Chapter 3

Sebastian’s firm tone instantly brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.

In the past, Morgan would have stepped in to smooth things over, even if it meant taking the short end of the stick.

But now, she simply stood there, watching coldly.

Grace had only one son, and in the end, she had no choice but to back down.

She even made her grandson apologize to Morgan.

At the dinner table, Grace kept piling food onto Sebastian’s plate. "Sebastian, you’ve lost weight again. Eat more."

Then she shot a glare at Morgan.

"They say a good wife should look presentable in public while being capable in the kitchen. Since you clearly lack the first, the least you could do is keep your husband happy with your cooking."

Morgan swallowed her food mechanically, tasting nothing.

"We recently hired a new housemaid. She’s a great cook, and Sebastian enjoys her food."

Grace scoffed. "A housemaid is just a housemaid—she’s not Mrs. Cole. As his wife, you should be the one taking care of these things."

Morgan didn’t reply, just smiled faintly.

Maybe she wouldn’t be Mrs. Cole for much longer anyway.

Sebastian cut in, his voice firm. "Mom, enough. Can we just eat in peace?"

Grace instantly deflated. "Fine, fine. No more talking—let’s eat."

The table finally fell into silence, but Sebastian’s phone kept buzzing.

From the corner of her eye, Morgan caught a glimpse of the message from Luna.

“Mr. Cole, I have a fever. I heard women get even hotter inside when they’re burning up. Want to come test it out?”

Luna attached a private photo of herself in barely-there lingerie.

Sebastian’s face darkened as blood rushed to his head.

He slammed his phone shut, the movement so abrupt that even Grace noticed something was off.

"Sebastian, what’s wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Sebastian quickly stood up. "Mom, something urgent came up at work. I need to take care of it."

Then he turned to Morgan. "Morgan, I might be back late tonight. Go to bed without me."

Without waiting for her response, he hurried out the door.

The moment he left, Morgan lost any desire to stay and endure more of Grace’s attitude.

She stood up, ready to leave as well.

Grace slammed her hand on the table, finally unleashing all the pent-up anger from the night.

"I’m still sitting here, and you’re already leaving? Do you have no manners at all?"

Her voice turned sharp. "Mrs. Cook, Ms. Wood, lock her in the attic! Let’s see if that teaches her some discipline!"

Morgan’s expression turned cold.

"You have no right to lock me up. This is illegal detention."

Grace let out a mocking laugh. "What a joke. A mother-in-law disciplining her daughter-in-law is perfectly justified."

Before Morgan could resist, the two older housemaids grabbed her and dragged her upstairs, shoving her into the dark attic.

Her heartbeat pounded wildly.

Tremors ran through her body.

She had claustrophobia.

The suffocating fear of death wrapped around her like a vice.

The pitch-black room felt like it was hiding monsters, waiting to devour her.

She banged on the door, shouting Sebastian’s name.

In high school, her classmates once locked her in a storage room as a prank.

She had been just as terrified back then.

Sebastian was the one to kick the door open.

Light had poured into the room with him, chasing away the darkness, and for the first time, she felt safe.

From that moment on, she saw him as her salvation.

She loved him, willingly giving up everything for him, even her own life.

But now, no matter how much she screamed, Sebastian never came.

Instead, a basin of ice-cold water was dumped over her.

Mary Wood stood over her, glaring. "Mrs. Cole, you’d better quiet down. If you keep making a fuss, don’t blame us for getting rough."

Soaked to the bone, Morgan was left locked in the attic all night.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the door finally swung open.

Sebastian rushed inside, gathering her shivering body into his arms. "Morgan, I’m sorry. I came back too late…"

The embrace she once considered her salvation now only suffocated her.

She shoved him away and walked toward the door.

The moment she stepped outside, her vision blurred, and everything went black.