Chapter 10 Elaine Collapses in Agony in the Heavy Rain

Skylar's face stiffened as the recording continued to play. "That was freshly boiled water, Ms. Lancelot. I saw it myself. The skin on her neck was practically peeling off." "Elaine, if I were you, I'd quickly get out of Tenby, hide far away…" The recording wasn't loud, but it was clear enough. Elaine wasn't a fool. She knew Thea insisting on having her tag along for the prenatal check-up couldn't be out of any good intentions. So, before getting into the car, she had secretly switched on the recording function on her phone. Skylar's eyes darkened. It was hard for him to believe that the always soft and gentle Thea could say something like that. Lucy, who had followed them over, was starting to panic as well. Thea was still in the emergency room, so Skylar immediately questioned Lucy, "Explain it. What exactly happened then?" Lucy immediately stepped closer, looking uneasy as she said, "Ms. Shelton, I can't believe harming Ms. Lancelot by snatching the steering wheel wasn't enough for you. You even recorded this to twist things out of context. "Ms. Lancelot's words might've been a bit harsh. Well, I'm a blunt person, and I'll just say things according to what I've seen. Ms. Lancelot only said those things because Ms. Shelton provoked her first with awful words." Elaine sneered. "Alright, Lucy. Let's hear it. I'd love to know how else you're going to spin the truth." Lucy lowered her head and rushed to explain, "Mr. Frey, Ms. Lancelot didn't want me to tell you because she was afraid you'd worry. Yesterday, Ms. Lancelot was splashed with hot tea and fell to the floor. It probably affected the baby. Late at night, when I went to bring her a snack, I saw her dress covered in blood. Then today, Ms. Lancelot brought it up in the car, but Ms. Shelton said she deserved it…" Elaine couldn't listen any longer. She simply laughed out of sheer anger. "Lucy, what a waste it is for you to be a housekeeper. You should've become a screenwriter instead." Lucy responded in a low voice, "Ms. Shelton, you're right—I'm only a housekeeper. But since I work for the family, I can't lie. I'm telling the truth so that I can live with a clear conscience." She continued, "After that, Ms. Shelton also mocked Ms. Lancelot about her experience abroad during those years. Ms. Lancelot probably got angry and embarrassed. That was why she said those harsh words in the heat of the moment. I admit I also spoke up, but it was because I felt bad for Ms. Lancelot. As for Ms. Shelton's burns, I was only telling the truth about what I saw." Skylar had never believed Thea would say something like that. Hearing Lucy's words, he found it all too plausible. He said coldly, "People can say anything when they're pushed to the edge. Elaine, you know full well that Thea's years abroad are her deepest wound. Did you think provoking her into saying those things would make me blame her like I did back then? Did you think I'd act according to your plan, just as before?" Elaine looked at him in disbelief. "Skylar, you really are hopeless. You believe every word out of Thea's mouth. I have a recording right here, but you won't even bother to listen properly. You even blindly believe the words of a new housekeeper like Lucy, who's obviously taking Thea's side." Lucy said anxiously, "Ms. Shelton, how can you say that about me? At my age, I'm just working as a housekeeper to make some extra money to support my family. I have no grudge against you, nor am I related to Ms. Lancelot. Why would I try to harm you or help Ms. Lancelot?" Elaine wanted to say more, but Skylar cut her off sharply. "That's enough. You don't need to say another word. I know perfectly well what kind of person Thea is and what kind of person you are. You were never worthy of staying in Tenby. Was Thea wrong to say so? Elaine, don't think that just because you forced Thea to say those harsh words that I'm going to let you off for what you did to her today!" Elaine let out a scornful laugh, knowing it was pointless to explain further. "Skylar, I honestly find you pathetic." Just then, the doctor stepped out of the emergency room and said regretfully, "I'm sorry. We couldn't save the baby. The mother is stable for now." Thea was wheeled out on a gurney, pale and utterly drained. Skylar's fists were clenched so tightly that veins bulged across the backs of his hands. "Elaine, stay right here. I'll make sure you pay for every last bit of this." With those words, he quickly followed the gurney and grabbed Thea's hand. "Don't worry. We'll have another baby one day." Thea began to sob softly. "Sky, this child was never meant to be mine. Don't blame Ms. Shelton…" As she spoke, she weakly lifted a hand to stroke her lower abdomen. "It's all my fault. I'm useless. I couldn't protect you." Skylar's expression grew even darker at her words. It wasn't Thea's fault for failing to protect the baby. In his eyes, it was all because Elaine was too vicious. That recording from earlier had nearly fooled him. Elaine sat numbly outside the emergency room, staring at the recording on her phone. A hollow smile spread across her face. How laughable that she had thought this recording might finally clear her name. Even if Skylar had chosen to forgive Thea in the end, she had hoped that at least this once, she could prove her own innocence. Now, she finally understood. No matter how solid her evidence was, none of it mattered. Skylar had already decided that she was unforgivable while Thea could never be in the wrong. Elaine sat there from morning until noon. Around midday, she received a photo and a message from Skylar. The photo showed Agatha, her face pale and ashen. She looked as if she was barely clinging to life. Beside her lay an oxygen mask that had been removed. Skylar's message contained only one sentence, "Every minute you're late getting home is another minute this oxygen mask stays off." Elaine clutched her phone, her knuckles turning white. A sharp pain twisted in her chest. She bent over and dry-heaved, her entire body trembling as coldness swept over her. Her trembling hand pulled a pill bottle out of her bag. She shook out two pills into her palm and swallowed them dry. She braced herself against the wall and started walking downstairs, her vision blurred. Elaine silently comforted herself, "It's nothing. It's nothing, Elaine. You're already a dying patient. There's nothing you can't endure." As long as Agatha and Eric stayed safe, there was nothing she couldn't bear. When she returned to Birchwood Estate, a torrential rain was pouring down outside. The front door was locked. Lucy stood on the steps, looking at her coldly. "Ms. Shelton, Mr. Frey said you're not allowed inside. He doesn't want you around, being an eyesore to him and Ms. Lancelot. You'll kneel here in the front yard. He said if you kneel long enough to please him, then your grandmother gets to live." The downpour kept getting heavier. Elaine stared at the tightly shut door behind Lucy. Without hesitation, she stepped down from the steps and kneeled in the rain. The rain washed down heavily, blurring her vision. Yet her voice was steady and clear. "Please tell him I'll kneel here as long as he wants. Just ask him to spare my family." Because of the stormy weather, the sky was dim and gray even though it was daytime. Looking up, she could see the light on in Skylar's bedroom. The curtains were left open. She knew he was definitely standing there at the window, taking in every detail of how wretched she looked. Indeed, Skylar was standing by the window, looking at the figure kneeling upright in the heavy rain. His palm pressed hard against the glass. Then, with a swift motion, he yanked the curtains shut and cut off all view of the outside world. Elaine kneeled in the pouring rain for nearly an hour. Skylar didn't look at her again, nor did he allow Lucy to let her inside. Just as she was about to collapse, she saw Thea emerge from the house. Thea was holding an umbrella. She stepped closer and held it over Elaine's head, but her voice dripped with mockery. "Don't blame me for this, Elaine. I begged Sky to go easy on you. You still have that recording, don't you? But what can you do? He just refuses to believe you. He firmly believes that you're guilty." The throbbing pain in Elaine's chest kept growing worse. The sounds around her seemed to be fading away. Thea raised her foot and crushed it down on Elaine's hand, the sharp heel digging into the flesh between Elaine's thumb and index finger. Thea wanted to mock and provoke Elaine further. But before she could start, Elaine suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed with a heavy thud under the rain.