Chapter 2

2

I yanked my arm back and looked at him with pure disgust.

"We aren't married, Elias. She's not my family."

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Elias looked stunned. He wasn't used to me biting back.

Mabel's eyes turned red instantly. She started to sob softly.

"It's okay, Elias. I knew Avery would still be angry with me."

"Yesterday was so important... I'll never be able to make it up to her..."

As she spoke, her body went limp, and she started to slide off the couch.

Elias caught her instantly, pulling her into his arms with a look of pure devotion.

When he looked at me again, his eyes were full of fury.

"Don't think you can bully Mabel just because you're pregnant!"

"Look at what you've done to her! She's still sick. Stop being so damn difficult!"

I felt a wave of nausea. I didn't want to deal with them anymore.

I turned to leave, but Elias grabbed my hair from behind.

He yanked me back, forcing me to look at his shadowed face.

"You aren't going anywhere. Mabel is on her cycle and has a fever. Go into the laundry room and wash her things by hand."

He pointed to a pair of stained silk panties discarded near the sofa.

"Wash them yourself, you bastard," I hissed through the pain.

Elias lost his mind. He dragged me by the arm into the bathroom.

He threw the laundry into the sink and turned on the faucet. Then he shoved my hands into the freezing water.

It was the middle of winter. The water felt like thousands of needles stabbing my skin.

The cold triggered a sharp cramp in my lower abdomen. My vision blurred.

"Stop faking it," Elias sneered.

"If you don't finish this, you aren't coming out of this room!"

He slammed the door and locked it from the outside.

I heard Mabel's muffled, fake voice from the hallway.

"Elias, is this too much? She's still carrying your baby..."

"So what?" Elias replied, his voice hard.

"That's exactly why she thinks she can treat you like garbage."

"If I don't break her pride now, she'll be a nightmare after the wedding."

"Mabel, I promised I'd never let you suffer as long as I'm alive."

"Oh, Elias... you're so good to me..."

Tears poured down my face. My heart felt like it was being shredded.

I couldn't stand anymore. I curled up on the cold bathroom tiles, clutching my stomach.

I don't know how much time passed before the door opened.

Elias saw me slumped on the floor, my face white as a sheet. He frowned.

"Are you still trying to play the victim? It's just some laundry. Get up."

I forced myself to my feet, staggered to the guest room, and swallowed a painkiller.

In the middle of the night, a sharp, twisting pain woke me up.

I realized I hadn't eaten or drank anything since the surgery.

I went downstairs to find some water, but I stopped when I heard noises from the guest suite.

I crept closer and looked through the cracked door.

Mabel was straddling Elias on the bed. They were kissing like they were starved for each other.

Elias's hands were roaming over her body.

"Elias... if you love me, leave her. Stay with me forever..."