Chapter 18 Elaine Takes the Blame

Eric was only 12 years old. He was utterly terrified by the scene before him, causing his already sickly complexion to turn even paler. He backed away and stammered, "I-It wasn't me! I'm not the one who stabbed her!" Skylar's eyes were bloodshot. He grabbed Eric by the collar and violently threw him to the ground. Eric's head slammed into the wall behind him with a loud thud, and his body collapsed to the floor. As Skylar stepped forward to pick up the bloodied Thea from the ground, a doctor stepped in to stop him and said, "Sir, we don't know how serious her injuries are yet. Please let the professionals handle this." Skylar's expression was grim as he stepped back and watched the doctors and nurses carefully lift Thea onto a stretcher. Thea's face was filled with nothing but terror as she was wheeled out of the ward. She looked helplessly at Skylar and whispered, "Save me, Skylar. Please save me." Skylar then ordered Frank to keep a close eye on Eric and not let Eric escape. He followed the doctors and nurses as they brought the stretcher to the entrance of the emergency room. His expression was thoroughly grim as he stared at Thea being pushed into the emergency room. "Don't worry, Thea. I'll make sure that you get the justice you deserve." Thea weakly reached out to grab Skylar's hand, but she was forced to let go when she was wheeled into the emergency room. Skylar then turned back and strode toward Thea's hospital ward. Inside, Eric was cornered by Frank and couldn't escape. He continued to tremble and cower in fear in the corner. Skylar walked up to Eric in a few quick strides, causing Eric to back away frantically as he explained, "Skylar, I really didn't hurt that woman! A nurse came to get me, saying that Elaine wanted to see me. I remembered that Elaine's ward was on this floor, so I came up here. But when I walked into the ward, that woman suddenly stabbed herself right in front of me!" Skylar's eyes were bloodshot as he lifted Eric off the ground and then grabbed him by the neck. "Don't call me by my name, kid. Who do you think you are? Both you and that evil sister of yours are no family of mine!" Despite his young age, Eric understood just how serious it was to be accused of stabbing someone. He cried out anxiously, "I want to see Elaine! She can prove that I'm innocent! Let go of me!" Skylar was on the verge of losing his mind. His hand tightened around Eric's throat as his fingers dug deeply into the boy's skin. "Elaine will listen to what you have to say once she joins you on the other side!" Frank was worried that things might get out of hand and quickly intervened. "Sir, please calm down. What's done is done. It doesn't matter what really happened. Let's just leave it to the police." Skylar knew that a 12-year-old minor like Eric would not receive a severe sentence even if he was found guilty. A child would have to be at least 14 years old to be sent to juvenile detention. Thinking of that made Skylar even more convinced that Elaine had put Eric up to it. There was no reason for Eric to suddenly show up and stab Thea otherwise. He could not help but admit that Elaine had played her cards well. But still, he would not let her win this time. Seeing that Eric was on the verge of passing out, Frank was worried that Eric's life might be in danger. And so, he slipped out to bring Elaine over. Eric was very close to fainting. His face had already been drained of all color from being in Skylar's grip. The sound of rushed footsteps came from outside the ward, followed by Elaine's panicked and furious voice. "Skylar Frey! Let go of my brother!" As she rushed into the ward, she nearly slipped on a puddle of blood near the bed. Elaine was horrified when she looked down to see a large pool of blood glowing under the harsh lights. An extremely bad feeling crept up her heart as Skylar spoke up coldly. "You want me to let go of Eric? Elaine, your brother just stabbed Thea. Do you know that? Thea's in critical condition right now inside the ER. What makes you think you have the right to tell me to let go of him?" Elained quickly moved forward and grabbed Skylar's hand. "That's impossible. I don't know what kind of trick Thea pulled this time, but I'll fight you to the death if you dare hurt Eric!" She tried desperately to pry his hand off. She began to panic when she saw Eric's face turning purple from the lack of oxygen. Skylar was still rational enough not to make a move on Elaine herself. He just replied coldly, "Get your off me, Elaine! I'm warning you now. If I find out that you're the one who's behind this, I'll make you pay with your life!" The next moment, Elaine, whose eyes were red with rage, bit down hard on the arm that was choking Eric. The skin on Skylar's arm broke from her bite. His expression darkened as he let go of Eric before he roughly shoved Elaine aside. Elaine hit the back of her head on the edge of the bed. The immense pain caused her body to tremble as she coughed up blood. Eric, trembling, crawled over to protect Elaine. "Elaine, does it hurt? Are you okay?" Elaine reached out and pulled Eric to her side. "I'm fine. Tell me what's going on. You didn't do this, right?" Eric's eyes were red as he shook his head. "I didn't! A nurse said that you were looking for me, so I came over here. But as soon as I walked in, that woman stabbed herself and then threw the knife at my feet. She then screamed for help, and the doctors and nurses rushed inside the ward." Elaine's trembling hands gripped Eric's hand tightly. "Don't worry, Eric. I believe you. I'll protect you no matter what." Skylar snorted and said, "You sure are one bold woman, Ms. Shelton. Frank, call the police. I want Eric taken to the station for an interrogation. I'd like to see just how Elaine plans to protect her brother." Elaine gritted her teeth and eventually lowered her head. She crawled over to Skylar's side and kneeled down before him. "I'm begging you, Skylar. Eric is still a child. The police can't do much even if you have them arrest him. You hate me for what happened to Thea, right? Then just do whatever you want to me." Skylar crouched down as well and lifted up her chin with his finger. "So, you're admitting that you're the one who hurt Thea, huh? You had Eric do this because you knew that he couldn't be punished as a minor, right? You planned all of this, didn't you?" Elaine's nails dug into her palm as she repeated herself, "I'll do anything you want so long as you spare Eric." Eric might legally be a minor, but Skylar could easily find a way to make Eric go to prison—or perhaps even suffer a fate worse than prison if he really wanted to. But Eric was gravely ill and needed treatment from the hospital to survive. If he were to be imprisoned or even merely detained for some time, he could die at any given moment. A cruel grin appeared on Skylar's face as he looked down at Elaine with contempt. "Please explain yourself clearly, Ms. Shelton. What do you mean when you say that you'll do anything I want?" Elaine's shoulders started trembling. It was clear that she was deathly afraid. Even so, she answered his question clearly, "I'll do whatever you say—whenever, wherever." Skylar laughed out loud. "Alright then. Frank, bring Eric away. Nobody will say a word about what happened tonight." Frank responded to Skylar's orders and proceeded to drag the struggling Eric away. Elaine quickly said, "You promise that you won't hurt my brother, right?" Skylar eyed her coldly and replied, "That depends on your sincerity, Ms. Shelton." Just then, a doctor entered the ward and reported to Skylar, "Mr. Frey, Ms. Lancelot is no longer in critical condition. We'll be monitoring her condition in the emergency room for another half an hour before transferring her back to her ward. "One other thing is that since Ms. Lancelot had only just recently suffered from a miscarriage, the sudden traumatic event of being stabbed along with the damage to her uterus may mean that she'll never be able to conceive a child ever again." A murderous gleam appeared in Skylar's eyes. He crouched down and grabbed Elaine by the chin. "Is that more or less what you wanted? Thea can't bear children anymore, Elaine. In that case, what right do you have to keep your womb and fertility?"