Chapter 19 - Tormented

The manor's atmosphere is thick with tension, every corner of the hall echoing with the sounds of heavy footsteps as Bell is dragged across the polished stone floors.

Evelina's fingers twist painfully around her hair with savage force, jerking her head backward and causing Bell to stumble as she struggles to keep her footing. The pressure of Evelina's iron grip digs deep into her scalp, each pull sending sharp stabs of pain through Bell's body, as if her hair might tear from her skull at any moment.

Bell's face is streaked with tears, the droplets falling like silent rain down her cheeks. Her wide, tearful eyes are filled with pure terror. It was the look of someone who knows they are at the mercy of a madwoman.

Her lips quiver, unable to form the words she wishes to scream, while her hands are clenched into tight fists, nails digging into the palms of her trembling hands.

The handprints across her pale face are stark against her skin, raw and fresh from the violent slaps. The edges already darkening into shades of purple and red.

As they reach the foot of the stairs, Evelina flings Bell away with a force that could shatter the bones of a lesser person. Bell crashes to the ground, her body contorting violently upon impact. The sound of her body hitting the cold, unforgiving stone floor is deafening, like the final cry of someone broken. Bell groans in pain, her breath ragged as the pressure in her chest makes it nearly impossible to catch a breath.

Evelina's eyes burn with an intensity that seems to scorch the air around her. Bell gasps as she tries to steady herself, but Evelina is already upon her, pulling her up by the hair again with ruthless efficiency. Bell's hands press into the stone, fingers curling in desperation, trying to push herself up but faltering under the weight of the pain. Her cries are muffled, as though the very air she breathes is thick with the sorrow of her situation. Every sob is a plea, a silent scream for mercy, but Evelina shows none.

With a sharp movement, Evelina forces Bell to face her, grabbing her by the chin with a vice-like grip. Her fingers dig into Bell's soft flesh, leaving indentations as her nails press in with chilling precision. Bell flinches, her entire body trembling with fear and pain, but she fights to keep her screams inside, her throat tightening with the effort to suppress them.

Evelina leans in close, her breath heavy with fury, and Bell can feel the heat radiating off her in waves. The other maids stand frozen, their eyes wide with horror but unable to move or speak, trapped by the suffocating presence of their mistress.

Evelina's once delicate features, framed by soft curls, are now twisted into something grotesque, as if the very essence of her rage has soured her beauty. Her gaze is so venomous that even the shadows in the room seem to shrink back in fear. The aura of malice surrounding her is suffocating, thick with the promise of torment.

"Tell me where it is!" she demands, her voice an icy hiss. The fury in her words is like a whip, slicing through the air, every syllable dripping with hatred.

Bell's body trembles violently as she manages to whisper, "I… I don't know, madam…" Her words barely break through the chokehold of terror that has overtaken her. Her eyes remain wide with fear, unable to meet Evelina's gaze for more than a fleeting moment.

Without warning, Evelina's hand swings out once more, the slap ringing out so loudly it seems to echo across the entire hall. Bell's body jerks from the impact, her hands instinctively pressing to her face as she cries out, muffled sobs escaping through her trembling fingers.

Her tears are relentless, her sobs shaking her whole body, but no one moves to help her. The other maids, witnessing the scene unfold, stand paralyzed with fear, the air thick with the weight of the violence they cannot stop.

Bell tries hard to hold her shattered self together, but the pain is undeniable, and every movement feels like she's being dragged further into a nightmare.

Evelina's gaze, now colder than ice, drills into Bell with lethal precision.

She grabs Bell by the chin and forces her to face her once again, her nails digging into Bell's delicate skin, leaving pale, crescent-shaped imprints in their wake.

Bell winces, the pain radiating through her skull. Her body is a battlefield between the instinct to protect herself and the terror that paralyzes her. But Evelina's cold fury only grows with each passing second.

"Open your mouth and tell me where it is," Evelina demands, her voice dripping with venom.

Bell shakes her head weakly, her neck stiff with fear, her voice breaking as she cries, " don't know, please... I don't know." Her hands tremble violently, clasping together as if trying to hold onto any shred of dignity left.

The slap comes again, louder this time, and Bell stumbles, her face now raw and bruised, the marks growing darker with each blow.

