The bodyguards standing nearby all looked uneasy and turned their faces away.
The pain was so unbearable that I nearly lost consciousness. I could only curl up on the floor, gasping for air.
Seeing the blood spreading across the tiles, a flicker of hesitation crossed Ethan’s eyes.
Lillian, teary-eyed, spoke again with a trembling voice.
“Ethan, are you going soft?”
“It’s fine. I understand. To you, neither the child nor I really matter. If you’ve fallen in love with Rachel, I won’t stop you. I’ll step aside.”
Then she turned and ran out of the house crying.
Panic flashed in Ethan’s eyes.
He rushed over and pinned my right hand to the floor with the knife.
I screamed in agony.
But he didn’t look back. He chased after Lillian and wrapped her in his arms.
“You foolish girl, what nonsense are you saying? You’re the only one I care about. Rachel means nothing to me.”
“For you, I’d sacrifice everything!”
Lillian wiped her tears and let out a brittle laugh, then spoke with a hint of madness.
“Then prove it. Scratch her face in front of me, and hand her over to your men. Only then will I believe you.”
Without hesitation, Ethan nodded.
He turned to me, his expression cold and twisted.
I couldn’t stop trembling, but my eyes locked onto his.
His entire body was now shrouded in a dark, ominous aura.
It seemed unlikely he would survive the night.
Just as the blade touched my cheek, the front door was suddenly kicked open.
Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell entered, their faces ashen.
The moment they saw my bloodied, broken form, their knees buckled, and they collapsed in horror.
“What have you done, you beast?”
“To offend Rachel Monroe is to invite divine retribution!”
Ethan scoffed and pulled Lillian closer, contempt written all over his face.
“Please stop with this outdated superstition, Mom, Dad. I know you’re fond of Rachel, but Lillian is your daughter-in-law.”
“She’s carrying the heir of the Caldwell family. How can you ignore your grandson for some outsider? Rachel Monroe? It’s all a scam—”
Before he could finish, the moonlight vanished behind thick clouds.
In an instant, a violent wind howled through the windows, rattling them.
A bolt of lightning split the sky—and struck Ethan squarely on the head.
