmation. She hadn't expected that. Hadn't expected Luda Mae to acknowledge any wrongdoing, especially in front of Thomas.

She flashed a glance in Thomas's direction. He was standing up, but his face remained neutral.

"I was upset for you, Tommy." She eyed Elizabeth, but then turned her attention to Thomas. "You were trying so hard to have a baby and I… I was afraid Lizzy was leading you on a false hope. But, you're right, Lizzy. I did tell you that we would be the family you needed and I didn't live up to my word. I gave you no reason to trust us. But, I will now." She hesitated for a moment, but then reached out and grabbed Elizabeth's hands.

Elizabeth fought the urge to pull away, to call the woman a liar and tell her that her manipulations wouldn't work. But, there seemed to be sincerity in her voice. She pulled Elizabeth into an unexpected hug then beaconed for Thomas to join them. He happily wrapped his arms around the two and squeezed them both. He kissed his mother's forehead then Elizabeth's, clearly elated.

There was a part of Elizabeth that wanted to believe Luda Mae's apparent sincerity. But another part that was still wary. She'd have to prove herself through actions just like Thomas did.

Luda Mae chuckled then patted his cheek when he let them go.

"Monty's at the table, right, honey?" she asked, quickly changing the subject.

Thomas nodded his head.

"Good. Now," she opened the fridge and took out a Tupperware that had some leftovers inside. "I know you're mad at him. And you both have every right to be. But, would you be a dear and give this to Hoyt? You don't even have to look at him. Just set it down by his door and knock on it." She handed the glass Tupperware to Thomas.

His mouth twerked with annoyance and it was clear that he was thinking about it.

"If he complains about it being cold, ignore him. I know it ain't much, sweetie," she said, directing her attention to Elizabeth. "And I don't know how he can make up for what he did. But, I won't be feeding that man any fresh food for a long while. It'll be cold and stale and hard if I have my way about things."

She wasn't wrong. It wasn't much. But, Elizabeth couldn't help but feel a little bit smug at the thought of a swollen jawed Hoyt trying to eat tough, cold food.

Thomas seemed satisfied with Luda Mae's promise and took the Tupperware from her hand and walked away. Elizabeth turned to go back to washing dishes when Luda Mae stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"It's clear my son loves you," the old woman said. Elizabeth nodded. "And…" Luda Mae's fingers tightened their grasp on her wrist. "You say you love my son. But, if you break his heart, you'll wish you had killed yourself in the basement."

Elizabeth jerked her arm out of Luda Mae's grasp. "If he breaks my heart, Luda Mae, I won't give a damn what you do to me."