Chapter 6

Eleanor POV:

The days that followed were a blur of coldness and calculated moves. Joshua and Harlow moved around the house like a pair of lovebirds, their forced affection a constant, sickening display. They thought they had won. They thought I was broken. They had no idea I was merely biding my time, gathering my strength, sharpening my blade.

I watched them, my gaze impassive, my heart a block of ice. They would laugh, share private jokes, and touch each other with a tenderness that used to be mine. Harlow would often drape herself over Joshua, her hand caressing her growing belly, a triumphant symbol of their betrayal. I allowed it. Every excruciating moment was a drop of fuel to the fire raging within me.

One afternoon, when Joshua was out at a "critical business meeting" (likely another rendezvous with Jaylen Wilson, thinking he was gaining an upper hand), I made my move. I knew his study was his sanctum, filled with his most guarded secrets. My target: his personal laptop, supposedly secured with a password only he knew. Little did he know, I built half his security systems.

I slipped into the dimly lit study, the air heavy with the scent of old leather and his expensive cologne. My fingers flew across the keyboard, a ghost of a smile touching my lips as I typed in his "secret" password. The screen flickered to life, revealing his meticulously organized files. It didn't take long. His communications with Dr. Miller, detailed records of my medications, veiled instructions for "managing Eleanor's pregnancy complications." It was all there, damning evidence, neatly filed away by his arrogant belief in his own invincibility. I copied everything to a secure drive, then deleted the originals, leaving no trace.

As I exited the study, a faint, acrid smell caught my attention. Something was burning. I followed the scent, my heart quickening. It led me to the backyard, where a small, controlled bonfire crackled merrily in the fire pit.

Harlow stood beside it, her face illuminated by the flickering flames, a disturbingly innocent smile on her lips. She was tossing things into the fire, one by one. Small, familiar objects. My art supplies. My treasured journals. And then, the little wooden mobile from the nursery, the one she had broken. The tiny birds, incinerated into ash.

"Oh, Eleanor! There you are!" she chirped, her eyes wide and guileless. "I was just doing some spring cleaning! Getting rid of all the old, sad things. Out with the old, in with the new, right?" She tossed another item into the flames-a framed photo of Joshua and me on our wedding day. It flared, then curled into blackness.

"You're destroying my belongings," I said, my voice flat, devoid of emotion.

She pouted. "Oh, don't be so dramatic! They're just... things. And they had so much bad energy! All those sad memories. I'm doing you a favor, darling. Helping you move on." Her gaze flickered to the small, ivory baby blanket clutched in my hand. The one I had made for my first lost baby. "Still clinging to that old rag? You really need to let go, Eleanor. There's nothing left for you here."

With a sickeningly sweet smile, she snatched the blanket from my grasp and, with a flourish, tossed it into the hungry flames.

"No!" A raw, guttural cry tore from my throat. This wasn't just a blanket. It was the last tangible piece of my lost children, a symbol of my shattered motherhood. I lunged forward, my hands outstretched, desperately trying to snatch it back from the inferno.

The heat seared my skin, but I didn't care. My fingers brushed against the burning wool, pulling back a small, singed fragment. It was all that was left. A charred, blackened scrap, reeking of smoke and loss.

I fell to my knees, clutching the scrap to my chest, my body racked with silent sobs. The tears streamed down my face, hot and endless. This was it. The final, brutal amputation of my past, my hopes, my very being.

Harlow watched me, her smile widening into a triumphant sneer. "That's it, Eleanor. Cry it all out. You're finally seeing things clearly. You have nothing left. No husband, no babies, no future. Just me, winning everything."

I slowly lifted my head, my eyes blazing through the tears. "You venomous bitch," I hissed, my voice low and trembling with unleashed fury. With a sudden burst of strength, I lunged forward, my hand connecting with her face in a sharp, resounding slap.

Harlow shrieked, her hand flying to her cheek, her eyes wide with shock. She stumbled back, tripping over her own feet, and fell clumsily to the ground, landing on her side.

"How dare you!" she screamed, rubbing her cheek. "You hit me! You hit a pregnant woman!"

