Chapter 227

All the way home, Howard and Yosef kept glancing at Maelis, but neither of them knew what to say. The car’s air was heavy with dread and the Tynn family's desperate need to know how Henry was doing. If anything happened to Henry, their family would be finished. Unlike Maelis, they couldn’t muster optimism. Jackson’s leniency didn’t mean solace; an abyss might still await.

As soon as the car stopped at the Shaw residence, Maelis stumbled out, nearly tripping over herself as she rushed inside like a woman possessed.

A chill ran through Howard and Yosef–they sensed their family was on the brink of collapse.

As they walked into the living room, they encountered Betty descending the stairs. At the sight of the mad Maelis, Betty frowned, her voice dripping with disgust, “Where the hell have you been?”

Maelis collapsed onto the sofa, disheveled hair spilling over her shoulders, her dress wrinkled, cheeks swollen, and eyes glazed with madness. “Betty, I’m hurt. Tend to my wounds,” she croaked.

Howard and Yosef hesitated, their expressions wavering. For now, they didn’t know how to deal with Betty. Her past actions had created a gap that seemed impossible to bridge.

Since her release from the police station, Betty had skipped school. At first, she holed up in her room every day, but recently she’d started going out–leaving early and coming back late.

Nobody knew what she was up to. Howard and Yosef didn’t expect that they would run into her today, and judging by her outfit, she was clearly about to head out again.

“I’m busy,” Betty said coldly, barely looking up from admiring her fresh manicure. Having burned bridges with the Shaw brothers, she’d dropped all pretenses. ‘My perfect image is shattered–why pretend to be virtuous? They always sided with Zinnia anyway,’ she thought.

Howard frowned, about to say something. But before he could, Maelis suddenly lunged at Betty, who had just reached the bottom of the stairs.

Betty was knocked to the ground, her lower back slamming against the stairs. The pain drained all color from her face.

Before she could even cry out, Maelis slapped her hard across the face. The sting hadn’t faded yet when another vicious slap came.

“You psycho, what the hell are you doing?” Betty shrieked. Her head snapped sideways, cheek burning. Trembling with rage, she shoved at Maelis, who pinned her down with rage-fueled strength–escape was impossible.

“Mom, stop!” Howard and Yosef stood frozen, shock rooted in their bones. Maelis had never laid a hand on Betty, yet now she pinned her down, slapping her again and again.

“You crazy old hag!” Betty shouted, her vision blurring from the blows. Her cheeks burned so badly she couldn’t even tell which side hurt more.

Before her cry faded, another strike landed, wrenching a pained wail from her throat.

“Call me mad? Fine, I’ll be mad.” Maelis erupted into hysterical laughter. “I gave my all to you and your father all these years, and this is how you treat me? I’ll beat you to death!”

Bitterness bubbled inside Maelis. ‘Back at the Bacon mansion, if it hadn’t been for Betty crying and pushing me to teach Zinnia a lesson, I never would’ve hit Zinnia. If I hadn’t done that, none of the irreversible consequences would have followed. Then I would never have uncovered the truth. It’s all their fault–every single one of them–that I’m in this mess now!’

“This is all your fault. You and Zinnia–you’re both filth,” Maelis roared, halting her slaps to lunge for Betty’s throat.

“Help-” Betty choked, panic swelling as she stared at Maelis’s enraged face. She struggled desperately and cried out for Howard and Yosef.

“Mom, what are you doing?” the brothers shouted, rushing to pull Maelis away.

As Maelis was dragged away, Betty’s head lolled, her body racked by violent coughs. Her face was swollen, crimson, pulpy beyond recognition.

Maelis thrashed in the brothers’ grasp, still trying to get at Betty. “You’re still defending her? She’s your father’s bastard. I spent over a decade raising my husband’s illegitimate child.”

The revelation struck all three of them dumb.

‘How could she possibly know?’ Betty, coughing on the floor, felt panic seize her.

“You bitch, I’ll kill you,” Maelis screamed. Seizing on their shock, Maelis broke free and pounced again, raining blows on Betty. “I’ve sacrificed everything for you and Donald, yet you two lied to me for years. Go to hell!”

“What are you talking about, Mom? I don’t understand.” Betty gasped out in agony, crumpling under the onslaught.

‘How the hell did this crazy woman find out?’ Betty panicked. ‘No way I can admit to anything right now. I have to wait for Donald to get back so we can figure out how to handle this.’

“Mom, what do you mean Betty is Dad’s bastard?” Howard asked, his voice hoarse with shock. In any family, the word “bastard” was enough to make everyone’s skin crawl with disgust.

Maelis paused–also exhausted from the beating–her chest heaving as Betty lay sprawled on the ground, already kicked unconscious. Finally, her emotions began to settle, though her bloodshot eyes never left Betty.

“Betty was born to Donald’s mistress over a decade ago. That cheating couple switched Zinnia and have been lying to us all these years,” Maelis said before turning to Howard, hissing menacingly, “Call Donald, and tell him Betty is dying.”

‘Donald’s been keeping odd hours lately, and I never suspected him. But now it’s obvious–he must be with some whore. Why should I suffer alone? They all deserve to burn,’ she thought, her eyes blazing with hatred.

Howard stared at Maelis, then at Betty’s motionless form. With a deep sigh, he dialed Donald’s number.

Half an hour later, tires screeched in the courtyard. Donald burst through the door, panic draining his face. At the sight of Betty, battered and still, he cried out, “Betty!”

Just as he rushed toward Betty, a sharp pain exploded at the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground.

Maelis moved the baseball bat aside, her cold gaze fixed on Donald sprawled at her feet–his shirt was rumpled, collar smeared with lipstick, neck dotted with hickeys. It was midnight, and he reeked of sex, a stench that gagged her.

Maelis dropped the bat and crouched down, her eyes fixed on his crotch. A knife lay behind her, its blade catching the light. With a manic grin, she reached back, fingers closing around the hilt.

The next moment, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the Shaw residence, shattering the night’s silence.