Claudine was confined to her bedroom, but gossip had a way of seeping through the walls.

“Mr. Graves spent the night in Maeve’s room again. Looks like there’s a new lady of the house.”

“Yeah, I heard Maeve was his first love. Somehow he ended up marrying Claudine by mistake.”

“Mistake or not, Mr. Graves brother died saving him and now Maeve’s carrying the Graves Family’s only heir. It makes the real lady of the house pretty obvious, isn’t it?”

“I feel bad for Claudine. She’s an orphan and back when Mr. Graves had nothing, she stuck by him through thick and thin. And now—just because of some fortune teller’s nonsense—her only child was ripped out of her… all so Maeve could be cured.”

The maid didn’t finish her sentence. A chill crept down her spine.

Claudine was standing behind her.

Her face was eerily calm.

“M-Mrs. Graves…”

No one knew how broken she truly was inside—her heart was already in shreds.

The maid quickly fled, but not before throwing in one final blow as she walked off:

“Don’t call her Mrs. Graves anymore. Mr. Graves said from now on, there’s only one lady of the house–—Mrs. Melvin Graves.”

That night, Claudine came down with a high fever. Burning up and barely able to stand, she forced herself to find the family doctor—only to be met with rejection.

That night, Claudine came down with a high fever. She dragged herself to the family doctor, only to be turned away.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Claudine,” the doctor said, not meeting her eyes. “Mr. Graves instructed us to prioritize Mrs. Maeve from now on.”

Claudine gave a bitter laugh, her body trembling as she made her way back. As she passed Maeve’s room, she heard something through the door.

Moans. Gasps.

She froze.

Through the crack, she saw Elliot—shirtless—pressed against Maeve, kissing her feverishly.

“Mmm, Elliot… careful. I have baby in there.”

“Relax, Maeve. Of course I’ll be gentle,” he murmured against her skin. “This baby’s the Graves Family's only heir, after all.”

The air was thick with passion and Claudine felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“I just wonder,” Maeve purred, “if Claudine is as stiff in bed as she is in real life…”

“Don’t talk about her,” Elliot grunted. “She’s like a corpse in bed—stiff, unresponsive. Not like you. You drive me crazy. You’re the one I’ve always loved.”

“If you hadn’t broken up with me back then, I never would’ve married her.”

His words slammed into her like a freight train.

Claudine bit down on her lip so hard it bled, not even realizing it.

When she finally snapped out of it, her face was soaked with tears.

She turned and walked away. She didn’t even know how she made it through the night.

The next morning, she sent her brother a text.

[I’ve made up my mind. I’ll join you and the family overseas. I just need to settle something first.]

His reply came almost instantly.

[You serious? That’s amazing, Claudine. Mom and Dad are gonna be thrilled. I’ll take care of the immigration paperwork.]

[What about your husband.]

[I’ll divorce him.]

Her whole body felt drained. Her forehead still burned.

Before she could rise, the door creaked open.

It was Maeve.

Smirking, she gently touched her still-flat stomach.

“I take it you saw everything last night? Elliot’s been sleeping with me every night now. And this baby… it’s his.”

Claudine’s heart clenched. So it had all been intentional. Maeve had wanted her to see.

“Oh, and that bracelet? I smashed it on purpose. And guess what? I casually mentioned that your baby’s stem cells might help cure me and Elliot didn’t even hesitate. He personally took the baby out of you.”

She gave a mocking laugh.

“You have no idea, Claudine… That thing was nearly formed. Almost a little person.”

“Enough! Get out of my room!” Claudine’s voice shook with rage.

She didn’t want to hear anymore. Couldn’t bear to think about it.

That baby had been her whole heart.

And they’d destroyed it like it meant nothing.

Claudine staggered to her feet, refusing to spare Maeve another breath. If Maeve wasn’t leaving, then she would.

But just as Claudine turned to go downstairs, Maeve suddenly darted in front of her, grabbed her hand and threw herself backward.

The two of them tumbled down the staircase together.

The memory of her miscarriage—the last time she’d fallen like this—flashed violently in Claudine’s mind.

“Maeve!” Elliot shouted.

“Elliot, it hurts—oh God, the baby!” Maeve cried out.

“I’m sorry. I never should’ve used that fetus for treatment. If you’re angry, take it out on me, Claudine. The baby doesn’t deserve this.”

Claudine’s head slammed hard against a step. Her vision blurred, ears ringing. The accusation echoed in her ears, but she was in too much pain to defend herself.

“You’ve gone too far,” Elliot growled, voice sharp as steel. “I never thought you could be this cruel. If anything happens to the baby Maeve’s carrying, I swear you’ll pay for it.”

His eyes were full of disgust, like he didn’t even recognize her anymore.

Maeve curled into Elliot’s arms like a wounded bird, tears slipping prettily down her cheeks. She looked fragile. Devastated.

Claudine didn’t care about any of that. She forced out a whisper, using the last of her strength. “Please… take me to the hospital…”

Her voice faded, her eyes fluttering shut.

“No one is to help her,” Elliot said coldly. “Let this be a lesson to her.”

Maeve. The way he’d cried out her name—it said everything. They didn’t even bother hiding it anymore.

As their figures faded from view, Claudine’s body finally gave out. Darkness swallowed her whole.

***

Claudine opened her eyes two days later in a hospital room.

