On Your Knees

"What is this?" Anna's voice wavered as her eyes swept over the broken suitcases strewn across the front gate of the mansion.

The maid shifted awkwardly, guilt flickering in her eyes. "These are the things Mrs. Hyde allowed you to take with you."

Even she seemed unsettled by the cruel way Anna was being cast out of the house she had called home for years.

I can't believe this...

Anna stared at the mess before her. Three battered suitcases, their seams split, their fabric torn as if someone had deliberately destroyed them. Her clothes and shoes spilled out onto the pavement, dirt-streaked and ruined.

"The thing is," the maid began hesitantly, her voice careful. "Mrs. Hyde decided what should be packed, but when the other staff brought the suitcases outside... Ms. Susanne was pulling her car into the garage, and, well... perhaps she didn't notice..."

Susanne. Of course. Robert's insufferable little sister. Unlike the rest of the Hyde family, who only wanted to use her, Susanne took pleasure in tearing down everything Anna had—just for the fun of it.

She was twisted like that.

Anna exhaled sharply, kneeling to sift through the wreckage, hoping to salvage at least a few belongings that hadn't been completely ruined.

"These aren't even all my things," Anna murmured, scanning the scattered belongings in disbelief. There had to be a mistake. She had far more—clothes, accessories, and expensive jewelry she had bought and received as gifts over the years.

But as her gaze drifted over the pitiful pile, reality set in. The items before her weren't even the ones she had acquired during her marriage. They were the same old clothes she had brought with her when she first moved into the Hyde estate.

Is this really happening? They had taken everything, down to the last detail. Not even the things she had bought with her own money were spared.

A bitter laugh almost escaped her lips, but all she could manage was a weary sigh. Another humiliation—one final insult before she walked away from this life for good.

Then, as she sifted through the mess, her fingers suddenly froze. A sharp, sinking dread coiled in her chest.

"Where is it?" she whispered, her hands trembling as she rifled through the torn suitcases. "My mother's pearls… they're missing!"

Before she could process the full weight of that loss, a voice rang out behind her.

"What's taking so long?"

A security guard emerged from the doorway, his expression cold and impassive. "Mrs. Hyde ordered me to escort you off the premises immediately."

Anna spun around, her frustration boiling over. "What? I can't leave! My things—some of them are still inside!"

The guard barely reacted, his face a mask of indifference. "Everything Mrs. Hyde permitted you to take is already here. Now pick them up and go."

Anna's jaw tightened, fury and desperation warring inside her. "No." Her voice was low but firm. "Let me speak to her. My mother's pearls—they're missing! I need to get them back!"

The guard exhaled, his patience clearly wearing thin. Without another word, he unbuttoned his jacket, allowing himself to move more freely.

"That's enough. If you won't leave on your own, I'll have to remove you by force."

Without hesitation, the guard grabbed Anna's wrists, yanking her arms behind her back as though she were an arrested criminal. She gasped at the sudden force, struggling against his iron grip, but he only tightened his hold and shoved her forward.

"Let me go!" she cried, her voice raw with desperation. "Let me talk to them! I can't leave without that pearl set—it's my heirloom! It belongs to me!"

The maid hesitated but, at the guard's sharp nod, pressed the button to open the automated gates. The heavy iron doors groaned as they parted, revealing the cold, empty street beyond.

Above, standing on the balcony like spectators at a public execution, Susanne wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Look at her," she scoffed, her arms crossed as she watched Anna struggle. "Screaming like some crazy lady. What does she even want? She should be grateful we let her keep anything at all. Ungrateful wench."

Colette, standing beside her, merely smirked. Lazily, she ran her manicured fingers along the strand of pearls adorning her neck.

"What do you think?" she purred, amusement curling her lips. "They suit me far better, don't you agree? That scrawny neck of hers was never meant for such fine jewelry in the first place."

Susanne's eyes darkened, her expression twisting in disappointment. "Mother!" she whined. "You said I could have them! You promised!"

Colette sighed, turning back to the scene unfolding below. Anna was being dragged toward the gate, her feet stumbling against the pavement as she screamed and fought in vain.

"She had an entire set, didn't she?" Colette said with a casual wave of her hand. "You can have the earrings and bracelet."

Susanne scoffed, though the frown remained on her face. Her gaze lingered on the delicate pearls gleaming against her mother's throat, resentment flickering in her eyes. "Fine. But don't you dare give them to Marienne. A promise is a promise."

Colette chuckled, lifting a wine glass to her lips. "Of course, dear. It will be our special little mother-daughter set. Sounds good?"

At that, Susanne finally smirked. She picked up her own glass, clinking it lightly against her mother's in a silent toast.

"Ah, finally, it's over. And to think, she even left us a parting gift."

Their laughter rang through the balcony, sharp and cruel, as they watched Anna collapse onto the ground outside the gates. 

From the balcony, Susanne took a slow sip of wine, a satisfied gleam in her predatory eyes.

Yes. Stay on your knees. And crawl away from here.