Chapter 3

"Stop–stop this! What are you doing?!"

Eleanor Grant's arrival cut Connor off. I slipped from his grip and fell to the floor, coughing violently, the taste of blood filling my mouth.

She looked at the chaos in front of her and let out a long, heavy sigh before helping me up.

"Sienna… are you alright?"

I forced the words out. "I'm fine."

Her whole body stiffened.

"Sienna… you–you can speak?"

In that instant, she seemed to age more than ten years. Her legs gave way, and tears streamed down her face as she muttered, "It's over… it's all over…"

Connor frowned at her.

"Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Her voice sounded distant, worn.

"Back when the family was in crisis, your father paid a heavy price to have a reading done. It said that if you married a mute woman whose birth chart matched yours, the family's fortune would be preserved.

"But the moment she speaks… the family will fall apart."

The reading was not wrong.

It just had not foreseen that I was not truly mute–I stayed silent because my words brought misfortune.

Connor scoffed.

"That's superstition. Tricks to fool old people. Everything this family has now–we built it ourselves. What does it have to do with her?

"If she's so capable, why couldn't she even raise her own son properly?"

Eleanor hesitated.

She had doubted it too. But ever since Connor married Sienna, the family's fortunes had improved rapidly. And not long after the reading, his father had died.

Part of her believed. Part of her did not dare to.

Then she seemed to remember something.

"Where's Jamie? Why haven't I seen him?"

Connor let out a cold laugh.

"She couldn't raise him properly, so I sent him to a training facility to learn discipline."

I looked at her and spoke hoarsely.

"Jamie is dead."

Connor's patience snapped.

"How many times are you going to repeat that lie? What, are you going to say that pile of rotten flesh in the yard is him again?"

He raised his voice.

"Take that thing outside and burn it. Turn it to ash and mix it into the soil for the roses."

I watched as what remained of my son was thrown into the fire.

This time, I did not struggle.

He was already gone. That body meant nothing anymore.

Better to let it burn clean… and let him leave this world.

Maybe in his next life, he would be born into a kinder family. Live a quiet, happy life.

Eleanor looked at Connor, then at me. She did not know who to believe.

In the end, she turned and hurried out, heading for the training facility herself.

The moment she left, Camille's voice broke through her tears.

"My poor child… he didn't even get to see the world. He would've grown up to be Jamie's age… calling us Mom and Dad…

"Connor… will we still have children?"

Connor kissed her forehead, his voice soft.

"We will. Of course we will."

Then he looked at me–his gaze colder than before.

"Sienna. I let you off just now because my mother was here. But you're not getting away without paying for this.

"Since Camille lost her child… the one in your belly will take its place."

He stepped toward me.

I scrambled backward in panic until I hit the wall.

My voice trembled.

"Connor… you already killed Jamie. Are you going to kill another one of your children? He's yours too!"

Connor hesitated.

Camille saw it immediately.

"Connor… you don't have to do this for me," she said softly. "My position in this family is already awkward. My child could never compare to hers. Even if you say my child will inherit everything… no one truly believes it."

Connor's expression hardened.

"In this house, my word is law. What I say, everyone believes. Sienna isn't worth a single strand of your hair."

The hesitation vanished.

He raised his foot–and brought it down hard on my stomach.