Willard burst through the door, his face twisting the moment he saw what was happening.
“Daisie! What are you doing?! Let her go!”
He strode forward, fury exploding through him, and hit Daisie hard in the chest.
She was already too weak to withstand the blow. Her body flew backward, slamming onto the floor. Her forehead struck the edge of the bed frame with a sickening thud, and her vision went black. Warm blood trickled down the side of her face, pooling beneath her cheek.
The pain from her abdominal wound flared violently, making her curl up in agony.
“Kendra! Are you okay?” Willard ignored Daisie completely, rushing instead to cradle Kendra in his arms. His voice trembled with concern as he examined the red marks on her neck.
Kendra collapsed against his chest, sobbing uncontrollably, her whole body shaking.
“Willard… I was so scared… She suddenly went crazy! She tried to strangle me! She said she regretted everything, that she wanted to kill me and take her kidney back…”
Willard’s gaze turned to Daisie, who lay on the floor with blood matting her hair. There wasn’t a trace of pity in his eyes, only blazing rage.
“Daisie! You’re beyond saving!” he spat through clenched teeth, his eyes bloodshot. “You don’t deserve to stay in this hospital another second! Guards!”
Two bodyguards rushed in at his command.
“Take her back. Lock her in the basement. No one opens that door unless I say so!” he ordered coldly.
“Willard, please don’t…” Kendra pretended to plead, tears glimmering prettily in her eyes. “Daisie is still injured…”
“She won’t die,” Willard cut her off sharply, pulling her close and leading her out. “Women like her don’t deserve to breathe the same air as us.”
The bodyguards grabbed Daisie by the arms and dragged her away like she was nothing but a piece of trash. She didn’t fight back. She didn’t beg.
Blood blurred her vision, but through the red haze, she saw Willard tenderly protecting Kendra as they walked out together.
Hate?
Of course, she hated them. She hated them with every fiber of her being!
‘One day,’ she swore, ‘they will apologize to me and beg for my forgiveness!’
Now, she finally understood—in Willard’s heart, Kendra was everything. And Daisie was worth less than an insect beneath his feet.
The bodyguards dragged her across the floor and then threw her into the basement.
The iron door slammed shut behind her with a deafening clang, followed by the sound of a lock turning.
Darkness. Damp air. The stench of mold hit her face.
She crumpled onto the cold concrete floor, her body like a discarded rag doll.
Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around her stomach.
In the dark, she curled up, biting hard on her lip to keep herself from crying.
She couldn’t die.
If she died, Kendra would win.
If she died, there would be no one left to avenge her parents and her brother.
If she died… she’d lose her baby, too.
Suddenly, the basement door clanged open again.
Harsh light flooded in, and Kendra stepped inside, her high heels clicking sharply against the concrete. She held a perfumed handkerchief over her nose, her face twisted in disgust.
She prodded the curled-up woman in the corner with the tip of her shoe. “Get up.”
Daisie didn’t move.
Kendra signaled the guards, and they yanked Daisie to her feet.
“I’ll take you somewhere nice,” Kendra said with a cruel smile.
They dragged Daisie out, shoved her into a car, and drove away.
She didn’t know where Kendra was taking her, and she didn’t even have the strength to ask.
When the car stopped, she realized they were at the hospital.
The guards dragged her into an elevator, then into a patient ward.
On the bed lay her mother—pale, unmoving, a ventilator hissing softly beside her.
“Mom…” Daisie’s dry, cracked lips trembled, and tears burst from her eyes.
She tried to rush forward, but the guards pinned her down.
Kendra stepped to the bedside, leaning down, and spoke to the unconscious patient.
“Auntie, look who’s here. It’s Daisie, your wonderful daughter.
“She’s pathetic now. Lost a kidney, got tossed aside by Willard, and locked up in the basement like a dog. Your family’s finished. Your husband’s dead. Your company’s gone. Your son’s useless.
