Liam had recently become obsessed with a girl who already had a boyfriend. She was fierce and stubborn --- she would rather die than give in. But Liam never failed to get what he wanted. The day they finally slept together, he bought out every billboard in the city to wish her a happy birthday. I found all this out from the nurses gossiping at the hospital. Through tear-blurred eyes, I spotted Liam's figure in the doorway. He looked at me, his expression completely unreadable. "As long as you behave yourself and stop interfering with her, your position as Mrs. Liam stays yours. And your brother's debts --- I'll keep covering those too." I looked at him, thinking of the endless collection calls I'd been getting. I nodded. What he didn't know was that just yesterday, a nurse had mentioned that the girl he'd fought so hard to win over had a boyfriend who was HIV-positive. So he was cheating. Fine. I could live with that. After all, when he dies, everything goes to me. The moment I pushed open the bedroom door, used condoms were scattered all over the floor. When he saw me walk in, Liam let out a short, contemptuous laugh. His eyes swept over the mess, his voice edged with impatience. "What are you standing there for? Clean it up. I'm taking Cara out tonight --- don't make trouble." My throat tightened. My fingernails dug deep into my palms. "The cleaning service can handle this." Liam raised an eyebrow and stepped toward me, looking down at me from his height. "Ellie, it's a small thing. Just do it yourself." I closed my eyes. The color drained from my face. I knew what this was --- Liam putting me in my place. "Your brother racked up another five million dollars in debt." His voice came from above me. "I can cover it. As long as you behave." I opened my eyes and watched a check flutter down onto the nightstand. While I cleaned up the mess, Liam stood in the doorway the entire time, watching. I knelt on the floor, picking up the used condoms one by one, my stomach lurching with every second of it. He watched me degrade myself, and he was satisfied. He reached out and patted my head, the corner of his mouth curling into a smile. "The therapy actually did some good. You're so much more sensible now, sweetheart." I said nothing. My heart ached so badly it had gone numb. By the time I finally finished cleaning, the sky outside had gone dark. Liam had disappeared at some point. The check was still sitting there. I sank down onto the floor and pulled out my phone. Over a dozen missed calls --- all from debt collectors. The cold glow of the screen lit up my hollow face. During the six months I'd been locked away in that private clinic, Liam had absorbed every asset the Hartley family owned. My parents died young and left behind a company. My brother was too young to know the ways of the world. And I, the eldest, had been locked up. I watched from a distance as Liam's grip tightened, inch by inch, until he'd swallowed everything. The Hartley family, once respected and powerful, was now nothing but a hollow shell buried in debt. My brother --- once the pampered, untouchable son of the Hartley name --- had a hand broken by debt collectors. Now he worked three jobs a day just to stay afloat. My eyes landed on the check on the nightstand. Ten million dollars. All I had to do was be obedient, and Liam would pay me. I couldn't refuse. There was no refusing.
In the bathroom, I washed my hands over and over until the skin turned raw. The woman in the mirror was pale, but her eyes were unusually bright. Yesterday at the hospital, I'd overheard nurses talking. The girl Liam had chased down so desperately --- her boyfriend was HIV-positive. Standing there under the running water, I laughed. There was still a divorce agreement locked in the desk drawer in the study. My lawyer had everything ready to go. We were supposed to file with the court next week. The evidence against Liam was rock solid --- infidelity, emotional abuse, psychological manipulation. I could have walked away with at least half of everything. But now, I didn't want that anymore. Half wasn't enough. I wanted all of it. I dried my hands, carefully folded the check into my pocket, and texted my brother back. “The money situation is handled.” Liam came home sometime after 3 a.m., reeking of perfume. I was lying in bed, forcing myself to keep my eyes shut. Liam glanced over at me and gave a low, quiet laugh. "I know you're not asleep." His shadow fell over me, carrying the scent of another woman. He leaned down. His hot, alcohol-soaked breath hit the side of my neck. The second his skin touched mine, a wave of visceral, uncontrollable nausea rose up from somewhere deep in my stomach. I turned my head away and stumbled into the bathroom, dry-heaving over the sink. Liam stood in the doorway. "What's your problem, Ellie?" I had my back to him. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to push down the churning in my gut and the dull, spreading ache in my chest. "I'm not feeling well today." Liam gave a cold laugh. "Pathetic." That night, he didn't come home. The next afternoon, I got a call from the building manager. "Ms. Hartley, Mr. Liam has moved a young woman into your property at Lakeview Manor." My phone slipped from my fingers. Lakeview Manor. The one thing my mother had left me. That house held every good memory I had. Even when Liam had driven the Hartley name into bankruptcy and had every property and car seized and auctioned off, he had never touched that house. He knew what it meant to me. This was his retaliation for last night. When Liam came home that evening, I was waiting in the living room. "Why that house?" My eyes were red. My voice trembled slightly. He shrugged off his jacket, his tone casual. "Cara likes it there. It was just sitting empty anyway." I stared at his indifferent profile, and felt something hollow out in my chest. "That house is mine." Liam turned to look at me, and there was nothing in his eyes but contempt. "Wake up, Ellie. Everything you have right now is because I allow it --- including that house. The Hartleys are finished." "If you're good, maybe after Cara gets tired of it, I'll let you have it back." I clenched my fists until my nails broke the skin. "Liam. You're going to regret this." Liam smiled, but his voice dropped cold. "Regret? Ellie, you're the one who should be regretting things." I watched him turn and walk away, and I fought back the burning behind my eyes with everything I had. A second later, my phone buzzed. A message from my brother. “Ellie, the check --- it looks like it's been frozen...”
