CHAPTER 2

She heard the command to kneel in front of the elders. The eyes that lay hidden beneath the brows of the elderly man were as ferocious and ruthless as a knife, and they stabbed right through Sabrina's heart. Because the discomfort was so great, she had difficulty breathing. As her temperature rose, Sabrina's face became flushed with a bright red colour.

She looked around the room with a quick glance. Everyone was under the impression that she was the devil! Then she met everyone’s eyes because she was completely blameless! Why was she compelled to kneel before him? She remained standing there while adamantly proclaiming that she wouldn’t kneel before them! When Kenneth’s father saw her defiance to accept defeat, he was enraged and hurled the cup that he was holding to Sabrina’s feet.

“Sabrina, get down on your knees!” Kenneth yelled furiously.

She heard Kenneth’s order, however, her attention was focused on the broken pieces of the porcelain cup. They stabbed her feet, and because of the pain, she was unable to breathe normally.

“Sabrina, get on your knees and offer an apology this instant!”

The screaming voice of Gabriel McBride reverberated at the entire ancestral hall but she had no plan of obeying the old man. Sabrina ignored the pain she was experiencing at the moment and forced herself to straighten her back.  “I did not push my sister-in-law!” She declared while squinting her eyes towards Gabriel McBride. “Therefore, I won’t be grovelling or apologizing in any way.”

Gabriel clenched his jaw and glared furiously at Sabrina. “Can anybody here make her kneel?” He asked everyone who was present at the ancestral hall.

"Undoubtedly, Sabrina Hart has exceeded acceptable behaviour! Not only did she hurt Isabelle's child, but she also refused to acknowledge the fact that she had done so!"

"That is exactly right. Who can predict the awful things she'll do if we don't teach her a valuable lesson?"

"Poor Daniel, he has lost the baby even before the child was born!"

Sabrina heard several evil comments about the incident, and everyone looked at her as if she was a vile woman or a monster that they had never seen before. Their gaze gave the impression of slicing her apart into pieces. However, she maintained her composure as she stood in front of them. Amongst his relatives, the only person who was concerned about her was Lorraine, her mother-in-law.

Lorraine felt sorry for Sabrina after seeing her bleeding feet and spoke to Gabriel McBride. “Sabrina is still young and I can see that she’s already feeling regret for doing it. Why don’t we-”

Gabriel immediately glared at Lorraine and warned her. As a result, Lorraine clammed up and never opened her mouth again. However, she couldn’t ignore Sabrina’s bleeding feet and she went to talk to her son. “Son, your wife is injured, why don’t you take care of her?” She asked Kenneth.

Kenneth’s eyes darkened with an icy expression. He glowered at Sabrina who looked unrepentant for hurting Isabelle and her baby. “I don’t have a vicious wife!” He exclaimed loudly, mocking Sabrina altogether.

Upon hearing Kenneth’s declaration, Sabrina stared at her husband but she was too stunned to speak. He tilted his head to the side and gazed intently into her eyes. “Kenneth…,” she whispered his name.

"Sabrina, from this point forward, you can only count on yourself!" He said it coldly, and hatred was clearly visible in his eyes. He was furious at Sabrina for causing Isabelle’s miscarriage! As he recalled how she reduced his brother’s child into a pool of blood, his eyes were burning with hatred towards Sabrina Hart.

Tears started to well up in the corner of Sabrina’s eyes but she refused to cry in front of her husband. He dared to publicly shame her and favoured another woman! As she looked at Kenneth’s face, a dull pulsing pain crept inside her heart, intensifying with each second. She clutched her head and covered her eyes. She was desperate for relief from the sharp, head-splitting pain caused by his rejection. Then, she took a deep breath, and considered a feasible solution for her suffering, weighing each option and attempting to find the best one.

“Make her kneel, Ken!” Sanya McBride suggested to his brother.

Sabrina and Sanya have always been at odds with one another, and the rivalry had been going on since she married Kenneth. Kenneth’s sister was spoiled-rotten, and she was cruel to her. She saw how Sanya stared daggers at her, so she immediately assumed an alert posture, especially when she witnessed how the woman kicked Kenneth’s leg with her high heels. Sanya would probably do the same to her and she wouldn’t allow it to happen!

