Chapter 2

She collapsed to her knees but didn't try to stand. Instead, she looked up at Lucas with a twisted smile.

The other two women crawled over, nuzzling Lucas's ankles like dogs. He grabbed one by the collar and sneered, "Come on, bark for me."

The woman obediently barked twice, even wagging her nonexistent "tail" like an animal.

Lucas seemed pleased and lightly slapped her face. "Are you hungry?"

She cupped her cheek, her eyes misting over. "I'm so hungry... so hungry..."

Her emaciated body looked as if it would shatter at the slightest touch.

Lucas ordered someone to bring leftover food, which was dumped on the floor in front of them.

The women lapped it up with their tongues like dogs, pausing only to thank Lucas between bites.

"Thank you, master. Thank you, master."

I couldn't believe my eyes. Was this really Emily, the vivacious socialite I had once known?

My hands trembled uncontrollably at my sides, but even in the depths of my terror, I refused to cry. Alexander had taught me never to let the enemy see my fear.

Lucas approached me, smiling as he whispered in my ear, "Enjoying the show, sister-in-law?"

"Want to know what it feels like to be a dog?"

His threat was clear. They had no shame, no limits to their cruelty.

Shivering, I couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you afraid of karma for doing this?"

"If your brother were still alive..."

Before I could finish, a powerful force slammed me against the wall.

Lucas's face contorted with rage as he pinned me there. Like a wild beast, he looked ready to tear me apart.

"Don't you dare mention that dead man to me," he snarled. "Alexander is rotting in his grave. Say his name again, and I'll grind his bones to dust."

The hatred in his voice shocked me.

Memories of the past flooded my mind. Since college, Alexander had worked five part-time jobs, toiling day and night.

"My two older brothers are sickly, and my younger brother is still a child. I'm the family's only hope," he used to say.

I worried about his health, but he never complained. "My mother struggled to put four kids through school. As the eldest, I should help support the family."

At just over twenty, his hands were already as calloused as a middle-aged laborer's.

Yet despite all his efforts, Margaret never showed him any kindness. After his death, Lucas shamelessly took credit for Alexander's research projects, using them to advance his own career.

They were never a real family. They were just parasites feeding off Alexander's hard work.

Noticing my hateful glare, Lucas smirked and ordered the servants to keep me under strict surveillance.

"If anything happens to her, I'll break your bones and feed them to the dogs," he threatened.

I was now a prisoner in my own home.

For seven days, I tried everything to escape, only to be met with Lucas's increasingly sadistic abuse.

Yet even as they tormented me, they made sure to feed me regularly, never allowing me the chance to take my own life.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. How long are you planning to rest?"

After another night of torture, I had passed out. When I came to, I found Margaret standing before me with two men in white coats.

A sense of foreboding washed over me. "What are you planning?"

Margaret said nothing, motioning for the men to hold me down on the bed. "Just give her the injections. Two shots of estrogen should be enough to get her pregnant."

The needle pierced my skin, sending the drug coursing through my veins.

The dose was potent. My entire body ached unbearably.

"How can you do this without fear of damnation?" I gasped.

"Damnation?" Margaret lifted my chin. "If I hadn't sent him to bring you dinner that night, he wouldn't have gotten into that car accident."

"You're the one who caused my son's death. If anyone's going to hell, it's you!"

That night, I had been working late. Alexander, worried about me, called to say he was bringing me some soup.

I waited happily in my cubicle for him to arrive. But the next call I received was the news of his death.

"Only 26 years old, found clutching a lunchbox. Such a tragedy," they told me.

I knelt in the morgue for two days straight, not eating or drinking. I never even got to see his face one last time.

"You say I caused Alexander's death?" I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity.

"You lost your husband young, and now three sons in middle age. Who has the cursed fate here, you or me?"

"People like you and Lucas don't deserve children. Your bloodline deserves to end!"

If they had cared even a little for Alexander or his brothers, they could never treat us this way.

Once, I had hoped to be a good daughter-in-law and sister-in-law after marriage.

But these inhuman monsters didn't deserve to be called family.

"I'd rather die than give your family an heir!" I spat.

Margaret's face darkened as she glared at me. I met her gaze unflinchingly.

"Increase her dosage," she ordered. "We'll see if you can resist getting pregnant then."

A new wave of pain washed over me. I curled into a ball, whimpering.

Margaret slapped me hard across the face. "You bitch. I'll only tolerate you until the baby is born."

"If it weren't for my son's sake..."

She snorted and left the room without finishing her sentence.

I closed my eyes, feeling utterly drained. The pain in my abdomen threatened to consume me. At last, I could no longer hold back my tears.