Stained Red by My Perfect Compliance Chapter 2

Jocelyn was the first to return to the penthouse to check the security footage.

The playback showed Noah taking the baseball bat and striking his own arm. The truth was unmistakable.

“Why?” she asked him, utterly bewildered.

Mom and Dad soon saw the footage, too. Mom was so furious she rushed forward and slapped Noah.

“You are my son, but Ash is my son too! He’s your older brother! Why would you do that to him?”

Noah hung his head, a flash of something dark and cold crossing his eyes.

“Joss, Mom, I didn’t want to. I was just scared. I was afraid he’d come back and treat me like he used to.”

“You know how he used to lash out, how he’d hurt people. I genuinely have… trauma from his past behavior. I felt like I had to do something before he hurt me again.”

As he spoke, he started gasping, clutching his chest. A tell-tale sign of an oncoming asthma attack. The family knew his asthma was severe.

Camille panicked, rushing to find his inhaler.

After he stabilized, his face pale and clammy, Camille’s pity overflowed. She looked at our parents.

“He’s like this, and you’re still pushing him? It’s all Ashton’s fault anyway. He did this to himself. He drove us all crazy with his cruelty, and this is what he gets!”

“And you, Jocelyn,” she hissed. “Your eyes have barely left Ashton since he returned. Can you blame Noah for feeling insecure and threatened?”

Jocelyn glanced at Noah on the floor. Her tone softened slightly.

“My heart is with Noah, always. That hasn’t changed.”

“But even if Ash isn’t my fiancé anymore, he’s still the boy I grew up with. His life matters.”

Camille let out a harsh, chilling laugh.

“His life matters? Mom, Dad, do you honestly think Ashton’s ‘sanity’ is cured? He’s trying to kill himself at every turn. Doesn't that prove he’s still mentally unstable?”

“He’s malicious! He saw Noah’s severe asthma; he must have done all this on purpose just to cause an attack. He is pure poison!”

Noah generously waved a hand, dismissing the argument.

“It’s fine, Camille. It’s my fault. If big brother Ash is happy, he can hit me, he can yell at me. I won't fight back.”

“Why should he get to hit you?” Camille snapped, her voice breaking. “You don’t owe him anything!”

“He terrorized you for years. If I hadn’t stepped in to protect you, he would have destroyed you. Ten of his lives wouldn’t be enough to pay for what he’s done!” Camille spat, her gaze burning toward my hospital room.

“I think his sickness is back. You need to test him again. If he’s still delusional, he could be dangerous. Who knows what he might do next? Who can guarantee Noah’s safety?”

A heavy silence descended. In their minds, Camille’s words made a terrible, undeniable sense.

Jocelyn thought for a moment, then walked into my room, standing over my bed.

“Are you doing this to punish us for sending you away, Ashton? Is this a performance fueled by resentment?”

I shook my head without a moment’s thought.

“I don’t resent any of you. Everything I’ve suffered is what I deserve. Your punishment of me was unavoidable.”

Jocelyn’s face darkened. She pressed on.

“The doctors said you were better. Is this new compliance, this docility, just a lie? A clever trick to escape the asylum?”

All eyes in the room turned to me. I started to shake my head, wanting to deny it, but the sudden pain in my skull was blinding, like an electrical current.

Then, the relentless voices boomed in my mind:

[BE A GOOD BOY. BE COMPLIANT. YOUR DEATH IS THE ONLY WAY OUT.]