The moon outside hung faint in the sparse night sky. Lying in bed, Elena felt as though all the strength had been drained from her body.
The wound on her foot still hadn't healed. Every small movement sent waves of sharp, bone-deep pain through her.
Her phone buzzed softly.
It was a message from Tiffany, her words full of the girl's liveliness and sweet charm.
[Pretty sister, are you home yet? Daddy says you mustn't get your wound wet, or it will hurt when it gets inflamed.]
[I miss you! Once you're better, can I come play with you?]
A long-lost warmth welled up in Elena's chest—tender, steady, and pure.
She smiled and sent back a playful sticker.
But just as she set her phone down, the bedroom door slammed open.
Maya burst in, crying, and flung herself into Elena's arms.
"Mommy, I have a fever... I feel awful."
"I don't know if it's because the rash isn't gone yet, but Aunt Hillary gave me some medicine."
"It's really hot... can you blow on it for me? Maybe taste it first to check the temperature?"
The rare show of closeness stunned Elena.
After all, this was her own flesh and blood. Her heart immediately softened.
The moment she took a sip, an unbearable itch spread through her body.
Her hand shook violently—the bowl slipped, shattering on the floor.
Instantly, both children's expressions changed. They shoved her to the ground, triumphant smiles lighting their faces.
Maya glanced at Aaron, smirking viciously.
"Aunt Hillary said this medicine would make her embarrass herself in front of everyone!"
Hillary sauntered in, eyes sweeping over Elena as her hands fumbled with her clothes.
Smirking, she spat, "Don't bother struggling. This drug is potent—just one sip is enough to make you live wishing for death, yet unable to die."
"That medicine is called Love Thread Wrap. Even the purest, most virtuous woman will be consumed by uncontrollable desire under its effects, lost in illusions, at the mercy of whoever administered it."
She gestured casually, and several burly bodyguards entered, their eyes fixed on her for orders.
"From now on, they'll be the ones getting close to you. Tell me—by the time Jackson returns from the hospital, how many rounds will you have endured?"
The drug's effects burned hotter and hotter, pain and shame twisting through Elena. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
As the men advanced, Elena gritted her teeth, grabbed a nearby vase, and smashed it. She pressed a jagged shard on her own neck.
"Hillary, if you dare let them touch me, I'll drag you down with me!"
Outside, the roar of an engine cut through the night—Jackson was back.
Elena slashed her arm in several places, forcing herself to stay lucid as he approached.
"Take me to the hospital! Maya drugged me!"
Jackson caught the flicker of guilt in both children's eyes—and for the first time, he roared at his daughter. "Maya! Come here!"
The girl burst into tears, her voice sharp with panic.
"Daddy, she's lying! I don't know anything—she took the wrong medicine herself and now she's blaming me!"
Hillary's face softened into a mask of empathy as she pulled Maya into her arms, gently stroking her back.
"Jackson, don't get angry. Why don't we run a test and see who's telling the truth?"
The private doctor arrived quickly. The results on the floor showed everything was "normal."
Enraged, Jackson stormed back in, his grip closing like iron around Elena's throat.
"Maya and Aaron are your own children! Why do you keep framing them over and over again? What's your goal?"
"You're just jealous of Hillary—unhappy with how I treat her, aren't you?"
Fury boiling over, he ordered the ancestral whip to be brought from the family shrine.
"Elena, you think too highly of yourself! Remember this pain—it will keep you from ever making another mistake. I won't have the Sullivan family's name stained by you!"
Her mouth was gagged, muffling her cries. The barbed whip lashed down again and again, ripping through flesh.
Her heart felt like it was being torn to shreds, every breath thick with the taste of blood.
She couldn't hold on any longer.
The world went dark—she collapsed and passed out.