“You’re finally awake. You’ve been out for a full forty-eight hours,” the nurse said, adjusting her bandages.

“Where’s your family? Dropping you off and then vanishing? What kind of family does that?” she muttered.

“I don’t have a family,” Claudine replied softly.

The nurse paused. The air turned heavy with silence.

“You had a high fever that wouldn’t break and the head trauma left you with a mild concussion. You need to rest. No emotional stress, alright?”

No sooner had the nurse stepped out than Elliot walked in.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he said flatly. “I know you’re grieving the baby, but you went too far. Maeve’s only a little shaken, thank God. You need to apologize to her. Consider this a wake-up call.”

His voice was cold, rigid.

Claudine had long stopped expecting compassion from Elliot, but that didn’t make his cruelty hurt any less.

She didn’t argue. Just gave a faint hum, eyes cast downward.

Something flickered in Elliot’s gaze—uncertainty, maybe even guilt.

The Claudine he knew would’ve snapped back, denied the blame, met him blow for blow. But now she just lay there, quiet and wrecked. And it rattled him.

“Tonight’s Maeve’s birthday,” he said, his tone softening. “I’ve already picked out a gift for you to bring. A car will be here to take you to the party.”

He turned to leave.

“Can I not go?” Claudine asked cautiously.

“No,” Elliot said without hesitation. “What happened last time was your fault. She’s your sister-in-law. It would be rude if you didn’t show up. Besides, this is a good chance to smooth things over between you two.”

Claudine forced a hollow smile.

She didn’t argue.

She picked up her phone and checked the notification from the airline.

Three more days.

Just three days until she could finally leave it all behind.

The banquet hall was a floral wonderland, covered in freshly flown-in blooms from France.

Maeve stood in the center of the crowd, radiant in an elegant designer gown, soaking up the compliments and admiration like a queen basking in her court.

When Maeve spotted Claudine at the entrance, her lips curled slightly. Her face said welcome, but her eyes screamed mockery.

She walked through the crowd and took Claudine’s hand with fake warmth.

“Claudine, I’m so glad you could make it to my birthday,” she said in a sugary voice. “The baby and I are truly grateful,” she added, placing a gentle hand on her belly. Her gaze flicked toward Elliot with a shy smile, like a doting mother waiting for approval.

Before anyone could process what was happening, Elliot stepped up to the mic.

“Tonight isn’t just a celebration of my sister-in-law’s birthday,” he said. “I also have an announcement to make. From now on, all assets of the Graves Corporation will go to the child Maeve is carrying. He or she will be the sole heir to the Graves legacy.”

The room erupted into applause and congratulations.

Elliot stepped off the stage and leaned close to Claudine, whispering in her ear.

“Melvin died saving me. We owe this to Maeve. And let’s be real—you won’t be able to have children, Claudine. This baby is probably the only heir the Graves Family will ever have. But don’t worry, you’ll never have to struggle. I’ll make sure all your needs are taken care of."

But his eyes never left Maeve, who stood glowing at the top of the stairs, soaking in every moment.

That look—so full of love—cut through Claudine like glass.

Of course it hurt. Of course it was the people closest to you who knew exactly where to twist the knife. The wounds they left behind were the deepest. The ones that never quite healed.

She swallowed the lump in her throat.

Before she could collect herself, Maeve turned to her, beaming.

“We had a little misunderstanding, Claudine and I,” Maeve said to the crowd. “But now that I’m about to be a mother, I understand her emotions better.”

She turned to Claudine, voice syrupy and sweet.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to apologize to me, Claudine? Don’t be shy now. Everyone’s watching. Admitting you were wrong is the first step toward making things right.”

All eyes shifted to her.

“Claudine, you need to apologize,” Elliot said sternly, giving her no way out.

Whispers rippled through the room like wildfire.

“I heard she pushed Maeve down the stairs because she couldn’t handle losing her own baby.”

“God, that’s sick. That poor baby never even had a chance.”

“She’s lucky all she has to do is apologize…”

Claudine caved.

“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice trembling, her eyes fixed on Elliot—who stood there in silent approval.

But Maeve wasn’t finished.

“You don’t sound very sincere,” she said lightly, with a fake little laugh. “How about you show us how sorry you are? Drink the wine and I’ll consider you forgiven,” She gestured to a long table covered in tiny, gleaming shot glasses—lined up in neat little rows.

Ninety-nine glasses of wine.

Claudine’s eyes bounced between the glasses and Maeve.

This woman had already caused her to lose her baby. Had yanked her down the stairs. And now she wanted her to drink—knowing full well she had alcohol intolerance?

Maeve wasn’t just humiliating her. She was trying to kill her.

Claudine turned to Elliot, praying he would stop this. That he’d finally, finally defend her.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he spoke like she was the one being unreasonable.

“Don’t embarrass her tonight, Claudine. It’s her birthday.”

It felt like a slap.

“But… I’ll die,” she said through clenched teeth, anger flaring in her gut.

“You won’t,” he replied coldly. “Besides, all of this started because of you.”

Claudine let out a bitter laugh. There was no use fighting anymore.

She picked up a glass.

Then another.

And another.

One by one, she downed them like water, her throat burning with each swallow.

The liquor stung like fire.

Her tears mixed with the bitterness, drowning her in shame.