Chapter 14 She was lucky to stay alive . Still , I sat by her bed and talked to her for hours . I told her about my marriage to Damian and confessed that behind my brave act , I was utterly lost and terrified of the future . In the evening , I received a call from Shelly . " Mrs. Caldwell , something bad has happened . You should come back now . " It sounded serious . I asked her the details , but she hesitated , too afraid to explain . A bad feeling loomed over me , and I rushed back to Eaststone Villa . Upon entering the door , I heard Shelly and Eleanor argue . Shelly said , " Put down the vacuum cleaner . Mrs. Caldwell will deal with it when she gets back . You've gone too far ! " " Can't you see the floor's dirty ? Of course , I gotta clean it up , " Eleanor said casually . But her words were a blatant threat . " You're quite loyal to Aurora , aren't you ? Have you forgotten whose payroll you're on ? What if Dami comes back and sees this ? Do you think he'll be pleased ? " I hurried into the living room . The wooden floor was scattered with patches of pale ash , like an untimely fall of snow . Chapter 1 The rosewood urn that had held my daughter's last warmth lay tilted on the floor , its lid split with a ghastly crack , as though my precious baby were crying silently . Outside the window , the sky sank into total darkness , swallowing the last shred of daylight . I walked over stiffly , crouched down , and gently touched the scattered . ashes with the tips of my fingers . The fine particles seemed to burn . Unable to bear the heat , I suddenly jerked my hand back . Her broken voice echoed in my soul , questioning me , " Why didn't you protect me , Mommy ? It hurts so much ... " Just then , Eleanor's voice rang out . " I'm sorry , Ms. Whitmore . After seeing you enjoy the food at noon , Maureen thought you'd hidden the remaining food in your room , so she sneaked in when I wasn't looking in the afternoon . She found the urn and brought it out , thinking the food . was inside . Then she tripped right after stepping into the living room , So ... " Before she could continue , I seized her by the collar and slapped her across the face again and again . She screamed and instinctively struggled . " Aurora , let go of me ! If Dami knows , you're doomed ! " She clearly underestimated the power of a desperate mother . I wanted to kill her ! Amid the chaos , I heard Damian's voice . " What are you doing , Aurora ? Stop ! " 29.23 % 06.04 Chapter 14 Seeing her savior , Eleanor cried out , " Dami , help ! " However , before he could pull me away , Shelly stood in front of him . Perhaps she was worried Eleanor would lie and blame it all on me. So , she braced herself and blocked Damian's way , pointing at the scattered ashes . As Damian's gaze fell upon them , he was stunned . " Dami , help me ! Help ! " Eleanor's sharp cries finally snapped Damian out of his stupor . Maureen , hearing the commotion , came rushing into the living room . Seeing that I was pinning Eleanor against the wall and slapping her hard , she immediately ran toward us . " You bad woman ! Let go of Mommy ! Let go ! " she screamed , tears pouring down her face as she tugged desperately at my clothes . But the last thread of my sanity had already snapped . I showed no mercy to the culprit who started it all - I shoved her away and continued to slap Eleanor as hard as I could . Eleanor's cheeks were utterly red and swollen , her lip split and bleeding . Even so , the rage inside me didn't subside , not even just a little bit . What did my baby daughter do ? Why would they do this to her ? Being pushed , Maureen fell to the floor , crying even louder . Just then , a brutal force wrenched me around . 14.13 % Chapter 14 In the next second , a crisp smack rang out . Silence descended , so absolute that the very act of breathing became audible .