Chapter 2

The slap on Elena’s face stung like a bitch, but instead of snapping back or stopping the abuse of her mother-in-law, she chose to swallow her anger down her throat.

It was not the time. Or the place.

“How dare you do this to my son? How dare you? It is because of you he’s in this condition right now. All because of you.”

Well, that certainly wasn’t a lie. No matter which way you looked at it, the truth remained the same. If it weren’t for the rage that blinded her, she wouldn’t have struck her husband with the largest vase in the room. And she certainly wouldn’t have stood there, watching him bleed to death after the blow to his head.

Thankfully, Cecelia knew what to do, the same adopted sister her husband had been fucking for God knows how long. Even the thought of his betrayal brought a bitter taste to her mouth, shot a piercing pain through her chest and made her want to scream her head off.

Elena clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she fought to keep her composure. “I didn’t mean…I didn’t mean for it to happen like that. I just…I just wanted…” she tried to explain, feeling as though everyone in the hospital lobby was glaring accusingly at her, as if she had deliberately caused the situation. As if hitting him in the head had been her plan all along.

It wasn’t, of course. It was just the hurt and her anger that brought out the worst in her. She didn’t know what she was doing until it happened. And now they all were standing outside the hospital room, waiting for the doctors to give them news on Richard, any news at all.

Elena’s heart pounded in her chest as she glanced around the crowded lobby, hoping to find someone who would understand. She knew she had made a terrible mistake, one that could cost Richard his life.

But despite the remorse gnawing at her insides, she couldn’t shake the memory of the betrayal that had driven her to that breaking point. And why wouldn’t it? She had loved the man with everything she had. For three years, she worshipped him and the path he walked. For three years, she was nothing but a good wife to him. And what did she get in return?

She saw her mother-in-law raise a hand again, but before she could land the slap, Elena blocked the hit. Her mother-in-law narrowed her eyes, the wrinkles in her face becoming more prominent.

“You know what? Get out of here! I don’t want a cheap woman like you anywhere near my son!”

The words stung, but not as much as the memories of his betrayal.

But Melinda, her mother-in-law wasn’t done. She grabbed Elena by her arm and shoved her towards the exit. “I said get out! I don’t want to see your face ever again.”

“Mom, please, be rational. At least listen to me once. It’s not what you think. It’s Cecelia…” she started to say when Melinda wasn’t ready to listen. It was as if she had turned deaf to reason. Her face had darkened, and her nostrils flared as she glared at Elena.

“Did you not hear a word I just said?” Melinda screamed, her voice filled with anger. She pointed towards the exit. “I want you out of my sight! Or else!”

“Leave Elena. We can talk about this later,” It was the father-in-law who spoke up next. He looked beyond exhausted, wanting everyone to be quiet. He was sitting in the chair with his face in his hands, looking more aged than he had in a while.

Elena couldn’t understand why no one was ready to hear her. What wrong had she done? Should she have simply accepted her fate, her husband’s betrayal, and continued to play the good wife? Is that what they expected from her?

“Dad, please,” she implored, turning to her father-in-law. “You know me. You know I’d never intentionally hurt Richard.”

Her father-in-law lifted his weary gaze, a hint of sympathy flickering in his eyes. “I know, Elena. But right now, tensions are high. Let’s give everyone some space to cool off.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts’, Elena. Just go. I’ll keep you updated if anything changes.”

“I just want you to know what actually happened…”

“Could you be any more shameless, Elena?” spat the woman responsible for her crumbling marriage. Cecelia lurked behind Melinda, too cowardly to face Elena after getting caught in her disgusting affair with her own brother. But that didn’t stop the adopted daughter of the McDowell family from snarling at her.

Elena’s frustration boiled over. If there was one person in the world who didn’t have the right to talk about shame, it was Cecelia McDowell, the hypocrite.

She squared her shoulders, defiance burning in her eyes. “You don’t get to judge me, Cecelia,” she seethed, her voice dripping with venom. “You’re the one who betrayed your own family, sleeping with your own brother behind everyone’s back.”

Cecelia recoiled, her face contorting with anger and shame, blood draining off her face. “How dare you—”

“How dare I?” Elena cut her off, her voice rising. “You’re the one who should be ashamed of yourself. You destroyed my fucking marriage.”

“You think you have any right to lecture me?” Cecelia shot back, her voice tinged with indignation. “You’re the one who couldn’t keep your own husband in line!”

Elena’s fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. “Oh, please. As if you have any room to talk about loyalty. You were bedding your own brother behind closed doors!”

Melinda stepped forward, her expression a mix of disbelief and anger. “Enough!” she bellowed, her voice echoing through the tense atmosphere. “Both of you, stop this nonsense!”

