Back in her room, Lucille sat on the edge of her bed. Her heart felt heavy, her mind spinning with thoughts. She had seen Edward and Mabel drive out. They were probably headed to the hospital.
She kept listening, waiting for the sound of a car returning, waiting for heavy footsteps to stomp toward her door. But the house stayed quiet.
A part of her felt guilty, but not enough to regret what she did. The past still burned in her memory. The way Mabel had treated her at university, like trash, just because she was an omega.
Lucille could never forget the night of the class party, when Mabel poured wine all over her. She could still feel the sting of humiliation, the way people on the bus stared at her like she was something dirty, smelling of alcohol and shame.
So when she thought about Mabel getting burned, a bitter smile tugged at her lips.
Good, she thought. Maybe now she'll learn, omegas aren't beneath anyone.
But the satisfaction faded fast. Fear slowly crept in.
They would come for her, she was sure of it. Edward and Mabel were elites. Powerful. And she was just one girl. A commoner.
Her hands shook. She hugged herself, trying to feel less alone.
What are they going to do to me? The question sent a chill through her.
Even if she was right, even if Mabel deserved it, Lucille knew what it cost to stand up to people like her. The price could be too high.
A knock came, drifting her gaze to the door. Her heart jumped. Fear squeezed her chest. Was this it? Had the wardens come?
She couldn't move. She stood frozen as the door slowly creaked open. How did the forget to lock her door?
To her relief, it wasn't the wardens.It was Ophelia.
Lucille let out a shaky breath she hadn't even realized she was holding. Her body relaxed just a little. "Ophelia," she whispered, her voice barely there.
Ophelia slipped inside quickly, glancing back to make sure no one was watching. Her eyes were wide with worry.
"I heard what happened," she said in a low voice filled with concern. "Tell me. What really happened?"
Lucille paused. Fear still wrapped around her chest like a tight band. But seeing Ophelia made her feel less alone. Slowly, she began to speak, about Mabel, the way she bullied her in the past, how she always made her feel small and worthless. And how, this time, she just couldn't hold it in anymore.
Her hands clenched as the words spilled out. The anger was still there, rising up like gradually.
Ophelia listened without saying a word, her face full of anger and sadness. When Lucille finally stopped, Ophelia stepped closer and took her hands.
"Maybe you should have let her be," she said softly, her voice calm but heavy. "You know how easy it is for them to turn everything against people like us."
Lucille nodded slowly. "I know. I should have ignored her like before. But she's hurt me so much, Ophelia. Over and over. And today, she saw another chance, and she took it."
Her voice cracked. Tears welled in her eyes.
"I couldn't take it anymore," she whispered, her voice breaking as a sob escaped her lips.
"I never did anything to her," Lucille said, her voice trembling. "I never hurt Edward either. My only crime was being fated to him. But is that even my fault?"
Her voice cracked as the pain spilled out. "He should be angry at the Goddess, not me. Why am I the one being punished for something I didn't choose?"
Her chest ached as she recalled all she'd been through, the rejection, the humiliation, the harsh life she'd lived ever since fate tied her to Edward.
Tears filled her eyes, but she quickly blinked them back, trying to hold herself together.
"I don't know what they'll do to me," she whispered. "It's Edward and Mabel, and I'm just a commoner."
Ophelia held her hands tighter, her grip warm and steady. "I understand," she said gently. "When someone keeps pushing and hurting you, anyone would break. It's not your fault."
Her tone shifted with anger. "Mabel is horrible. She left her own house just to come here and torment you? That's sick."
Lucille gave a bitter chuckle, her voice low. "If she had a knife, she wouldn't think twice about using it on me."
Ophelia's face softened. She gave Lucille's hand a gentle squeeze and offered a small, strained smile.
"You're strong," she said firmly. "No matter what happens, you'll survive this. And I'll be right here, watching you rise like a phoenix from the ashes."
Lucille nodded slowly, a spark of determination lighting up inside her. Ophelia was right. She had made it through so much already. Pain, shame, and cruelty. She couldn't break now. She wouldn't.
"I'll wait for them," Lucille said, her voice steadier than before. "Whatever happens, I'll face it. But I need you with me. I need your strength."
Ophelia's eyes softened, her face filled with promises. "You have it, Lucille. Always."
For a brief moment, the fear faded away. The doubt, the loneliness, they all disasppeared. Lucille felt a strange sense of peace. She was no longer afraid.
"That burn on Mabel's arm?" Lucille said, her tone turning cold. "She'll carry that scar forever. A reminder that omegas aren't to be trampled on."
Ophelia gave her a tight hug. "Have you eaten?" she whispered. "I'll sneak some food in for you."
Lucille shook her head, and Ophelia slipped out of the room, peeking around carefully before vanishing down the hallway.
In less than an hour,
Edward arrived his family mansion. His car horn blared at the gate. Moments later, the metal doors rolled open and he sped into the compound.
He slammed on the brakes, cut the engine, and jumped out. Without wasting a second, he rushed into the house, his face dark and stormy.
The moment Edward pushed open the door to the sitting room, his father's voice met him.
"Lord Arthur called."
Edward didn't flinch. He had expected that.
"She's a traitor," he hissed through clenched teeth.
"What happened?" another familiar voice asked.
For the first time since entering, Edward looked around the large sitting room. Almost all the prominent members of the Jones family were gathered there.
His jaw tightened. Mabel must have called her people before they even left the house to the hospital. That was the only reason his entire family, each living in different houses, could gather so quickly.
"She showed up suddenly, said she'd spend the night and leave in the morning," he said sharply. "Barely twenty minutes later, I heard her scream. I rushed in with some servants and saw her injured."
He left out a lot. There was no way he'd tell them about his connection with Mabel. Some things were better hidden.
"This is a setup, Dad!" he snapped. "She's trying to frame me. She wants to disgrace this family."
His eyes burned with anger. Why would Mabel strike Lucille, knowing full well it went against the terms of her servitude? That action alone would make it look like he was abusing Lucille, breaking the very laws he was expected to uphold.
She planned it. All of it.
She wanted to make him look like a criminal in front of his family, and the council.
To get Lucille to react, Mabel needed something to cling to for her evil plan. And when Lucille finally did react, Mabel wasted no time blaming him and calling her family, eager to dump all the blame on him.
Edward could sense something was off when Mabel showed up at his house after disappearing for two months. But he never expected her to be so manipulative.
"Did your ex-mate hurt her?" Lord Mitch asked again.
"I don't think so," Edward replied, his voice steady. "Mabel said my ex made the water really hot. She stepped into it, got burned, then lost her balance and fell in."
He slowly moved to the empty sofa and sank into it, trying to gather his thoughts.
Williams Jones narrowed his gaze. "Lord Arthur said the omega poured hot water on her."
"That's a lie!" Edward jumped up, his frustration boiling over. Mabel really knew how to twist things.
Lord Mitch watched Edward closely, his eyes sharp. A suspicion slowly started to form. "Eddy, are you defending your ex-mate?"