Chapter 9 Thea's Miscarriage; Elaine Is Forced to Kneel

Because of those photos, Skylar didn't care at all about Elaine's injuries. He tormented her well into the middle of the night. It wasn't until she finally passed out from exhaustion that he pulled away and left. The bedroom lights were still on, casting a cold glow over her pale face. He remembered how Elaine used to be shy, insisting the lights be off whenever they were intimate. But now, thinking of her dubious relationship with Marcus, he felt all her previous shyness was just an act. So he deliberately left the lights on to humiliate her. Yet after a long night together, he realized that besides fear, she hadn't shown any other expression on her face. She looked like a prisoner under torture, and he was the executioner. Skylar frowned as he glanced at the shocking wounds on her left shoulder. They were painful to look at. Unconsciously, he reached out to touch her. But when he saw her instinctively shrink her neck, he realized she was still guarding herself against him even in her sleep. Skylar let out a cold laugh. Whatever faint ripple of emotion had surfaced in his chest vanished. He rose and went back to his own bedroom. … The next morning, Elaine woke up early. She wanted to leave Birchwood Estate before Thea and Skylar got up to avoid any further conflict. She hastily tidied herself. When she went downstairs, Thea and Skylar were already seated at the dining table. Elaine immediately turned to head back upstairs, but Skylar's cold voice cut through the silence. "Come down and eat. What's wrong? Are you too guilty to even look at Thea now?" Elaine eventually went downstairs, thinking she'd just grab a quick bite and leave as soon as possible. The last thing she needed was Thea framing her for something once Skylar was gone. The moment she sat down, Thea spoke in a gentle voice. "Sky, you're so busy with work. Would it be alright if Ms. Shelton came with me for my check-up today? She looks pretty hurt herself. She could see a doctor while we're there." Skylar immediately refused. "No. I don't feel comfortable letting you go with her. Work can wait. I'll take you to the hospital myself." Thea tugged at his arm, pouting. "Sky, please say yes! It really wasn't Ms. Shelton's fault yesterday. She's so badly hurt. Her wounds could easily get infected if she doesn't see a doctor. Besides, the obstetrics department is full of pregnant women. It's inconvenient for a man to be there. Please?" Hearing her high-pitched, delicate voice made Elaine feel sick to her stomach. She quickly finished a bowl of oatmeal, intending to leave right away. Accompanying Thea to the hospital would be like throwing herself into a pit of fire. She'd have to be out of her mind to agree to that. Just then, Skylar's phone rang. The company was having an early meeting today. The call was from Colin, likely reminding him to head over. Skylar was indeed busy. He glanced at Elaine as she stood up to leave. "Fine. You'll go with Thea. Don't say I didn't warn you, Thea. If you dare—" Elaine cut him off, "I'm going to the hospital today. I don't have time. Get someone else to go with her." Eric had a follow-up appointment today. She needed to be there with him. Skylar thought of Marcus when he heard the word "hospital". No one knew what scenario he had conjured in his mind when he lowered his voice, leaving no room for argument. "Thea's going to the hospital too. You can go together. Elaine, I won't repeat myself. If you think you can negotiate with me, you'd better think about the consequences first." Once again, he was using Agatha to threaten her. Elaine instinctively clenched her palms. She said, "My shoulder is injured. At the very least, I can't drive." If anything happened on the road, she'd inevitably be blamed again. Lucy immediately chimed in, "Mr. Frey, I can drive. Why don't I take Ms. Lancelot and Ms. Shelton?" Elaine remembered the hostility in Lucy's eyes the previous night. She felt that Lucy definitely wasn't a good person. She asked, "Can we have someone else drive? Can Frank take us instead?" Skylar grew impatient. "It's just a car ride. How many excuses are you going to come up with? That's it. Lucy, drive them there. I'm heading to the office." Lucy immediately replied, "Yes, Mr. Frey. Have a good day." It seemed that Skylar was still worried. He waited outside until he saw them get into the car. Thea claimed she was pregnant and couldn't sit in the front seat. She also said she was worried about bumping into Elaine, which would tug at her wounds, and insisted that Elaine sit up front. Once the car drove away, Skylar got into another car and headed to the company. As soon as his car was out of sight, Thea showed her true colors. She stared at Elaine through the rearview mirror, gloating. "So, how did it feel getting scalded with boiling water?" Elaine ignored her, leaning back in the seat and closing her eyes to rest. Lucy's voice chimed in from beside her, "That was freshly boiled water, Ms. Lancelot. I saw it myself. The skin on her neck was practically peeling off." Elaine opened her eyes and saw Lucy wearing the exact same smug expression as Thea. She wasn't too surprised. The look Lucy gave her last night had already made Elaine suspect that she was working for Thea. Thea laughed out loud. "Elaine, if I were you, I'd quickly get out of Tenby, hide far away, and never come back. Maybe then you'd live to see another day. Otherwise, sooner or later, I'll make sure Sky kills you with his own hands." Elaine scoffed. "If you're so capable, why don't you tell Skylar to let me go? Honestly, I'd be more than happy." Thea frowned, displeased. "Cut the act. Who are you trying to fool? Back then, weren't you the one clinging to Sky shamelessly?" As she spoke, she exchanged a look with Lucy in the rearview mirror. Lucy immediately turned left into a secluded side road. The moment they got onto the narrow road, she suddenly steered the car toward a tree. Elaine didn't even have time to shout, "Are you insane?" when she heard a loud bang from the front of the car. Thea's body slammed forward uncontrollably. Moaning in pain, she fumbled for her phone and called Skylar. "Sky, save me…" Skylar's voice on the other end instantly dropped. "What happened? Where are you?" He arrived in less than 20 minutes. As he carefully carried Thea out of the car, her white dress was already stained with blood and her face was filled with terror. Lucy had blood trickling down her forehead as well. After she scrambled out of the car, she started explaining in a panic. "Mr. Frey, on the way over, Ms. Shelton said taking this route would be faster, so Ms. Lancelot told me to take this remote route that doesn't have any surveillance cameras. But after we made the turn, Ms. Shelton suddenly grabbed the steering wheel. The car went out of control…" The ambulance arrived soon after. Skylar handed Thea over to the paramedics. Then, he yanked Elaine out of the front seat, his expression as dark as thunder. Without a word, he raised his hand and slapped her hard across the face. "You have a death wish, don't you?" Elaine stumbled sideways from the force of the blow. She instinctively braced herself against the car door behind her. Skylar's expression was dark with fury as he grabbed her arm and shoved her into his own car. He drove her straight to the hospital. Thea was rushed into the emergency room. Meanwhile, Skylar ordered his bodyguards to force Elaine to kneel outside. He said coldly, "If anything happens to Thea or the baby, I'll kill you right here today. I mean it, Elaine." Elaine knelt on the ground in humiliation with bloodshot eyes. However, she refused to beg him. Instead, she let out a soft laugh, looking at him as if he were a complete joke. "Skylar, you really trust her that much." Skylar stared down at her with disgust. "If I don't trust her, am I supposed to trust you?" Elaine calmly pulled out her phone from her bag. She tapped on the recording she had saved in the car. Thea's mocking voice came through the speaker. "So, how did it feel getting scalded with boiling water?"