Chapter 7

"She needs to be taught a lesson," Timothee growled, slamming Caitlin onto the marble floor of the mansion's foyer.

Caitlin cried out in pain.

"Guards!" Timothee shouted to the two guards standing watch at the front gate of the mansion.

The two burly men ran over to Timothee.

"What is it, Lycan?" one of them asked.

"Teach this insolent woman a lesson she'll never forget as long as she lives!" Timothee's face was lifted in haughty defiance.

Meanwhile, Caitlin was scuttling across the floor, desperately reaching out for Timothee's calf, pleading for him to revoke the impending punishment.

"Alpha... Please! Don't punish me! It's all a misunderstanding." Caitlin was clutching at the fabric of Timothee's cotton trousers, shaking them in her desperation.

Timothee lashed out, kicking his foot out and sending Caitlin sprawling.

"Timmy, you're overreacting. I think you went too far, you shouldn't have pushed her like that!" I gripped Timothee's large hand tightly.

"Don't defend Caitlin, Barbie! She's been treating you like a servant here!" Timothee snapped back at me. "You better go inside and calm down Asher, he's crying."

"We can solve everything without getting emotional, Timmy." I murmured.

Timothee snorted in annoyance. "Not with this, Barbie."

I felt my heart sink as I realized that Timothee was right. This time, things were different. There was no going back.

"Caitlin is still a child, Timothee. She doesn't know what she's doing." I pried my fingers from his massive arm.

"I told you to stop defending her, Barbara. She's guilty, and she must pay the price. Now go inside."

I swallowed my protest and retreated into the mansion. Sawyer was there, stroking Asher's hair.

"My baby… Are you okay?" I scooped Asher up into my arms.

He wept against my chest, and I could only hold him and rock him, my heartbreaking for all the pain he'd been through.

Asher had witnessed too much—the chaos, the betrayal. His innocence had been stolen, replaced by a pain that cut deep. Barbara held him tighter, her heart breaking for the boy who had become collateral in a battle of loyalties.

Outside, the wind whispered secrets, and the mansion's walls absorbed them. Caitlin's fate hung in the balance, and Barbara wondered if justice would bring closure or merely deepen the wounds. She couldn't protect them all—the fragile child, the broken boy, the tangled web of love and betrayal.

"It's okay, baby, it's over now. Don't cry anymore." I rubbed Asher's back as he sobbed in my arms.

His sobs were starting to subside, but his body was still wracked with hiccups. I led him and Sawyer back into the Chamber and began to clean them up.

"Mommy, why did we have to come home?" Sawyer asked, his voice thick with sadness.

I smiled gently. "There's something we need to do here, sweetheart."

"But there are so many mean people here, Mommy." Sawyer whispered.

"I know it's been hard for you, baby. I promise I'll talk to Uncle Timothee about it."

"But isn't he Daddy? Why are you lying to me?" Sawyer looked up at me with piercing blue eyes.

I opened my mouth to answer, but the door to the Chamber burst open.

Timothee cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "Just finish your shower, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"We're fine," I muttered softly.

Timothee nodded, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "I'm going downstairs. Oh yeah, just think of this mansion as your own home."

"I didn't expect you to say that, Timmy." I bit my lower lip.

"You should change your clothes, Barbara. You'll catch a cold with clothes that damp." Timothee ignored my words with another topic.

"I'm fine, can we talk about this alone?" I asked.

"Whenever you want." He shrugged.

Timothee left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I sighed and turned off the shower. I wrapped a towel around my body and stepped out of the tub. I looked around the spacious bathroom, admiring the marble tiles and the gold fixtures. I felt like I was in a palace.

I opened the door and walked into the bedroom. Timothee had left a pile of clothes on the bed for me. I picked up a white shirt and a pair of jeans and put them on. They were a bit big for me, but I didn't mind. I felt comfortable in Timothee's clothes.

I brushed my hair and tied it in a ponytail. I looked at myself in the mirror. I didn't recognize the girl staring back at me. She looked tired, scared, and confused. She had bruises on her arms and legs, and a cut on her lip. She had been through a lot in the past few days.

After tucking Sawyer and Asher into bed, I rushed out of the Chamber and found Timothee in his office. He looked at me in confusion when I entered without knocking.

"Have you had dinner?" He asked me with a serious face.

"I don't have an appetite." I shrugged.

"Would you rather join me?" He smirked, then dismissed his subordinates out of the room with a quick gesture.

"Can't I stay somewhere else, not with you?" I immediately voiced my thoughts.

"I've already sent all those women away. I returned them all to where they came from." Timothee averted his gaze to the documents in front of him.

"Why did you kick them out?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Timothee shrugged, his eyes as cold as ice. "Because I don't need them anymore."

My anger started to boil over. "You have no heart! How can you just toss them aside, without caring about their feelings?"

"Feelings?" Timothee sneered. "I don't care about their feelings. All I want is you, Barbara. You and the heir you gave me."

His voice rose, his tone full of hatred. "I don't need those lowly, wicked people. They are nothing but a burden to me."

My heart shattered at his words. I couldn't believe the man I once loved could turn so cruel.

"Timmy, please," I said, tears streaming down my face. "Think again about what you're doing. You can't just throw them away like garbage."

Timothee looked at me with a cold and merciless gaze. "I've made up my mind, Barbara. And nothing can change it."

I stumbled back, feeling an unbearable pain in my heart. The man I loved was gone forever.

"Caitlin and the others think of you like a hero, right? They respect you." I whispered.

"They respect me but don't respect my decisions. That's bizzare." Timothee smirked.

"But--"

"I just need you. Let's be honest! Don't you love me?"