CHAPTER 8: THE PERFECT TRAP

"Were you dreaming of Ethan?" Emma's sharp voice cut through my thoughts.

My head snapped up.

Was I really dreaming?

Those things I did with Ethan were all a dream?

How?!

My eyes darted around the room, from the faces of the maids to every corner.

My stomach dropped when realization dawned on me.

I'd fallen asleep on the couch inside the living room where I was plotting a revenge plan... and then came the dream.

"Why aren't you talking back... or have you not been able to get over your wet dreams?" Emma mocked. Chuckles from the maids followed.

My face flushed red with embarrassment.

"This has nothing to do with you..." I barely completed my words before one of the maids pointed at me.

"Look, she's even blushing." One of the maids laughed, and loud laughter erupted around the room.

My hands clenched tightly around my wet gown.

It hadn't even been a week since Emma arrived, and here the whole group of maids was already on her side. And me? I'd been here for a whole month... none of them ever looked at me without an eye roll.

"Let her blush now. Let her continue to have wet dreams about Ethan..." Emma paused, then leaned closer to my face with a curling smile.

"Because a time will come when all she will be seeing is Ethan fucking me in her dreams," she whispered and flicked her hair, making sure it brushed against my face.

My hands tightened into fists.

"In your wildest dreams... it seems you've forgotten that I am his wife, and you are just a spear he's using to while away time."

I barely finished speaking before her hand struck me hard across the face.

My neck snapped to the side, and my lips burst from the force of the slap.

"How dare you say that to me?!" she snapped, her chest heaving with anger.

I giggled slightly.

What a pleasant gift this morning. Just one word, and she's this mad? What if I decide to continue?

I slowly turned my head toward her.

"Why can't I? I'm simply telling the truth," I replied with a small shrug.

Her face grew even redder.

"You think staying under his roof makes you his wife, you..."

"Nah, you're mistaken... staying under his roof doesn't make me his wife, but this does!"

I flaunted my wedding ring in front of her face.

She froze.

It felt as if I'd just sent a dagger straight to her heart.

"You!" she growled through gritted teeth.

A small smile crossed my lips.

Seeing how pissed she was gave me a whole new feeling.

"What? You can't accept the truth?" I pressed further, furrowing my eyebrows.

Her breathing grew heavier.

"You think this makes you special, huh?" She pointed at my ring, and before I could react, she pulled it off my finger and threw it to God knows where.

"Emma!"

I made to stand, but she pushed me back and pinned me to the couch.

"Going somewhere, sister?" Her expression darkened.

"What do you think you're doing?" I asked and pushed her off.

She staggered from the force of my push and fell into the arms of one of the maids.

She stood and glared at me.

"What does it seem like?" She brought out her phone, and her fingers started moving until she dialed a number.

The call connected before the first ring ended.

"Emma... how are you?" Ethan's voice boomed from the other side of the call.

"Ethan... help!" Emma cried out.

A deep frown appeared on my forehead.

What's she trying to do now?

"Where are you?!" Ethan's voice was filled with panic.

"I'm at home... Ahh! Elena, don't kill me!" she cried, and with that, she hung up.

I blinked.

"What was that all about?" I demanded.

She said nothing and brought her face closer to mine.

A minute later, her phone started buzzing with calls and texts.

A dark smile curled across her lips.

"What does it seem like?" She flaunted her phone in front of my face.

My heart dropped the moment I saw that the long texts and missed calls were from Ethan.

"Look... look at this." She pressed her phone closer to my face.

It was a message from Ethan that said, "Hang in there, I'm coming for you."

My throat ran dry.

"You see... he will be here anytime soon to choose me over you once more," she said proudly.

I needed no one to tell me it was getting dirty, and I needed to leave.

I stood without a second thought, but with just one signal from Emma, the maids lunged at me and pinned me down to the couch.

"Where do you think you're going, sister?" she asked mockingly.

"Running from the battle you started already?"

I tried pulling my arms free, but the maids' grip stopped me.

Their hands held me down completely.

"Stay still, sister, and enjoy the play."

She walked toward the kitchen, and at that moment, we heard a loud scream.

Then silence.

A few seconds later, she walked back in with knife marks all over her skin.

I blinked in horror as I stared at her.

At that very moment, Ethan's car drove into the mansion.

Not long after, we heard hurried footsteps rushing toward the main door.

She signaled the maids to let go of me, which they did.

Before I could catch my breath, she quickly rushed to the stairs and lay there as though someone had pushed her.

The door burst open, revealing Ethan.

His eyes grew wide with fear and concern the moment he saw Emma on the floor, looking weak and covered in marks.

"Emma!" he called and rushed to her.

He gathered her into his arms.

"Ethan... you're here?" she whimpered softly.

He gently placed his hands on her cheeks.

"I'm here... who did this to you?" he growled, but his voice remained soft and careful, as though he was afraid of frightening her.

Emma raised her hand shakily and pointed a finger at me.

"Sh... sh... she pushed me off the stairs... because she... thinks I'm stealing you from her," she stammered.

My breath hitched.

Ethan's eyes slowly traced over her injuries before settling on me.

His jaw hardened, and he gently lowered Emma to the floor.

Without asking any questions, he marched toward me.

I took a few steps back, but he caught up with me and grabbed me by the neck.

"I didn't do it... sh... she's lying!" I cried.

"Then who did this?" He pointed to the cuts on Emma's body.

Is he crazy, or has he just chosen to be blind?

Do those marks look like the marks of someone who just fell down a long flight of stairs?

"She inflicted those marks on her body all by herself... If I had pushed her, she would have been dead by now," I answered.

He loosened his grip on my neck and shoved me away.

I landed on the floor, coughed slightly, and held my neck.

Then one of the maids stepped forward.

"We saw her push Miss Emma... We tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen, saying she deserved to die for taking you from her," she said.

I froze.

"What?"

There, I realized that it was all planned. Emma had bought them all.

I turned to Ethan.

His fists tightened.

"Ethan, don't listen to them... If I'd pushed her, she would have lost her life considering the distance of the..."

Before I could finish, he grabbed me by the hair and yanked me up.

Without saying a word, he started dragging me toward the top of the stairs.

My eyes caught the sly smile on Emma's face.

"Ethan, please!" I cried as the pain rushed through my skull.

When we reached the top, he held me against the railing in a way that his grip was the only thing keeping me from falling.

"I will make you feel what you made her feel," he said through gritted teeth.

There, I realized what he was about to do.

"Ethan, don't... do it. I might die!" I stuttered.

He smirked.

"If Emma didn't die when you pushed her, then why should you?"

My stomach dropped.