Chapter 232

Seraphina Kensington's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Since you seem so fond of kneeling, by all means, stay right there on your knees."

Olivia Sinclair's face turned ashen. The marble floor beneath her offered no cushion, no mercy - just unrelenting hardness. She had to cradle her swollen belly carefully. Pregnancy had brought more than just anticipation; it came with relentless backaches, and now a dull throbbing radiated through her lower body.

Cold sweat trickled down Olivia's spine despite her efforts to endure. Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed up at Seraphina, silently begging for mercy. But Seraphina merely stretched lazily. "The sedatives are making me drowsy. I need my beauty sleep. Watch her for me, won't you? Since she refused my medicine, she must be feeling quite robust. A few hours kneeling won't kill her."

Despair settled over Olivia as she closed her eyes, praying her unborn child would stay safe. Yet within the hour, the pain became unbearable. Her entire body trembled, drenched in sweat as if she'd been submerged in ice water.

Frantic, Olivia scanned the room for help. But her phone - her lifeline - had been taken. The servants surrounding her exchanged malicious glances, their whispers laced with venom.

"Not feeling well, princess? Use your words," one taunted with false concern.

"Still silent? Must be handling it just fine then," another chimed in.

"Look at her - she practically thrives on suffering," a third observed with a smirk.

"If she enjoys it so much, who are we to interfere?" Their laughter echoed through the grand hall like shattering glass.

Olivia inhaled sharply, bracing herself against the cold floor with trembling hands. Once, such cruelty from other women would have shattered her. Now, something inside her had shifted irrevocably.

Tears mixed with sweat as they hit the polished marble, each drop reflecting Olivia's distorted image back at her. The woman staring back wasn't broken - her eyes burned with something far more dangerous than pain. A lifetime of suppressed fury had finally reached its boiling point.

They'd stolen her voice in that accident, taken everything from her. Yet the torment never ceased. Even mute, Olivia's mind churned with vengeance. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as she bit down hard, refusing to lift her head in submission.

But her tormentors weren't finished. Their amusement waned when she didn't react, and they exchanged knowing looks. Long accustomed to Seraphina's brand of cruelty, they'd learned all her tricks. Beneath that angelic facade lurked something truly monstrous.

Without warning, a crushing weight slammed into Olivia's back, sending white-hot pain radiating through her spine.

"Enjoying yourself down there?" came the sneer.

"Can't even kneel properly? Need lessons in humility?" another voice jeered.

The blows continued, each more vicious than the last. Olivia's vision blurred, but through the haze, one thought crystallized - this would not be forgotten. Every insult, every cruelty would be repaid tenfold. The game had just begun.