I advanced on her, my face contorted with rage. "You killed my babies! You helped him steal my future! You think you can just burn away my memories, my grief, my very soul? You think you can simply win?" I knelt beside her, my voice a furious whisper. "Did you feel it, Harlow? The fear? The cold? The agonizing pain when my babies left me? Did you watch them go, too? Did you feel the life drain out of me, out of them?"

Harlow's eyes, for the first time, held a flicker of genuine fear. "You're crazy! I didn't do anything!"

"You orchestrated every single one of them," I spat, yanking her arm roughly. "You and Joshua! You schemed and plotted, believing I was too stupid to notice. Too weak to fight back. You thought you could just take what you wanted, leaving me with nothing." I tightened my grip on her arm, my fingers digging into her flesh. "You will have nothing, Harlow. Nothing! I will make sure of it!"

"Let go of me, you crazy woman!" she shrieked, struggling against my grip. "You'll regret this! Joshua will make you pay!"

She clawed at my hand, her sharp nails scraping against my skin. I felt a stinging pain, but I didn't release her. Instead, I twisted her arm, forcing her to confront my gaze.

"You think I'm afraid of Joshua?" I snarled. "I despise him. And I despise you. You are both monsters. And you will both burn."

She let out a terrified scream, struggling violently. Her sudden thrashing caught me off guard. My hand, still holding the charred scrap of blanket, slipped, and she yanked her arm free. In her desperate attempt to get away, she stumbled backward, her feet catching on a loose paving stone. She teetered for a moment, her eyes wide with terror, before tumbling backward, down the short flight of stone steps leading to the lower patio.

A sickening thud echoed through the air. Harlow lay at the bottom of the steps, groaning, clutching her belly.

Just then, the back door burst open. Joshua. He stared at Harlow, then at me, his eyes blazing with a furious, murderous rage. "What have you done, Eleanor?!" he roared, his voice shaking the very foundations of the house.

Harlow, true to form, immediately started sobbing, clutching her stomach. "Joshua! She pushed me! She tried to kill me and our baby!"

"No! She was burning my things! She broke the mobile! She took my baby's blanket!" I cried, my voice hoarse, pointing at the wisps of smoke still curling from the fire pit. "She's lying! She tripped!"

Joshua ignored me. He rushed down the steps, kneeling beside Harlow, his face a mask of concern. He glared up at me, his eyes filled with such venomous hatred that it made my blood run cold. "You are truly a deranged woman, Eleanor. You disgust me. You're a danger to everyone around you." He scooped Harlow into his arms, her head resting weakly on his shoulder. "Get out of my sight. Now. I'm calling the police. I'm getting a restraining order. You'll never come near us again."

He turned to leave, Harlow clinging to him, her eyes meeting mine over his shoulder. A triumphant, venomous smirk. I told you I'd win.

My heart twisted, not with pain, but with a cold, righteous fury. He had chosen. He had always chosen her. And now, he had pushed me too far.

"Joshua," I said, my voice barely a whisper, but it cut through the air like a knife. "You will regret this. You will regret betraying me. You will regret choosing her over me. You will regret every single thing."

He paused at the door, his back to me. He wouldn't even look at me. The final insult.

I felt a sudden, sharp pain in my abdomen. My incision from the recent surgery. It tore open, a fresh gush of blood soaking through my dress. My legs buckled. The world swam.

I stared at the widening stain of red, my breath catching in my throat. This was it. The final act of their cruelty. The ultimate price of his betrayal.

My love for him, once a fierce, burning flame, had been extinguished. Replaced by a cold, searing hatred that promised a bitter harvest.

He walked out, never looking back. Harlow's triumphant smirk was the last thing I saw before my vision blurred, and the world tilted.

I collapsed onto the patio, the charred scrap of blanket still clutched in my hand, my blood pooling around me. I had to get out. I had to survive. For my revenge.

I dragged myself, inch by painful inch, across the cold stones, leaving a crimson trail behind me. The last thing I heard before darkness consumed me was the distant wail of sirens.

The game was not over. It had only just begun.