She Who Laughs Last

r breath. "Yes, baby," she managed to croak, her voice barely audible. "I'm... I'm okay." She

ut

." She took another deep breath, steadying herself. "I'll be out in a mo

r's footsteps retreating down the hallway, her heart aching with every step. When she was certain that Kaia was gone,

foot as she carefully made her way across the bedroom, wincing at each step. She forced herself to focus on the task at hand,

and his brown eyes burning with anger. Despite his handsome features, the fear he instilled in her clouded any attraction she might have once felt. The memory of his white-knuckled fists and contorted expression sent a s

elming, but she had to clean it up. She couldn't leave it like this. Then, her eyes landed on a picture frame. There they were,

onths along, she lost him. Not naturally, in her arms. Cole had hit her so hard that he'd caused a miscarriage.

nightmare she was trapped in. She finished cleaning up the room, careful not to step on any more glass or disturb the bloodstains

lowly made her way down the hallway. She slowly walked down the stairs and reached the entrance before stopping an

ty sighed as she trembled, her heart racing in fear. She knew she couldn't hide from them forever. She

nne Vale was a tall and stern lady who wore a neat bun of grey hair framing her pale, wrinkled face. Despite owning a successful bo

head. He wore a well-tailored suit that spoke of his affluent lifestyle, a result of his various business ventures. Most notably, he was the CEO of Vale Watch Company, a bran

d perfectly, often hanging in loose waves down her back. Her expensive clothing showed off her figure, which s

ad been a successful lawyer, charming and ambitious, but she had quickly grown bored of his predictable routine and had sought solace in the arms of a younger, more adventurous artist. The second marriage had been to a wealthy businessman, who had promised he

n artful mess, which she often paired with a mini skirt and a crop top that accentuated her toned abs, a result of her obsessive workout regimen. Her brown

d the way she treated others had earned her a reputation in the industry as a witch. Now, she basked in the attention she received from her wealthy friends

o flinch. Forcing a breath through her clenched teeth,

ening," sh

ing the mansion. Serenity was left facing Vivienne. "My son

't she see what he had done to her? Her heart sank at the acc

" Vivienn

," Serenit

ripped with venom. "Your duty as his wife is to make him happy, no matter what the

"You... you think this is

. Your duty as a wife is to make your husband happy, an

tered the mansion, "I hope dinner is ready. I'm famishe

ed? Was this truly her life? A life where violence was justified, her pain dismissed? S

only seven, with curly black hair that fell in soft ringlets around her mixed complexion and big brown eyes filled with concern f

, so sweet. She had always been the light in Serenity's life, a constant reminder of the love and joy that

d gently. "Grandma and Grandpa a

I don't like them." She tu

Not for her, not for Kaia. But before she could

d back at the stairs but sighed and made her way to the dining room. The dining room was huge, with a lo

ner?" Vivien

ing at her gut. "I just need a little more time." As sh

," she m

bed the counter to steady herself, taking deep breaths to fight the nausea that threatene

ole was..."normal" when it came to Kaia. He had never laid a finger on their daughter, and Cole had a

ther was a replica of Cole. He used to beat her mother. She couldn't go back there. Cole, her supposed saviour at

't understand. Didn't care. Her mother had begge

refuge," a Bible verse echoed in