Chapter 6

Thank God the family doctor was always on standby, and thankfully, Mary spotted it in time. After a rushed rescue, Elizabeth was finally safe and lying quietly in bed. William reached out and gently touched her pale, thin face. The dark circles under her eyes sent a chill through him. His fingers couldn't stop trembling. It'd only been about a month—how did she end up like this? Elizabeth's eyes fluttered open and met his. The concern in his gaze was so real, she almost thought she was dreaming. "You really care about Michael that much?" William's voice was rough, his tone bitter. She nearly died—all for Michael's child. Elizabeth's eyelashes trembled slightly. She'd finally gotten to see William again, and yet his words hit harder than anything else. Her voice was hoarse but steady. "There's nothing between me and Michael." He could doubt her all he wanted, but he had no right to drag Michael into this, and definitely no right to say things about her innocent child. William suddenly yanked his hand away, veins popping on his forehead. "You still dare say that crap?" "The photo was fake. Catherine made it up on purpose to trap me!" Elizabeth was yelling now, tears streaming down her face. "Why do you always believe her and not me? I'm your wife!" William stared at her shattered expression, a flicker of something uncomfortable stirring in his chest. His tone softened slightly. "The photo was doctored?" Elizabeth didn't answer, but the look in her eyes said everything. "Fine." He stood up. "I'll give you one last chance." A tiny flame of hope lit up in her eyes. If she could prove her innocence, then maybe… he'd stop lashing out at her child. William made a call, and not long after, a tech guy arrived at the house. He and William went straight into the study. Despite barely holding herself up, Elizabeth followed them in, her voice shaky with hope. “It's fake, right?” “No,” the tech said. “There's no indication of editing. The photo's authentic.” Everything went silent. Elizabeth went numb, feeling all the blood drain from her limbs. William looked at her like he wanted nothing more than to destroy her. The hatred in his eyes cut deep. "Great. So you're still trying to lie to me." He grabbed her wrist and dragged her back into the bedroom, shoving her hard onto the bed. Panic flooded her face. “William—no, wait—it's not what you think—” He didn't even look at her. Tearing the bedsheet into strips, he tied her wrists to the headboard, then moved down to tie her ankles. “What are you doing? You're locking me up?” Elizabeth screamed, bound to the bed like a lifeless doll. She struggled hard, completely freaked out. “Let me go—” But all she got was even rougher handling. William sneered coldly. “Let you go? So you can run back to your little lover? Bet he knows how to please you better than I do, huh?” Elizabeth's clothes were ripped off in seconds, and he was on top of her before she could process anything. No warning. No pause. He pushed in like a monster unleashed. She cried out in pain, fists pounding uselessly on his shoulders, feeling like she was being split in two. That only made him worse. He showed no mercy, like he wanted her to remember this pain forever, like her suffering was the goal. Elizabeth could barely stay conscious through it. When it was finally over, William got off and fixed his clothes. Outside the door, he turned to Anna Clark, the family doctor. "Watch her. Don't let anyone near." "Sir," Anna hesitated, glancing at the crumpled figure on the bed, "She might have claustrophobia…” That month of being locked up had already pushed Elizabeth close to the edge. The nightmares, the fear of being alone… if this kept up, she'd completely fall apart. William scoffed, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "As long as she doesn't die, I'm fine with it. The more she suffers, the better.”