Chapter 6

Sabrina sauntered over with a steaming cup of coffee, looking down at Ainsley on her knees with cool superiority.

She took in the sight of Ainsley's groveling, broken form, and a thin, cruel smile curved her lips. Her foot shifted—one precise, deliberate movement—and the stiletto heel of her shoe drove down onto the back of Ainsley's hand where it braced against the floor.

The pain exploded through her knuckles instantly.

Ainsley choked back a groan. Her fingers curled inward as the heel ground mercilessly into her hand.

Before she could react, Sabrina tilted her wrist.

Scalding coffee poured across Ainsley's shoulder and down her arm.

The searing heat burned through the thin hospital gown like it was nothing. Her skin blistered red and swollen on contact.

Sharp, white-hot pain shot through every nerve and tangled with the agony in her legs until Ainsley's entire body shook uncontrollably.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry, Ainsley!" Sabrina pulled her foot back with exaggerated alarm, though her eyes danced with amusement. "I didn't see you down there scrubbing. I accidentally stepped on your hand and spilled my coffee. You won't hold it against me, will you?"

Ainsley lay flattened against the floor, the back of her hand mottled purple and swollen, her arm searing with pain, her leg wounds torn open again. Blood mixed with coffee stains in a wretched mess across the tiles.

She clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached, refusing to make a single sound of weakness. But deep in her eyes, a faint, pathetic flicker of hope stirred.

Steady footsteps echoed from the foyer.

Elijah was back.

His tall figure stood just a few feet away, his gaze landing squarely on her.

A desperate, absurd hope surfaced in Ainsley's chest.

Even if all he had left for her was hatred, what they'd shared had been real once. Seeing her abused like this with his own eyes—surely even a shred of pity, a single offhand question, would be enough.

Just the smallest trace of warmth could soothe the festering wound inside her.

The next second, reality crushed that hope to dust.

Elijah strode over without sparing a glance at any of her injuries. Not a flicker of compassion crossed his face.

He leaned down, his large hand shooting out to seize her scalded arm in a brutal grip.

The burned skin compressed under sudden force. Blinding pain ripped through her body. Ainsley flinched violently, cold sweat soaking through her back in an instant.

His fingers tightened, knuckles white, his eyes dark and menacing.

"Sabrina's diamond necklace is missing. Did you steal it?"

Ainsley's head snapped up. Every trace of color drained from her face, leaving nothing but hollow devastation.

"I didn't."

Her voice was raw, shredded. She didn't even have the strength to raise her hand in defense. The slightest movement sent tearing pain through her legs.

She gathered every ounce of energy left in her body to force out one more sentence. "I never touched her necklace."

But explanations meant nothing to someone who had already decided not to believe you.

The cold in Elijah's eyes deepened, layer upon layer, and his grip on her arm tightened savagely.

He didn't believe her.

A woman like this—was there anything she wasn't capable of? She'd already been with other men. Stealing a necklace was nothing.

The blistered skin on Ainsley's hand split open under the pressure. Her vision went black. A strangled sound escaped her throat.

"Never touched it?" Elijah looked down at her. "Ainsley, you're still lying to my face."

In his mind, she was already a vile, worthless woman.

Even those eight years of love had been a lie. She'd played him for a fool, carrying on with other men behind his back. The child she'd carried wasn't even his.

Beside them, Sabrina furrowed her brow and spoke up softly, playing the peacemaker. "Elijah, don't be so harsh with Ainsley. Maybe it really is a misunderstanding. The necklace is so expensive—I might have set it down somewhere and forgotten. It's not Ainsley's fault."

The more generous and forgiving she appeared, the more wretched Ainsley looked by comparison.

Elijah's expression darkened further. He released Ainsley's arm and flung her to the ground.

Ainsley's body was already broken beyond resistance. The sudden force sent her crashing sideways onto the freezing tiles.

Her plaster-encased legs slammed against the floor. She curled into herself, gasping, her breathing ragged and erratic.

"A misunderstanding?" Elijah let out a cold laugh. "Besides the staff, she's the only outsider in this house. If she didn't steal it, what—the necklace grew legs and walked away?"

He gave Ainsley no chance to defend herself. He turned to the bodyguards. "Go search her room. Every inch of it."

"Yes, Mr. Bourbon."

Two bodyguards in black moved immediately, striding toward the maid's quarters in the far corner of the mansion.

Ainsley lay on the floor, a crushing weight pressing down on her chest, suffocating despair flooding every cell.

She stared at Elijah's cold, hard profile, and felt every drop of blood in her veins turn to ice.

This version of him was a stranger.

As if the Elijah from those eight years of love had never existed at all.

In his eyes, her character, her dignity, everything she was—it was all cheap. Worthless.

Less than ten minutes later, the two bodyguards returned.

They bowed their heads respectfully. "Mr. Bourbon, the maid's quarters have been thoroughly searched. No diamond necklace was found."

A brief silence hung in the air.

Elijah's brow furrowed deeper, his expression growing even darker.

Nothing?

Sabrina reached into her handbag, rummaged for a moment, then let out a little gasp of realization. Her fingertips emerged, pinching a dazzling diamond necklace.

Her eyes went wide. "Oh! The necklace was in my bag this whole time!"

She tapped her own forehead, then walked over to Ainsley with a face full of guilt, bending down slightly.

"Ainsley, I'm so sorry. I was so careless—I blamed you for nothing and made Elijah misunderstand. You must have been so upset. Please don't be mad at me, okay?"

Ainsley slowly raised her eyes. Her clouded gaze fell on the necklace, then shifted to Sabrina's carefully crafted look of innocence.

The hatred inside her coiled around her heart like thorned vines, squeezing until she could barely breathe.

Elijah glanced at the necklace in Sabrina's hand, then back at Ainsley. Not a trace of guilt showed in his eyes. Only deeper, thicker disgust.

He stepped forward, his gaze on Ainsley ice-cold and contemptuous—like he was looking at something filthy and disposable.

Before Sabrina could say another word, he reached out and pulled her away from Ainsley.

"Don't apologize to her."

"She's petty and manipulative. Playing games is what she does best."

"From now on, you are not to go within arm's reach of Sabrina. You are not to set foot in her room or anywhere she spends her time."

"If I catch you with any other dirty schemes, I won't let you off so easily next time."

Ainsley stayed frozen in place. The ache in her chest refused to stop.

From the moment Elijah stopped loving her, she would always be the one in the wrong. Sabrina would always be the innocent one.

Late that night, Ainsley lay curled on the cold, hard plank in the maid's quarters, unable to sleep.

From the second floor came Sabrina's soft, sweet voice.

"Elijah, I went to the doctor today."

She nestled into the warmth of his arms. "The doctor said I'm pregnant. A little over a month along."