Two

Chapter Two

Beverly

A slap met me the moment I stepped into the room. My head snapped to the side, pain shooting through my left cheek at the same time.

Elena stood in front of me with bloodshot eyes. I held my cheek in confusion, staring back at her. I get she was emotional about her son lying in bed, covered in bruises but that was not enough reason for her to hit me.

“How long have you been abusing my son?” She demanded.

“What?” I blurted. A puzzled expression formed on my face as shock overrode the pain. “What are you talking about?”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” she fired. “Look at him! Look how scrawny he is! How can a fragile kid like him get into a fight?!” She was practically screaming at me at this point. I was still confused. I didn’t understand what made her draw such a terrifying conclusion.

I dropped my hand from my cheek. Heat rose in my chest — not fear, not shame. Anger. Clean and rising. “Why would you say such a thing? I love Evan and have always treated him like my own son. I would never…”

“But he’s not your son, is he?” She snapped and I flinched. She grabbed my dress. “Is that why you did this? Because you’re bitter? He’s just a little kid. He’s innocent! Why did you have to…” my dress was ripping off from the force she was applying.

“Get off me,” I pushed her away and at the same time, the door opened. Elena fell dramatically to the floor sobbing.

“If you have a problem just take it out on me, leave my son out of this,” she curled on the floor, hiccuping and shivering. I could only stare as the drama unfolded. Killian practically ran to her. He scooped her into his arms and she clung to him for dear life.

“What happened here?” He demanded, shooting a thick glare at me. “What did you do to her?”

“Me?” I exclaimed in shock. “I didn’t even…”

“I called Evan’s school earlier,” Elena cut in weakly. “I wanted to know what kind of fight put my baby in such a state but… but…” tears poured down her cheeks. “They said there was no record of such a fight. That Evan has been coming to school with those bruises…”

“What?” I gasped. “That’s not possible! Evan didn’t have any bruises when he left for school this morning. His form teacher called me! I can show you the call log…”

“There was no fight, Killian. I understand if you don’t believe me, after all I ran away five years ago to hide my health condition from you,” she sniffled. “But I am a mother and I can’t be alive and watch my child suffer such maltreatment. You have to stand up for him, please. I tried to do it on my own but she attacked me.”

I couldn’t believe my ears. Is she serious right now?

Killian turned to me with a murderous glare. Is he for real?

“You can’t possibly believe that?!” I was exasperated. “I have been with you for five whole years! You know me, Killian.” He moved away from her and marched to me. His aura flared with murderous intent and my heart skipped.

Behind him, she threw me a smug smile, sitting up to enjoy the show.

I took out my phone desperately. “Killian, I have the recording of the call I had with the teacher. Please just…” he slapped the phone out of my hand angrily and it smashed against the floor. My eyes widened but the next second, he slapped me across the face.

“How dare you lay a finger on my wife and son? Do you have a death wish?” He barked. I cupped my face in disbelief. “When did you become so vile and malicious?”

“Malicious?” I repeated, incredulously. The word tasted like poison. “Me?” I was boiling with anger now. The last of my restraint snapped. “I gave five years of my life to you! I dedicated my time to care for you and your son! I loved you!” My voice broke. “And what did I get in return?” I took a step forward. “Hate. Disrespect. Emotional torture! And now you have the audacity to stand here and call me…”

The slap met my face before I could finish the words. “Who do you think you are talking to in that tone? You are nothing but a girl I picked from the garbage,” he spat, grabbing my neck in anger. I choked out as he tightened. “I cleaned you up, gave you a roof over your head and more money than you can ever dream of. You just had one job! One fucking job!” He yelled, flinging me across the wall.

I hit my head hard and dropped to the floor. The pain crept in, intense and agonizing. I spat out blood, gasping and coughing all at once.

He walked over to me, standing over my pain-ridden body. Then he crouched over and grabbed my hair. “Don’t even think for a second that I will let you get away with this. You disgust me!”

I held on to my hair, struggling to release it from his grip before he ripped it off my scalp. Tears streamed down my cheeks in torrents, but underneath the pain something colder and harder was taking root.

“I don’t even want this anymore… you can go be with your wife and child…” I forced the words out. “I’m done with you and your stupid pack, Killian! I’m done!” I screamed.

The words must have caught him off guard because his grip loosened. “What did you say?”

“You heard me,” I bitterly retorted. “Your real wife is back, isn’t she? Divorce me and compensate me as stated in the contract.”

Surprise lit his features and he backed away from me. His lips pressed together in a tight frown as he stared down at me. “So this is what this is about? Money? That’s what five years together meant to you?”

I pushed myself off the ground, ignoring the blood on my lip and the fire in my skull. “You prepared the contract yourself, didn’t you? I play the wife and mother till your wife gets back and you pay me a hundred million. Are you trying to back out now?”

“You really think I would pay you after everything you have done?” He scoffed, grabbing my chin. “You are going to rot away in the dungeons until I decide otherwise. And you better pray to the goddess that nothing happens to my son. Guards!”

“No! No!” I panicked as they filtered into the room. Dread pooled in my stomach as they grabbed me from all angles. “I didn’t do anything! You have to believe me, please…”

My pleas fell on deaf ears and eventually I was thrown into the darkest dungeons of Kingsway Pack.

As the heavy door slammed shut and darkness swallowed me whole, I stopped crying.

I stopped begging. And I started remembering every single thing they had done to me. Every slap. Every lie. Every moment I had been treated like nothing.

When I got out of here — and I would get out

— none of them would walk away clean.