"How dare a mere maid challenge me!" Evelina sneers, her eyes flashing with a deep, seething hatred. " I should have your tongue removed for this insolence. The threat lingers in the air like a heavy fog, suffocating Bell mercilessly.

Bell's sobs grow louder, her body shaking with the effort to hold herself together, to find some way to survive this madness.

"Please, madam..." Bell pleads, her words breaking as she desperately tries to make Evelina understand that she's telling the truth. "I really don't know!"

Ara steps forward, her expression blank, almost too perfect. "Madam, this maid has grown far too bold since her promotion. She no longer shows the proper respect." Ara's voice is low, almost too calm, as though the cruelty of the situation is a mere formality. " I saw her myself. She took the box from your room. I knew something was off, so I reported it immediately."

Bell's heart sinks into her stomach, the weight of Ara's words like an iron trap closing around her chest.

"No, madam!" Bell cries, her voice breaking as her body shakes with the weight of her fear. "I didn't take it, I swear!"

Her eyes flick toward Ara, pleading, but Ara's gaze is cold, completely devoid of any sympathy.

"Madam, she has grown far too arrogant," Ara repeats, her voice laced with something darker. "She's even begun to look down on you. She must be punished for her insolence."

Bell's body shakes with the sting of the accusation, but she manages to lift her head slightly, her voice raw with emotion. "This is a lie!" she protests, her eyes desperate, her face contorted with grief. "I would never betray you, madam!"

"Silence!" Evelina roars, her voice like a command from the depths of hell itself.

The hall falls into an oppressive quiet, the tension almost suffocating.

"Take her away," Evelina orders, her voice cold and final. " I don't want to see her face again."

The guards move swiftly, grabbing Bell with rough hands and dragging her away as her sobs echo down the hall. Bell's pleas for mercy are swallowed by the cold stone walls as she is hauled out of sight.

Evelina groans in frustration as she ascends the stairs, her delicate features now contorted with irritation. "Ugh... my head. Can't believe I have to deal with this" she mutters under her breath, her hands massaging her temples as she steps forward.

Ara steps quietly behind her, her eyes still focused on the scene below, her presence cold and calculated. "Madam, I'II prepare a calming tea for you," Ara offers in a voice too sweet to be genuine.

The manor feels eerily silent as the maids return to their duties, swiftly cleaning the mess left behind. Their movements are hurried, but no one speaks. The tension in the air lingers, thick and suffocating.

The manor settles into an eerie silence as the maids scurry about, their footsteps light but hurried. They work swiftly, their hands steady despite the tremor of fear that lingers in their hearts. They wipe down surfaces and scrub at the remnants of the earlier chaos with practiced precision. The air is thick with unspoken fear, and every shadow in the room feels larger and darker.

The scene itself is gone, erased from sight, but the memory clings stubbornly to those who witnessed it. Occasionally, a maid glances at the staircase, her breath catching in her throat as if expecting Evelina's figure to reappear at any moment. No one dares speak, and they continue cleaning meticulously.

Hours pass before the stillness is broken by the sound of the front door opening. John steps inside, the soft crunch of his boots against the marble floor reverberating in the empty hall. In his arms, Noah sleeps soundly, his small frame relaxed and undisturbed. The boy's quiet breathing is the only softness in the room, an innocent contrast to the dark tension lingering in the air.

John pauses as his sharp eyes scan the surroundings. Something feels amiss, though he can't quite pinpoint it.

He gently adjusts Noah in his arms and begins the ascent up the staircase, careful not to disturb the boy's slumber.

The child stirs faintly as John carries him to his room, murmuring something unintelligible before settling back into sleep. The soft glow of lamplight spills across the bed as John lowers him gently onto the mattress. He brushes a strand of hair from the boy's forehead, his touch careful and protective, before pulling the blankets over him. For a moment, he stands there silently, watching the rise and fall of Noah's chest. Then, with a quiet sigh, he turns and leaves, closing the door behind him.

As the night deepens, the manor becomes still once more, the earlier chaos buried beneath layers of routine and silence.

The wind howls faintly outside, brushing against the windows, as if whispering warnings no one will hear.

The secrets of the manor will remain hidden, protected by the silence of those who live within its walls.