“And it’s all because of your precious daughter! That shameless bitch just wouldn’t stop clinging to Willard and wouldn’t stop provoking me. That’s why your family ended up like this!
“She’s cursed! She ruined her own parents’ lives! You’re lying here because of her!”
“Kendra! Shut up!” Daisie roared, struggling wildly against the guards. “Don’t you dare talk to my mother like that!”
Suddenly, the heart monitor beside the bed began to give a sharp, continuous alarm.
Her mother’s fingers twitched, and a tear slipped from the corner of her eyes.
“Mom! Mom!” Daisie cried hysterically.
She felt her heart being torn apart. In her desperation, she fought to break free.
Kendra watched Daisie’s agony with a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
“See? Even your mother can’t stand the sight of you. She doesn’t want you here. She hates you, Daisie.”
Doctors and nurses rushed in, but despite their efforts, it was too late.
Her mother was gone.
Kendra gestured to the guards. “Take her away.”
“No! I’m not leaving! Mom! Mom!” Daisie shrieked.
Her nails raked the guards’ arms until blood streaked down, but they still dragged her off, shoving her back into the car and dumping her again in the dark, damp basement.
Suddenly, warm liquid soaked through her pants and the blanket beneath her.
What came next was a stabbing pain that ripped through her abdomen.
“No… No! The baby… My baby…”
She curled over, clutching her belly, her face drained of color.
At the door, Kendra froze as she noticed the spreading pool of blood beneath Daisie.
Questions flooded Kendra’s head. ‘Her baby? Daisie’s pregnant? She’s carrying Willard’s child?’
For a split second, panic flickered across her face. But then, it quickly hardened into resolve.
‘I won’t allow this baby to live!’ she swore.
“Help… Help me…”
Daisie reached out a trembling hand toward the small window. Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Kendra… Please… Call a doctor… The baby… Save my baby…”
Her voice broke. “I know I’m worthless… But please… Have mercy…”
Kendra stared at the growing pool of blood beneath her and let out a cold laugh.
“Save you? Keep dreaming.”
She slammed the window shut, cutting off Daisie’s desperate gaze and voice, then turned and ran away.
“No… Don’t go… Save my baby!”
Daisie cried with everything she had left, but the basement door was soundproof; no one outside could hear her.
The pain was unbearable; her mind drifted in and out.
Blood kept flowing, spreading across the cold floor.
She could feel it—the tiny life inside her slipping from her little by little.
Her vision dimmed, her body grew heavy, the darkness pulling her under.
Outside the basement, Willard had just returned from work.
He frowned, pausing mid-step. ‘Did I just hear something? A faint sound… coming from the basement?’
“What is it, Willard?”
Kendra walked over quickly, slipping her arm through his with a sweet smile. Her voice was soft and coaxing.
“Didn’t you promise to go with me to pick up the new season’s bags? There’s a limited edition that’ll sell out fast if we’re late.”
Willard tilted his head, listening again. But the sound was gone.
A strange unease stirred in his chest. For a moment, he was confused. “I thought I heard something… from the basement. Daisie…”
Kendra’s heart skipped a beat, but she masked it with a calm face. She tugged his arm, her tone casual.
“Oh, come on, what could it be? Probably just the wind. Let’s go, or we’ll be late and someone else will snatch that bag!”
She pressed herself against him, her soft body brushing his arm.
Willard couldn’t bring himself to push her away. Besides, he told himself, maybe it was just his imagination.
‘After all,’ he thought, ‘Daisie’s always manipulating me. Maybe this is just another one of her tricks to get my attention.’
“Alright. Let’s go,” he said finally, brushing his thoughts aside and opening the car door for Kendra.
The engine started, and the car rolled away from the Granthams' estate.
Meanwhile, in the basement, Daisie’s consciousness wavered.
Blood pooled around her, the floor cold and slick beneath her.
With every passing second, she felt herself slipping further… into the void.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness completely, the iron door burst open from the outside with a deafening crash!