I gripped my phone tight. My fingers went ice-cold. Ten million dollars. That was my brother's lifeline. “Don't panic. I'll figure something out.” I hit send, took a slow breath, and walked toward the master bedroom. The door was slightly ajar. Through it came Liam's voice on a phone call --- gentle in a way I had never once heard him speak to me. "Do you like it, sweetheart? If you need anything, just say the word..." I raised my hand and knocked softly. "Come in." His voice snapped back to its usual coldness. I pushed the door open. Liam was in his robe, leaning against the balcony railing, smoking. His profile looked blurred in the moonlight. "What do you want?" My throat felt tight. I opened my mouth, and the words came out dry. "The check. Why was it frozen?" He finally turned around. He tapped the ash off his cigarette, and the corner of his mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Ellie, money doesn't come for free. Your behavior lately has been... disappointing." My heart dropped. I lowered my eyes. I pressed my nails into my palm --- the pain kept me sharp. "Liam." My voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm asking you. Please." The word hung in the air. Liam went still for a moment. That was what I used to call him, back when we were in love --- just Liam, not Mr. Hartley, not the cold, unreachable version of him. After the first affair, I had stopped saying it entirely. That was a long time ago. Liam drew on his cigarette. The ember glowed and faded. When he spoke, his voice was flat and indifferent. "Sweetheart, when you make me unhappy, there are always consequences." I raised my head and met his eyes. "Then tell me what I need to do." He was quiet for a few seconds. "Cara just moved in. She's not used to the place yet. She grew up sheltered --- she needs looking after." His gaze locked onto mine. "You know Lakeview Manor better than anyone. You go." My entire body went rigid. I could barely believe what I was hearing. "What do you mean?" "Exactly what I said." Liam knocked the ash off his cigarette, his tone as casual as if he were scheduling a staff member. "You go to Lakeview Manor and act as Cara's personal attendant. Take care of her day-to-day needs, make sure she's comfortable." "If she's satisfied, the money gets unfrozen. And if that's not enough---" He paused. "There's more where that came from." Each word landed like a slap across my face. He wanted me to go to my mother's house and wait on his mistress hand and foot. He wanted his precious girl to walk all over the most treasured memories I had left. And he was going to use my brother's life to make sure I smiled while I did it. "Liam." My voice shook despite everything. "Does it really have to be this way?" "You can always say no." He turned and walked toward the bathroom. His voice drifted out through the sound of running water. "Take your brother and get out of my sight. As for what he owes --- those people he borrowed from aren't exactly patient. That's your problem." The water ran loud and steady. I stood there, cold all the way through. My face had gone the color of chalk. But my eyes were burning red. I walked to the bathroom door and stood there, looking at the blurred shape of him through the frosted glass. "Fine." My voice was quiet. But it was clear. "I'll go." The water cut off. Liam pulled the door open. He was still damp, hair dripping. He looked into my eyes for a moment, like he was confirming something. Then he smiled and reached out to cup my face. "Good girl." "I'll have the driver take you to Lakeview Manor tomorrow morning." "Remember, Ellie." He dried his hair as he walked past me, his voice low. "Don't upset Cara. Because next time, it won't just be the check that gets frozen." The bedroom door clicked softly shut in front of me. I went to the guest room and sat down on the cold bed in the dark. I didn't turn on the light. The moon outside was bright, lighting up my empty hands. My phone lit up again. My brother. “Ellie, they called again. They said if we don't pay soon, they're going to---” I typed back fast. “Don't be scared. The money will be there tomorrow. Rest and take care of yourself.” Sent. Then I buried my face in my palms. My shoulders shook, and I couldn't make them stop. But my eyes were dry. Not a single tear.