But Elena wasn’t done. “Nonsense?” she scoffed, her eyes blazing with fury. “You’re the one who raised this snake. You can’t pretend you didn’t know what kind of person she is!”

It was impossible not to see that the adopted daughter was making moves on her so-called brother. But then again, she couldn’t hold Cecelia responsible entirely. She wasn’t the one who broke her heart and shattered her faith. It was her Richard, her own husband who had stabbed her in the back.

Melinda’s patience wore thin. “Elena, enough! I want you to leave this instant. You’re not welcome here anymore.”

Elena was done trying to prove her innocent too. Not that it mattered anymore. Her marriage would never be the same. There was no need for her to please anyone.

She shook her head, curled her fingers tight. “Fine. But remember, if anything happens to Richard, you have only one person to blame and that’s not me.”

And then, she stormed out of the hospital.

But the moment she reached her car, she couldn’t hold back anymore. A painful sob racked out of her and her chest felt so tight she thought her ribs would snap.

She leaned against her car, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to catch her breath. She pounded her fists against the roof of her car, the metal reverberating with each blow.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispered to herself, her voice choked with grief. “How did it all fall apart so quickly?”

For a long while, she just sat there in her car, wondering how fast everything changed.

If only she hadn’t ignored the signs. If Elena was right with her assumptions, this stupid affair between Richard and Cecelia had been going on forever. There were so many times in the past when Richard and Cecelia would disappear for hours at the same time and usually return home one after the other. As if no one would be able to connect the dots.

Elena clenched her jaw and screamed, pounding her fist on the steering wheel until something tore through her skin and she started to bleed. Not that it hurt her more than she was already hurting.

“Why did I let myself be so blind?” she cried, squeezing her eyes shut and feeling the tears roll down her face. “I should have seen it coming. I should have put a stop to it before it got this far.”

She took a few deep breaths, trying to steady her ragged breathing and calm herself down.

But she had never been weak.

Elena had been a strong and independent woman from the beginning of her married life.

If she wasn’t strong enough, or passionate enough for what she believed in, she wouldn’t have left her family to follow her dreams. She wouldn’t have left her parents, her brother, for the small, cramped, run-down apartment. She wanted to prove herself she could live independently. She could succeed in her life even without the backing of her wealth, influential, and powerful family.

But everything she did for herself all these years felt like such a waste of time. All those hardships, the sleepless nights and constant worries about rent, water, food, none of that mattered anymore. Not when her heart was shredded with her husband’s deep betrayal.

Elena was in the middle of grieving her broken marriage when her phone burst to life. A sound that grated on her nerves like never before.

How odd.

Usually, she was quick to get it but the weight in her chest made it difficult.

Even picking up her phone seemed like an impossible task.

By the time, she pulled out the phone from her purse, the call had ended.

Elena sighed and tossed the phone on the passenger seat.

She threw her head back and stared at the car’s roof with tears once again gathering in her eyes.

But the phone rang again. This time, Elena answered without even looking at the screen.

“Hello? Lady Elena?” It was Mr. Jones, the man whose voice she hadn’t heard in a long while.

Mr. Jones had worked for her father for as long as she could remember, and him calling her now felt like something that could only happen under very specific circumstances.

“It’s Henry, the butler, Lady Elena. I trust you remember me?”

But Elena didn’t have time to question his purpose.

“Of course, Henry. How have you been?” she asked, instantly trying to straighten up. She had no time to dry her eyes. The concern lacing his voice weighed heavily on her shoulders. “Are you alright, Mr. Jones? You sound rather troubled.”

“Something bad has happened, Madam. But I’m afraid I can’t share the details on the phone. Please let me know where you are. I’ll send someone to pick you up.”

Elena glanced around herself, sighing. “No. No need for that. I can come by myself. Do you want me to come to the manor?”

There was a brief silence and a rustling sound before he responded. Mr. Jones cleared his throat. Whatever he was about to say sounded excruciatingly difficult for him to spit out. “No. You should come to the Aristocrat Health Institute.”

The mention of the hospital woke Elena even more. She was sure, now more than ever, that something awful had happened. “Who’s admitted?”

The butler hesitated again. “I think…you should see for yourself. I don’t want to cause you distress while you’re driving.”

Every cell in Elena’s body shuddered. Yes, something terrible had happened.

“Fine. I’m on my way. But send someone down to fetch me. I don’t want to waste my time with their stupid formalities.”

“Yes. Yes, I’ll make sure you’re escorted in as soon as you arrive. Please drive safely.”

The moment she hung up, Elena slammed her foot on the accelerator and shook her head. “This is so not my day.”