“What are you waiting for? Kneel and apologize!” Sanya ordered while glaring at Sabrina. “Grandpa wants you to kneel down!” She already lost her temper but Sabrina continued to defy her order. She then raised her head and sneered at her. After that, she repeatedly kicked Sabrina in the knees. Because Sabrina Hart was continuing to be defiant, she moved closer to her and gave her a slap across the face. “Kneel!” She screamed angrily.

Sabrina’s knees bore the imprints of Sanya’s high-heeled shoes, which were visible on the back of her knees. Like her broken heart, there were bloodstains and bruises, but nothing compared to the pain of Kenneth’s betrayal. The physical pain from Sanya’s outrage was nothing compared to Kenneth’s obvious display of affection towards Isabelle.

She frowned at the discomfort, however, she decided not to kneel. She would just be kneeling on a floor that was covered in shards of porcelain and other broken chinaware. No, she couldn’t do it! When she looked around, she saw Sanya sneering at her. She was disheartened at the fact that no one wanted to help her.

Sanya stepped back and crossed her arms while looking at Sabrina’s disheartened face. Then, she smiled triumphantly as she raised the corners of her mouth. She watched Sabrina’s downfall like her favourite show. She enjoyed watching Sabrina’s distressed appearance, and then her eyes darted towards Kenneth.

On the other hand, Kenneth watched his wife carefully. Sabrina was distressed and hurt at the same time. At this point, he anticipated that she would acknowledge her mistake, but then Sabrina slowly straightened her back and acted proudly as usual. She was beautiful with her almond-shaped eyes, but before he would notice all her beautiful features, he gritted his teeth in annoyance. The woman caused an incident and it was humiliating! When Sabrina pursed her lips stubbornly, everyone noticed it, including his grandfather, Gabriel McBride.

"What a callous and spoiled brat! Take her outside and make her kneel! I want her to get down on her knees until she realizes the mistake she made!" Gabriel ordered angrily, then he cast a glance towards Kenneth. “Try to find someone who can keep an eye on her for you, and do not permit her to stand until she will apologize for her wrongdoings!”

Sabrina was about to explain herself when Kenneth suddenly raised his hand and placed it on her shoulder. As soon as he used his force to subdue her, Sabrina was forced to kneel. She looked up at her husband but he didn’t sympathize with her.

“Kneel or let’s get divorced,” he declared.

“Kenneth…,” she whispered in a barely audible voice.

She was already aware that Kenneth wouldn’t protect her against his family, but still, she was disappointed and disheartened when he exerted some force to make her kneel. Then, she laughed at her own stupidity. She risked everything for him! She defied her family because of him! She went against her family and disobeyed them because of her love for Kenneth. She wanted him so much, and she used to believe that Kenneth would eventually fall for her in the long run, however, it didn’t happen. He has changed into a different person after their marriage, and he never bothered to hide his affections toward Isabelle. He was an insensitive brute who tortured her emotionally for three long years!

Sabrina was so furious at her wrong decisions in the past, and she wanted to correct her destiny! She endured the excruciating pain in both of her knees. However, nothing could compare to the anguish that was currently present in her heart. Years of pent up anger fueled her to endure their punishment for something she didn’t do!

Then, she glanced at her husband, who has been standing next to her. Under his thick brows, she could see the ruthlessness and coldness in Kenneth’s eyes. His tightly pursed lips were like a sharp knife, piercing right into her heart.

She gathered all her strength and mustered the courage to speak up the truth. “I didn’t push Isabelle into the water. God knows how much I tried to stop her from jumping the, but it seemed that she planned it beforehand. Why don’t you ask your precious sister-in-law Kenneth? Go and ask her why she wanted to kill her baby,” she continued and Kenneth clenched his fist.

“Shut up, Sabrina! How dare you accuse Isabelle of something evil!” Kenneth screamed at her.

Sabrina just smirked at her husband, and this time, she didn’t want to explain further. She rested her case but when Kenneth slapped her so hard, she just looked at him with disgust. “I am fully aware that you are not going to believe me, so let’s just -”

“Say it!”

“Divorce. I want a divorce.”