Chapter 5

This was only the beginning.

The housekeeper quickly repositioned the pliers and started tearing out Eloise's remaining fingernails, one by one.

Eloise's fingers curled inward. She could only make hoarse, strangled sounds as she desperately tried to crawl away, only to be dragged back every time. When the punishment was finally over, Eloise lay sprawled on the floor like a broken doll, the air thick with the smell of blood.

Ruby ordered her housekeepers to throw her out.

Zander, who had been waiting outside, caught her just in time. The moment his eyes fell on her injuries, a flicker of shock crossed his eyes. "Cade, get the medicine!

"How could Mom be so cruel to you…"

Eloise was still trembling. Slowly but firmly, she pulled her hand out of his.

Zander sighed, looking weary. "Don't be like this. I know Mom went too far this time. Just tell me what you want, and I'll make it up to you."

"Then, give me back the money I gave you."

Zander froze. "What?"

"You didn't need the money anyway, did you? Then, give it back. Emma needs money for college."

Zander couldn't quite put into words what he was feeling. The card Eloise had given him before hadn't been enough to solve his problems, but it had carried all the love and sincerity she had for him. And now she wanted it back?

It left him unsettled, but he had promised to make it up to her. So, he had Robert retrieve the card. "If you really need money, just ask Julia to wire it to you. Emma's your sister. She shouldn't have to worry about money."

How laughable!

Eloise was in too much pain to argue. She simply took the card, forcing herself to endure the agony.

Just then, her phone rang. It was Grace Baker, the Maguire family's longtime housekeeper and also the woman who had raised her.

Her voice was frantic. "A car from the Piersons just dropped Ms. Emma home. Mr. Maguire is about to hurt her! Please, come quickly!"

A loud ringing filled Eloise's ears.

Zander had said Emma would be fine, yet he had sent her back to the Maguire family?

Eloise shoved Zander away and stumbled toward the chauffeur. "Take me to the Maguire residence!"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Maguire. Without Ms. Sinclair's approval, I can't take you anywhere…"

Tears streamed down Eloise's face. She rushed into the street but couldn't flag down a single car. With no other choice, she stumbled all the way to the Maguire residence herself. She fell more times than she could count. By the time she made it there, she could barely stay on her feet.

The moment she pushed open the door, she saw her father, James Maguire, raising a stick to beat Emma.

"Stop!" Eloise shouted.

Eloise's eyes widened in horror. Without thinking, she threw herself in front of Emma and took the blow.

A sickening crack rang out as a bone fractured. Eloise spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of flesh.

James was furious. "You ingrate! How dare you come back?"

But Eloise was still Zander's wife, so he didn't dare lay another hand on her. He ordered the housekeepers to pull her away.

Several housekeepers held Eloise back as she watched helplessly as Emma was beaten and left screaming on the floor. "Eloise… It hurts…"

Eloise's heart broke.

James glanced at Eloise and let out a smug, mocking laugh. "Aren't you married to Zander? Aren't you powerful now? So what if I beat this brat to death? You can't do a damn thing about it!"

Right. Zander…

Eloise frantically searched for her phone and dialed the familiar number. It took several tries before the call finally went through. "Zander, my dad is going to kill Emma! Please, send someone over…"

Before Zander could say a word, Julia cut in, "How can you ask him to do that? It's against the rules. He's her father. He's not actually going to kill her."

Eloise practically screamed, "What do you know? She really is going to die!"

Zander's expression darkened. "Watch how you speak to Julia! She's right. Sending people over without permission would violate the rules. Stop making this difficult."

With that, he hung up.

Emma's cries for help grew weaker. "Help me…"

Eloise's eyes were bloodshot. A surge of strength she had never felt before coursed through her. She shoved the housekeepers aside, grabbed a vase, and smashed it over James' head.

"You…" James collapsed.

Eloise called 911 and had Emma rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. All the way there, she kept murmuring, "Emma, you have to be okay… You're all I have left…"

At the hospital, the doctor examined Emma and immediately said, "She needs surgery right away. You need to go pay the hospital bill."

Eloise hurriedly pulled out the card Zander had given back to her and handed it over to the nurse.

The nurse ran it through the card reader, then frowned. "There's no money on this card."

What did she mean, there was no money?

Eloise's mind went completely blank. "That's impossible. I… I still have money. I…"

On the stretcher, Emma's breathing grew weaker and weaker. "You don't have to… do this… Eloise… It's too late…

"I'm sorry… I couldn't… stay by your side… any longer…"

No. No, no—

Emma's head slumped to the side, and she went completely still.

Eloise threw herself over her, crying out in anguish, "No!"