[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-26032258F3A3-516":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},516,2,"Chapter 2: Slapped by Her Own Blood","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Elaine Miller was still tidying her room when they summoned her to face Morgan Rose.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Morgan sat in the parlor, draped in an elegant silk gown, her makeup flawless. She rocked baby Zeke gently in her arms, not even sparing Elaine a glance. \"Get on your knees,\" she commanded, her voice as cold as ice.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Elaine’s body went rigid, but she forced herself to lower her frame until her knees hit the cold floor. The Spencer household operated under a rigid, iron-fisted hierarchy, and as the eldest daughter-in-law, Morgan held absolute authority over the women of the estate.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Greta Spencer, the matriarch, had once shown Elaine favor, but that only fed Morgan’s paranoia. Now, Morgan invented any excuse to punish her, often resorting to physical discipline just to keep Elaine beneath her heel.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Elaine used to fight back, neck stiff with defiance, but those days were dead. She kept her gaze lowered, her voice barely a whisper. \"Sister-in-law, what have I done wrong this time?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Morgan let out a sharp, mocking laugh and pinched the infant in her arms, causing him to wail. \"You dare ask? This bastard you birthed screams the moment he’s in my care. What kind of filth have you been feeding him?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Even though she had been forced to distance herself from her own children, the sound of her baby being tormented tore at Elaine’s heart. She gasped, reaching out instinctively. \"Please, Morgan, be gentle! He’s just a baby—it’s normal for him to cry—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Shut your mouth!\" Morgan snapped. \"I don’t need a lesson on parenting from the likes of you. Max, come here. Teach her some respect.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Elaine looked up, her blood running cold. A young boy walked toward her with a scowl that looked far too familiar. It was her own son, Max.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Without a second of hesitation, the boy raised his hand and struck Elaine across the face. \"You wicked woman! How dare you show disrespect to Mother? Do you have any idea what you are?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Max was only a child, but his strike was vicious. Elaine crumpled to the floor, her cheek burning with a searing, metallic heat. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the agony in her chest.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This was her son. Her own flesh and blood.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Again, Max,\" Morgan sneered, a triumphant light in her eyes. \"I want her to understand that birthing a child means nothing here. I am the true mistress of the Spencer estate. No one can ever threaten my position.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Max didn’t hesitate. He swung again. And again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The world blurred. A persistent ringing filled Elaine’s ears, and the taste of blood flooded her mouth. Through the haze, a familiar silhouette stepped into the room.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The sharp, clean lines of a tailored suit. The intimidating presence. It was Marcellus Spencer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He watched in chilling silence as his own son beat his wife. He didn't lift a finger to stop it. Of course, he wouldn’t. When had Marcellus Spencer ever stood on her side?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She should have known better.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As a final, crushing blow landed against her jaw, the world turned to black, and Elaine collapsed onto the hard, unforgiving floor.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When she woke, she was back in the West Wing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus sat on the edge of the bed, dabbing ointment onto her bruised face. His voice was a low, dangerous rumble. \"If you were in that much pain, you could have asked for help instead of faking a faint. You terrified Max.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Elaine forced her eyes open, her voice raspy and broken. \"I wasn't... faking.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Marcellus narrowed his eyes, his frustration momentarily muted by the sight of her battered state. \"Fine, whatever you say. Morgan told me you tried to snatch the children again. That’s why she had to intervene. You were in the wrong. Tomorrow, you will apologize to her.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They had torn her children away from her, beaten her into unconsciousness, and now, he expected her to beg the perpetrator for forgiveness?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Bitterness surged in Elaine’s throat, sharp and suffocating. She stared into Marcellus’s eyes, desperate for a sliver of humanity. \"I didn't try to take them. She was tormenting me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her voice trembled. \"Morgan is your sister-in-law, but I am your wife. Marcellus, why—why do you only ever believe her, and never me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The raw, hollow grief in her gaze seemed to catch him off guard. He froze, his hand lingering over her cheek. Then, his expression hardened, turning back to granite.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Must you make me say it?\" he hissed. \"A woman who would drug her own husband... why would anything you say be worth believing?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Elaine went still, her entire body turning ice-cold, as if the very air in the room had turned to winter.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272928038]