Chapter 56

“That snake is actually very gentle. As long as you leave it alone, it won’t bite anyone,” Ivy explained.

A different voice came through the phone – Adkins this time.

“Ivy, you need to get back here and take care of that snake! We even called the fire department, but they refused to deal with it! If you don’t come, I swear I’ll kill it myself and toss it out–and don’t bother coming home again!”

Ivy could hear the tremor in her father’s voice, though whether it was from anger or fear, she couldn’t tell. Curiosity got the better of her. “Dad, are you telling me a grown man like you is scared of a little snake?”

“Ivy!” Adkins barked, humiliated and furious.

“Alright, alright, I’m coming right now,” Ivy said, struggling to keep the laughter out of her voice and sounding as conciliatory as possible.

After hanging up, she sent Katrina a quick message: Heading home – turns out they found the snake. Even called in the fire department.

Katrina replied instantly: You sure you can handle it? Want me to come with you?

Ivy: No need.

While waiting at a red light on the drive back, Ivy opened her security camera app and rewound the footage. She caught the exact moment Emma pulled off the dust cover in her room.

Emma’s bloodcurdling scream was so piercing it made Ivy’s phone vibrate in her hand.

And that was just the beginning.

Next came the hilarious scene of her father and older brother creeping into her room with broomsticks at the ready, only to bolt for their lives a moment later.

Ivy burst out laughing, unable to stop.

She had never, in her whole life, seen her father dive for the floor and crawl away like that. It was both pitiful and hilarious.

The footage even showed the firefighters making an appearance. They peeked into her room, took one look at the snake, and left just as quickly.

When Ivy finally pulled into the driveway, Rosetta and Emma were still sitting outside in the garden.

Rosetta, noticing the Maserati, struggled to her feet, limping slightly, her glare icy as she fixed it on her eldest daughter.

Ivy stepped out of the car and, feigning concern, asked, “Mom, what happened to your leg?”

Emma, pressing an ice pack to her chin, shot her a scathing look. “You’ve got some nerve asking! That stupid snake of yours scared Mom so badly she fell!”

But Ivy had already seen the whole thing on her phone. The camera in her room faced the desk and door – she’d watched it all play out:

Emma, in her mad dash to escape, had slammed straight into their mother from behind, sending both of them tumbling to the floor in a heap.

The fall had been a rough one – no doubt they’d be sporting bruises for days.

Despite being the real cause of their mother’s injury, Emma, as always, managed to pin the blame on someone else.

Adkins, standing in the doorway, barked, “Get that thing out of here, now!”

Ivy strolled inside, sighing. “It’s late, Dad. Where am I supposed to take it? If you just stay out of my room, there won’t be a problem.”

She turned and looked at her family, curiosity in her eyes. “My door was shut, the cage was covered. What were you doing in my room in the first place?”

She tilted her head, turning to Emma, who trailed behind Rosetta. “What’s the matter, sis? Cooking up another scheme to frame me?”

“I was just trying to help you pack!” Emma retorted, seething.

“Pack?”

“Micah and I are having a little engagement ceremony this Saturday. You need to move out for a few days – come back next week,” Emma declared, as if she were the head of the household, issuing orders to her older sister.

Ivy’s gaze swept over her family. She smiled coolly. “So, you’ve all decided together to kick me out again.”

Rosetta’s voice trembled with outrage. “Ivy, you’ve become so… so disturbed! Who in their right mind keeps a horrible thing like that in the house?”

Ivy returned to her room and glanced at the black-and-white king snake curled up in its enclosure.

When she’d bought it at the pet shop, the owner had shown her exactly how to handle such a docile snake.

She’d even let it coil around her arm back then – though it had left Katrina so freaked out she’d nearly bolted from the store.

Ivy wasn’t sure when she’d gotten so fearless. Maybe it was all those years out in the sticks, living in that shack. When you’ve spent three years surrounded by every kind of creepy-crawly – centipedes, toads, earthworms, and yes, even snakes – you either get used to it or lose your mind.

The first time she’d seen a snake, she’d nearly fainted, too scared to sleep for days.

But after a while, numbness set in. Her heart got tough, and the fear faded away.

Now, with practiced hands, Ivy gently lifted the snake and draped it around her neck. She walked out to the others, letting them see for themselves. “Look, it’s harmless – it doesn’t bite. And even if it did, this is a king snake – nonvenomous. In fact, it eats venomous snakes. That’s why it’s called the king.”

She talked as she carried the snake, stepping out of the utility room.

The Windsor family looked like they were seeing a ghost, every one of them backing away with wide, frantic eyes.

“Ivy, don’t come any closer!”

“Stay away! You’re insane! Absolutely insane!”

Micah arrived in a rush, flying through the front door – only to freeze in horror at the sight before him, his face a contortion of disbelief.

Emma ran straight into his arms, sobbing. “Micah, I’m scared… She’s lost it, my sister’s lost her mind-”

“Ivy, be careful, that’s still a snake,” Micah said tightly, holding his fiancée close and casting a wary glance at Ivy.

Ivy just smiled, letting the snake coil comfortably around her shoulders. “She’s called Emma. Fitting, don’t you think? All of you push me away, but this snake actually wants to be near me. Isn’t that just a little bit ironic?”