LOGINMrs. Helen finished feeding Alina carefully.Half a bowl of porridge made it in. Better than nothing at all."Good, Miss," she said while placing the empty bowl back on the tray. "You must keep eating. To maintain your strength."Alina nodded slowly. Her eyes still puffy but slightly more focused now.Mrs. Helen stood. Took the tray."I'll be back later with lunch. Get enough rest."She turned toward the door.But before leaving, Mrs. Helen threw one last glance at Alina.The young woman had returned to curling up in the corner. Hugging her own knees. Staring blankly at the floor.Destroyed. Broken. Afraid.Mrs. Helen felt her chest tighten again.But she couldn't do anything more now.She'd already taken photos. Already got evidence.Now she just had to send them to Emma.Mrs. Helen left the room. Closed the door slowly.Mr. Harris still stood in the corridor. Staring at her sharply."Finished?""Yes. Mrs. Alina ate half the portion. I'll return later for lunch."Mr. Harris nodded br
The next morning, Junior woke up listless.He hadn't slept well last night. Nightmares kept coming even though Clarissa held him until morning.He went down to the dining room with lazy steps. His face gloomy.Clarissa, still upset and sleep-deprived from the whole night, tried to look cheerful. Smiled widely when Junior sat in his chair."Good morning, darling. Sleep well?"Junior shook his head slightly. Didn't answer with words.Clarissa suppressed a frustrated sigh. She pulled out a chair and sat beside Junior.The servants began serving breakfast.But Junior just stared at the plate in front of him without touching it.His eyes swept the large dining room.Empty.Usually his grandmother sat at the end of the table. His father in the head chair. And lately Alina in the farthest chair.But this time, only him and Clarissa.The long table felt too vast. Too quiet."Mama," Junior finally asked. His voice small. "Where is everyone?"Clarissa picked up her fork. Cut the egg on her own
Daniel did not sleep all night.He simply sat on the sofa, watching Alina cry through nearly the entire night. Doing nothing but looking. Listening to the sobs muffled by the blanket. Witnessing his wife's body tremble with each shuddering breath.Hour after hour passed in a silence that hurt.Dawn arrived. Around four in the morning.Alina's crying finally subsided. Her body stopped shaking. Her breathing slowed into the uneven rhythm of sleep.Daniel rose from the sofa with careful, deliberate movements. His legs were stiff from sitting motionless for hours.He approached the bed with cautious steps.Alina had fallen asleep curled into herself. Her face was still hidden beneath the blanket she had pulled up to cover nearly her entire body.Daniel drew the blanket back slowly. Easing it down until Alina's face came into view.Her eyes were swollen. Her eyelids puffy from crying too much. Her cheeks damp with tears that had not yet fully dried.Daniel touched that face with trembling
Daniel carried Alina back to the room after bathing her.The woman's body was limp in his arms. Like a soulless doll.He sat her on the edge of the bed. Took a clean towel and dried her hair carefully.Alina didn't react. Just sat still with an empty gaze fixed on one spot on the floor.Daniel opened the closet. Took out a clean nightgown. Returned to Alina's side and began dressing her.Lifting her hands one by one. Sliding them through the sleeves. Buttoning the front with slightly trembling fingers.Alina just let him. Didn't help. Didn't resist. Just... existed.Like a living corpse still breathing.When he finished, Daniel stepped back. Stared at his wife's pale face."You need to eat something," he said softly. "You haven't eaten since this afternoon."No answer.Not even a blink to show Alina heard him.Daniel walked to the table. Took the food tray a servant had brought earlier. Chicken soup and bread. Light food that was easy to digest.He returned to the bed. Sat beside her.
Emma's hands gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white."Mrs. Helen," she said, voice tight with controlled panic. "What happened? Is Alina hurt?""I... I don't know, Miss." Mrs. Helen's voice trembled. "But her door is locked from the outside. And when I asked if she was alright, she told me to go away. Her voice was—" She choked. "—broken, Miss. Like something terrible happened."Emma closed her eyes briefly.Every instinct screamed at her to drive straight to that house. To break down the door. To get Alina out.But Rachel's earlier warning echoed in her mind.*Don't go to the Blackwood house.*If Emma charged in now—without evidence, without legal backup, without a plan—Daniel could have her arrested for trespassing. Could call security. Could spin it as harassment.And Alina would be even more isolated.Even more trapped."Emma?" Mrs. Helen's voice was small. Frightened. "What should I do?"Emma forced herself to think.To be strategic instead of emotional."Mrs.
In the downtown penthouse, Margaret sat rigidly in front of her laptop screen. Three monitors displayed CCTV feeds from Alina's room. The footage from two hours ago was still playing on repeat. And Margaret couldn't stop watching. Couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it. But the evidence was right in front of her eyes. Her son—Daniel—had raped his own wife. Brutally. Without mercy. Margaret heard Alina's screams through the audio feed. Saw the futile resistance. Saw the undisguised violence. Her hand trembled on the mouse. Her face pale. "No," she whispered. "Impossible. Daniel wouldn't—" But he had. The footage was irrefutable. Margaret slammed the laptop shut. Stood. Paced the room. Her breathing ragged. This wasn't her son. The son she raised wouldn't do something like that. Daniel was an honorable man. Educated. Civilized. Not... not a monster. But the footage— Margaret stopped. Shook her head hard. "It's her fault," she
Daniel walked quickly toward the playroom, his footsteps still heavy with frustration that hadn't fully subsided.When he opened the door, he found Junior sitting at a small table with crayons scattered before him. A young caregiver sat beside him, smiling while occasionally giving gentle instructi
Dr. Anderson—a man in his fifties with black-framed glasses and a professional demeanor—knocked gently on Alina's bedroom door before entering."Mrs. Blackwood?" he called in a calm, soothing voice. "I'm Dr. Anderson. Mr. Blackwood called me to examine your wound."Alina still stood at the window—r
Mrs. Helen stared at Alina for a long time with an expression full of internal conflict.Twenty years.Twenty years Mrs. Helen had worked for the Blackwood family. Twenty years of keeping secrets, following orders, not interfering in family matters that weren't her business.Twenty years she had en
Daniel stood outside Alina's room, hand raised to knock, then hesitated.He'd been standing there for nearly five minutes. Frozen. Unable to decide whether to enter or leave.Every instinct told him to go in. To check on her. To make sure she was okay. To say... something. Anything.But the memory