The morning the driver took me to Lakeview Manor, he watched me in the rearview mirror with something that looked like pity. Cara was waiting in a silk robe, barefoot on my mother's rug, tilting her head at me with a sweet smile. "Ellie, thanks for all your help." "Of course." I kept my eyes down. Her demands were endless. She wanted her morning smoothie made fresh by hand. She couldn't stand water spots on the floor. When she and Liam were together at night, I had to stand outside the master bedroom door, holding a glass of warm water. I did all of it. Liam came every night. He'd sprawl on the couch, watching me get bossed around in every direction, a satisfied smile playing at the corner of his mouth. He was enjoying every second of my humiliation. One afternoon, Cara sent me up to the second-floor terrace to clean. I had barely gotten up there when she followed me, resting one hand lightly on her lower stomach. "Ellie. I'm pregnant." My steps faltered. My heart felt like it had been struck with something heavy. "Liam is so happy about it." She stroked her still-flat belly. "He said this is our first child together. He's going to give this baby everything." She moved closer, dropping her voice low. "But Ellie --- with you still living in this house, I just can't feel at ease. You're still his wife. What if you get jealous of me and the baby and do something terrible?" I looked at her carefully. "What are you getting at?" "I mean---" Without warning, she grabbed my wrist. "Ah! Don't push me! Ellie, let go! Help! My baby! Someone help me!" Screaming, she yanked on my hand and threw herself backward --- pitching toward the staircase landing. It happened in a flash. I could see the gleam of triumph in the very back of her eyes even as she fell. “Thud.” The heavy sound of a body rolling down stairs, tangled with a woman's agonized cries, filled the entire house. I stood frozen on the landing, my fingertips ice-cold. The next second, rapid footsteps pounded up from below. Liam took the stairs almost at a run. Cara lay crumpled at the bottom of the staircase, curled in on herself, a deep red stain spreading slowly beneath her. "Cara!" Liam's face turned ashen. He rushed over and gathered her in his arms, his voice cracking. "Are you okay? I'm here --- I've got you!" Cara leaned into his chest, her eyes fluttering open weakly, tears pouring down her face. She raised a trembling hand and pointed up at me. "Liam --- she pushed me. She hates me. She hates our baby---" Liam looked up at me. The hatred in his eyes could have cut me to pieces. "It wasn't me---" My denial was thin and useless. He didn't even let me finish. He shoved to his feet, clamped his hand around my wrist, and started dragging me toward the small door behind the staircase. "Liam, listen to me!" I struggled, being hauled toward the basement entrance --- the one place in this house I'd been terrified of since I was a little girl. When I was young, I'd been trapped in there. I'd developed severe claustrophobia because of it. Liam knew that. "No! Liam! You know I can't go in there!" I fought against him, my voice shaking. He stopped. He turned and looked at me, his eyes cold and flat. "That's exactly why it's a punishment." The door swung open. Stale, damp air rushed out, along with a faint scratching sound. Mice. Every muscle in my body locked up. My blood ran cold. Liam shoved me in. Darkness swallowed everything. “Bang.” The door slammed shut. "Let me out! Liam! Please!" I pounded on the door and screamed. Silence on the other side. Just the dark, and the sound of scratching getting closer. The claustrophobia hit like a wave. The air felt like it was being sucked out of the room. The walls seemed to press in. I couldn't breathe. My chest was caving in. I curled against the door, trembling violently. Cold sweat soaked through my clothes. In the dark, every tiny sound was amplified. I squeezed my eyes shut. Tears ran down my face. "Mom..." My voice came out ragged and small. "Mom, I'm scared..." No answer. Liam wasn't coming. He wanted me to suffer here --- for Cara, for the baby. My body grew colder and colder. My thoughts began to blur. In the haze, I thought I heard the lock turning. Was it Liam? I tried to push myself up off the floor, but I had no strength left. Just before everything went dark, I thought I saw the door crack open. But I couldn't make out anything anymore. And just before I lost consciousness entirely, I saw a familiar figure rushing toward me through the dark.
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