Chapter 4

The moment the chaos broke out, everyone rushed forward and dragged Simone out of the driver's seat. "Simone, what is wrong with you?" Hazel shouted, slapping her hard across the face. "That's your sister! Caleb gave his life to save your husband, and now you're trying to hurt her baby? Don't you have a conscience?" The slap was brutal. It split the corner of Simone's mouth and left blood dripping down her chin. But Hazel wasn't done. She grabbed a fistful of Simone's hair and began striking her again. Rage twisted her features. Madeline joined in too. Between sobs, she kept slapping Simone. Her voice broke as she said, "My grandchild! My son is already gone, and now you want to take away his child too? "You heartless woman! How did someone like you marry into our family?" Simone's face was covered in blood. But Cameron stood there, watching silently. This went on until Madeline shoved Simone so hard that she stumbled backward and slammed her head on the edge of the car door. At that point, Cameron finally spoke. "That's enough! Stop hitting her! Sylvia is hurt. What matters now is getting her to the hospital." Then, he scooped Sylvia up into his arms and carried her to the car. Sylvia kept crying about her stomach hurting, but there wasn't a single trace of blood on her. Meanwhile, Simone had blood running down her face, welts on her skin, and bruises blooming where Madeline and Hazel had clawed and hit her. However, Cameron never even glanced her way. He drove Sylvia to the hospital without a word. Simone slumped to the ground. Her whole body ached, but her heart felt far worse. She didn't even have the strength to cry anymore. Eventually, she dragged herself to the hospital on her own. She needed five stitches on her forehead. Her face was swollen and barely recognizable. Her entire body was black and blue. It was covered in bruises and deep scratch marks from where Hazel and Madeline had torn her skin. While a young nurse gently cleaned her wounds, she hesitated before finally speaking. "Ma'am, were you abused by your husband? Do you want me to call the police for you?" Simone gave a bitter smile and slowly shook her head. She had been abused, not just by her husband, but by every member of her family. At that moment, Cameron came out of the room down the hall. He was guiding Sylvia with protective care. The doctor walked beside them and said, "Your wife is fine. She just got scared. Pregnant women are delicate, so be extra careful with her from now on." Cameron nodded eagerly. "Absolutely. I'll take good care of her." He didn't correct the doctor by telling him that Sylvia wasn't his wife, but his sister-in-law. After the doctor walked away, Cameron gently took Sylvia's arm and helped her out. She covered her mouth with one hand and let out a soft giggle. "Cameron," she said sweetly, "don't we kind of look like newlyweds right now?" Cameron laughed with her. "Pregnant right after the wedding? I must be a machine." Sylvia blushed and playfully hit his shoulder. "You're so bad." He caught her hand and grinned. "Oh, come on. Am I wrong? Who was the one crying last night and begging me to stop?" Right there in the hospital hallway, the two of them flirted like no one else existed. Simone turned her head away. She couldn't bear to look at them anymore. Next to her, the nurse suddenly gasped. "Oh, no! Why are you crying? Are your wounds hurting too much? I'll get you something for the pain." Simone reached up and realized her cheeks were wet. She hadn't even noticed when she started crying. Forcing a smile, she wiped her face and said softly, "Yeah, it hurts." It really did. The physical injuries could be treated. They would heal eventually. But the wounds inside her heart? How was she supposed to fix those?