Chapter 2 Skylar, May You Die a Miserable Death

No, that couldn't be right. Skylar had only reunited with Thea last week. Three months ago, he wouldn't even have known where Thea was. Elaine looked up, her voice weary. "So, is she pregnant?" Thea, who had only just managed to stop crying, began sobbing softly again. It was as if she were suffering the greatest injustice in the world. Her tears soaked into Skylar's black shirt, stabbing straight into his heart. He carefully helped Thea lean back against the bed. His eyes burned with rage as he suddenly yanked Elaine's shirt, hauling her upright. The next moment, he slapped her hard across the face. "Just so you could marry into the Frey family, you locked Thea up overseas for three whole years. You even let other men lay their hands on her. Elaine, I really want to see what kind of heart could harbor such malicious thoughts!" As he spoke, he seemed to completely lose control. He suddenly seized the fruit knife from the bedside table and drove it straight toward Elaine's chest. In the face of death, Elaine froze. She even forgot to defend herself. When she was 12 years old, she was adopted by Syklar's grandmother, Madeline Richmond. She had stood in the shadows all her life, silently watching him and Thea as they went everywhere together. Elaine had always known he loved Thea. She was just an orphan the Frey family had adopted. Marrying him was above her station. Syklar resented her because of Thea's instigation, and there was no way she could defend herself. However, he was trying to kill her now. He actually wanted to kill her with his own hands. The knife plunged straight toward Elaine's heart. Just as it was about to pierce her skin, Skylar seemed to hesitate for a split second. Just then, a slender, pale arm reached out and tightly gripped Skylar's wrist. Thea's gentle, delicate voice rang out. "Sky, don't. All those things are in the past. I really don't blame Ms. Shelton anymore." With a sharp clatter, the fruit knife fell to the floor. Skylar pulled Thea into his arms, chiding her gently, "Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" Thea shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "I'm fine. I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me. And I don't want you making mistakes for my sake." The dull pain in Elaine's chest drained the color from her lips. Her whole body trembled like a withered leaf in the wind. She could no longer tell if her heartache was from her illness or from the two people embracing so tightly before her. A broken, bitter smile curled the corners of her lips. Perhaps she ought to be grateful. It was his precious Thea who had just saved her life. But when Skylar caught sight of the faint smile on Elaine's face, the look of hatred on his face grew stronger. How could she be so heartless? Thea had suffered so much because of her, yet she showed no remorse at all. She was even smiling! Skylar carefully helped Thea back to the bed before he abruptly grabbed Elaine's hair and dragged her into the hallway. Elaine's mind spun with dizziness. She hit the ground hard, but Skylar didn't even glance at her. He dragged her straight into the elevator, then out into the pouring rain outside the hospital. His voice was icy. "Kneel! You're going to stay on your knees here in front of everyone until tomorrow morning to atone to Thea!" Elaine struggled, but Skylar lifted his leather shoe and brutally kicked her knee. Her body involuntarily crumpled to the ground. The rain poured down in torrents, soaking through her thin clothes in an instant. The people coming and going from the hospital paused to stare, whispering among themselves. The rain streamed down her hair and neck, washing over every inch of her skin. Her beating heart felt as if it had been thrown into icy waters. Elaine forced her back straight. A laugh burst from her lips, splintering in the pounding rain. "Skylar, three years ago, it was Thea who abandoned you and went abroad with another man. She's carrying that man's child right now. Your undying devotion is nothing but a huge joke!" Skylar's heart had just softened slightly when he saw her pale face. But the instant he heard those words, all traces of tenderness vanished. One of his bodyguards rushed out, holding an umbrella over him. Skylar turned around, crouched down in front of Elaine, and lifted her chin with his slender finger. "What did you just say?" Elaine met his gaze without fear. The heavy rain blurred her vision. "Three years ago, she dumped you and went abroad because she couldn't stand you being paralyzed after that car accident. She screamed in front of Mrs. Frey Senior and all the Frey family elders that you were nothing but a cripple. She only came back right after Mrs. Frey Senior died because the dead can't testify. How could you not see that? How can you still not see it?" Skylar was so close that his arm brushed against hers. Through his shirt, she could almost feel the warmth of his skin. Once, a touch like that had been warm and comforting. He used to care for her too. In the two years they were married, he had treated her as Thea's stand-in and occasionally called out Thea's name in bed. Yet he had been good to her in every other way. However, his eyes now held nothing but coldness and hatred. In the pouring rain, Elaine looked utterly disheveled. His indifferent face was reflected in her eyes, turning her heart cold. Skylar's expression was eerily calm, so calm that she almost thought she heard the words, "Alright, I believe you," on the tip of his tongue. But in the very next moment, the hand holding her chin suddenly shoved forward, slamming her hard into the puddled ground. Filthy rainwater mixed with dirt splattered across her hair, face, and clothes. Before she could even scramble up, Skylar rose to his feet without a flicker of emotion. He planted the sole of his black leather shoe onto Elaine's pale hand. He pressed down, grinding slowly until blood began to seep from her skin. Only then did he finally withdraw his foot in disgust. With an air of proud arrogance, he looked down at her from above, his thin lips parting. "Kneeling for one day is too easy on you. You should kneel until you die." It felt as if countless venomous insects were gnawing away at Elaine's heart. Elaine was in such agony she could barely breathe. She lay painfully in the rain, curled into a ball. She didn't even have the strength to stand up as she murmured, "Skylar, may you die a miserable death." Skylar had already climbed a few steps before turning back slowly. He spoke in a low voice. "Kneel properly until tomorrow morning, or I'll do anything I want to your brother who's still in the hospital." Elaine struggled to lift her eyes. Rain washed over her pale face, blurring her vision. Suddenly, she felt like she no longer knew this man standing before her. The pain twisting through her chest seemed to numb even her mind. As her consciousness began slipping away, she felt a sudden warmth rushing from her lower belly…