Stand In For My Sister As Mrs. Weston Chapter 03
The next day, dinnertime came.
I had the housekeeper put together four dishes and a soup.
But I was the only one sitting at the dining table.
The housekeeper came over, leaned in close, and whispered, “Mrs. Weston, the children have locked themselves in their rooms. They say they’re not eating.”
I smirked to myself.
So that was their game. They’d formed a little Anti-Mom Alliance, trying to push me around.
If this were Bethany, she’d have gone knocking on their doors one by one, all meek and pleading, begging them to eat.
But I wasn’t her.
“Clear the table.”
The housekeeper froze.
“Mrs. Weston, I—”
“I said clear it.”
I left no room for argument.
“New rule, starting tonight. You eat when it’s time, or you don’t eat at all. And don’t come crying to me about being hungry later.”
I had dinner alone, then kicked back and watched some TV.
At nine, I heard doors opening upstairs.
The three of them crept down the stairs, then made a beeline for the kitchen.
They expected to find food waiting.
But the kitchen was spotless and bare.
They couldn’t even find so much as a stray vegetable leaf.
In the silence, a chorus of stomachs growled.
For the first time, I saw real panic flicker across their faces.
Only then did I stroll into the kitchen, taking my time.
From the pot on the stove, I ladled out three plates of thin, watery soup.
Nothing in it. No vegetables, no meat. Just sad, pale broth.
“You hungry?”
All three of them stared at the soup like starving wolves, but no one moved.
Trevor Weston, Bethany’s firstborn, stuck his chin out, his neck rigid with defiance.
“We’re not eating that.”
I nodded.
“Fine. Stay hungry, then.”
Then I reached to take the plates away.
Jessie Weston, Bethany’s daughter, cracked first. She grabbed my arm.
“I’ll eat it.”
One caved, and the rest fell in line.
They wolfed down the soup.
Standing off to the side, I laid down the second rule, my voice cold and hard.
“Starting tonight, everyone shows up for meals. If you’re late, you don’t eat. Understood?”
Defiance still flickered in their eyes, but the lesson hunger taught them had already sunk in deep.
All they could do was nod reluctantly.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
The housekeeper opened the door.
A woman dressed to the nines stood in the doorway, all smiles and sweetness.
The smile only grew sweeter when she saw me.
“Bethany, I heard you were out of the hospital, so I thought I’d come by and see how you’re doing.
“I’m Jodi Keller. Ray’s close friend.”
The moment Jodi stepped inside, she acted like she owned the place, every move practiced and effortless.
She linked arms with Raymond Weston, who had just gotten home from work.
Raymond. My husband in name only.
He had that polished, gentlemanly look about him, but the coward in his eyes was plain to see.
Jodi’s gaze landed on me, laced with subtle scrutiny.
“Bethany, you seem different somehow. Have you been feeling run-down lately?”
Then she turned to the children, her voice dripping with saccharine tenderness.
“Trevor, Jimmie, Jessie, have you missed me?
“Has Bethany been too hard on you lately? Don’t be scared. You can tell me everything.”
With a few well-placed words, she’d painted me as the enemy of the entire family.
I said nothing. I just stood there, watching her little performance unfold.
