Chapter 3

3 Krystal stumbled back a few steps and deliberately fell into the champagne tower, sending glasses shattering everywhere.

Shards gashed her arm, a shocking splash of red against her pale skin.

"Krystal!"

Hearing the commotion, Shane rushed downstairs, half-dressed, and scooped her into his arms.

"Are you okay, Krystal? Where are you hurt? Let me see."

I hadn't seen Shane this frantic in a long, long time.

The last time was when I had a difficult labor with Leo.

"Mommy, what's wrong? Don't scare me!" My six-year-old son, Leo, was teary-eyed.

"It's all my fault," Krystal sobbed, burying her face in Shane’s chest. "I shouldn't have thrown a birthday party for Pupper. I shouldn't have asked Clara to hold the cake. I was just about to apologize to her, and then she..."

She looked up, tears streaming. "She pushed me! She told me to go die! Sob... It hurts so much, Shane! I'm bleeding so much!"

After Krystal finished, Leo shoved me hard.

"Why did you hurt my mommy?! You're a bad woman! I'll hit you! I'll hit you!"

His little fists rained down on me, but I couldn't feel the pain anymore.

The son I carried for nine long months, the son I endured agony to bring into this world... he was now her champion.

Shane's face was dark as thunder.

"Clara! You're just a servant here now! Who gave you the guts to hurt Krystal? Get on your knees and apologize!"

I didn't move. I didn't say a word.

"What's all this racket? Aren't you ashamed of yourselves?" My mother-in-law bustled in.

When she saw Krystal on the floor, her face went pale, and she immediately told Shane to take her to the hospital.

Shane swept Krystal into his arms and rushed out, Leo trailing right behind them.

After Leo was born, my health declined, and I was often sick.

Shane always said he was too busy, rarely having time to take me to the doctor.

Leo grew rebellious and often refused my requests. Time and again, I went to the hospital alone.

But for Krystal, the concern on their faces was undeniably real.

I stared at their retreating figures, an ache in my heart that no one could understand.

Even when my mother-in-law slapped me across the face, I didn't make a sound, devoid of any reaction.

"How dare you bully Krystal! Lock her in the basement! She can come out when she admits she's wrong!"

"What are you all standing around for?" she shrieked at the staff. "Didn't you hear me? Can't you see who the real mistress of this house is? As long as I'm here, Clara will never be it!"

The bodyguards, who used to only take orders from me, lowered their heads and led me to the basement.

A chill went through me.

Even the bodyguards could see it: Shane was completely devoted to Krystal and didn't care about me at all.

I was locked in the basement for as long as Krystal stayed in the hospital.

The first thing Shane did when he got home was try to force me to admit I was wrong.

"Krystal told me you used to be gentle and understanding, not someone who would bully others. How did you become like this, Clara? I was so wrong about you."

His words dripped with sarcasm. It had only taken him a few days to "get to know me" all over again.

"Shane, ask me a hundred times, I'll still say I did nothing wrong. I won't apologize."

I turned my head away, a strange calm settling in my heart.

After a few more days of this standoff, Shane finally let me out.

But on one condition: I had to take care of Krystal's every need.

Because during her hospital visit, they found out she was pregnant.