My Stepmother Beat Me Until I Had A Miscarriage

With a loud crack, the phone hit the floor, and Gary's voice abruptly cut off.

The room fell into an eerie silence, with only the sound of rapid breathing filling the space.

Everyone's faces went pale as they exchanged anxious glances between me and Scarlett.

In the hush, someone clamped a hand over their mouth and whispered, "Scarlett, what now? If she's really Mr. Hathaway's daughter, we're screwed."

Scarlett remained silent, her thoughts clearly elsewhere.

Some of the women, recalling Gary's notorious temper, dropped to their knees to apologize; others fumbled to help me get dressed, while a few desperately deleted the footage of me, and others slapped themselves in remorse.

They pleaded, "Ms. Hathaway, please, have mercy. We didn't mean for this to happen… Please, forgive us…"

I let out a shaky breath, closed my eyes, and spoke through trembling lips, "Call the ambulance and I'll forgive you…"

"Of course, of course," one of them nodded frantically, pulling out their phone and starting to dial, but Scarlett snatched the phone away.

"Don't call!" she shouted, startling everyone.

Her eyes locked onto mine with a fierce intensity, her voice dripping with menace. "Think about it—if you were accused of being a mistress in your own home, slapped around, beaten, and even had your head shaved and face mutilated, would you forgive those who did this to you?"

A heavy silence fell, suggesting that they wouldn't forgive or let it go.

Someone finally stammered, "So… what do we do?"

Scarlett sneered. "It's simple. One way or another, she can't live.

"If she lives and Gary finds out what we did, none of us will make it out alive."

"But… murder is illegal," someone protested weakly, only to be cut off by Scarlett.

"What's to worry about? Just make sure it's clean. If you want to stay alive, you'll do as I say. I keep my promises.

"At this point, we're all in this together. Anyone who chickens out or causes trouble will not only suffer but so will their families…"

Hearing this, everyone lowered their heads in unison, finally agreeing to follow Scarlett's lead.

Scarlett turned to one of the women in the corner with a satisfied look and began issuing orders. "Sara, isn't your brother in charge of cremations at the funeral home? Get him to take her over there and burn everything clean. No evidence left. I'll make sure your son's job promotion goes through first thing."

Several women moved to drag me away, but I struggled, pleading for my life, "Please, let me go. I promise I won't pursue this. I'll say it was someone else who did this, and you saved me. Just take me to the hospital, and you'll be my family's benefactors."

"I'll agree to anything you want. Really, Gary listens to me. Just don't kill me."

Some were tempted and loosened their grip, but Scarlett stormed up and slapped one of them hard. "Anyone with second thoughts will join her in the crematory."

The room fell silent, everyone too frightened to move.

Scarlett gave me a few more vicious kicks, her voice cold. "You're resourceful, but it's too bad. You mentioned your father listens to you, but if you're still around, how can I be the content Mrs. Hathaway?

"I've spent so much time, money, and effort to land a big shot like your dad. No one's stopping me from marrying him. Tomorrow, I'll be the envied Mrs. Hathaway.

"You'll just have to leave early. Every year at this time, I'll make sure to pay a visit for you," Scarlett said with a disgusted pat on my face, as if afraid I might miss her words.

I gritted my teeth and tried to appeal to their sense of reason.

"What you're doing is murder; it's illegal, and your families, even your children, will be affected too.

"Your children's futures, their chances of getting into public service or other careers, will all be ruined. It's not too late to turn back now.

"If you just let me go, I promise I won't pursue what happened today..."

My unfinished words were muffled by the foul-smelling sock Scarlett shoved into my mouth.

In the end, it was unavoidable. I was carried to the car like a dead weight.

Just as the car door slammed shut, Gary's frantic voice reached my ears. "Where's Alice?"