CHAPTER 56: 56 - HELP YOU?

56

~Belinda’s POV

I slammed the door shut behind me, my chest heaving as anger boiled in my blood.

"That lowlife!" I screamed, grabbing the nearest vase and smashing it to the floor. It shattered into a million sharp pieces, and I didn’t even flinch. "She looked me in the eye and said she didn’t want the triplets?! Are you kidding me?!"

My chest rose and fell rapidly, my heart thudding so loudly it echoed in my ears. I stormed across the room, heat crawling up my neck. I kicked over the stool near my vanity, watching it tumble.

"She’s nothing! Nothing!" I shouted again, pacing like a lioness in a cage. "Who the hell does she think she is?! A stupid maid. A reject. And she dares to talk back to me?!"

Rage had taken over. I didn’t even recognize myself.

I reached for the lamp on my nightstand and flung it across the room. It hit the wall and shattered with a loud, satisfying bang. The noise was so loud it rang in my head, but it still didn’t soothe me.

My hands trembled... not from fear, but from fury.

"She looked scared... yet she still said that nonsense," I muttered to myself, my voice low and venomous. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. "That filthy girl... acting like she’s better than me. Like she has any right to open her mouth and speak that way!"

I couldn’t believe the audacity. The nerve.

"She thinks because the Moon Goddess made her their mate, she matters? No. No!" I yelled, dragging my hand across my dresser, sending everything crashing to the floor... makeup, jewelry, everything. "I’m the one they love! Me! Not her!"

I collapsed onto the edge of the bed, still breathing hard, trying to catch my breath. I pressed a hand to my chest, trying to calm my racing heart, but it was no use.

"I was supposed to make her jealous," I whispered bitterly. "I brought her in to see so she would see us... so she’d know her place... but she just stared like a lost puppy, and then said she didn’t want them?"

Tears stung my eyes again, but not from sadness.

From rage. From humiliation.

"She’s making a fool of me," I said to no one. "She’s turning everything around. And the triplets... they’re treating her like she’s nothing, yes... but what if that changes? What if one day they start to see her differently? What if..."

I stood up, trembling now.

"I should have done more than slap her. I should’ve broken her jaw. Ugh! I hate her!"

I buried my face in my hands, pulling at my hair. Every word she said replayed in my head like poison.

"I didn’t ask to be here..."

"I don’t want the triplets..."

"Just want peace..."

She made them look like villains. Like they were wicked. Like she was suffering.

I shot up to my feet again, fists clenched. "She’s turning them into the victims now? She wants pity?"

I grabbed a book and hurled it across the room, breathing heavily.

I began pacing again, slower this time, my mind racing. My heart still pounded in my chest, but my thoughts were sharp. Focused.

"She needs to be gone," I whispered. "Out of the picture. Forever."

The idea came to me like a spark in the dark.

"She can’t ruin what’s mine... not if she’s no longer breathing."

"I’ll kill her. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll kill her and be done with it," I muttered. "No one will ever know. I’ll make it clean. Fast. Maybe poison. Or... maybe an accident."

I paced again, biting my lower lip. "But I can’t do it alone. I need help. Someone quiet. Someone who hates her, too. Someone I can control."

Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door.

I froze.

The door creaked open slowly, and a maid stepped inside, her eyes going wide the moment she saw the mess. Pieces of glass from the shattered vase lay all over the floor. My perfumes were scattered, some broken, their scents mixing in the air like some twisted perfume of rage. The lamp I threw had made a dent in the wall, and the stool was still lying on its side.

"My lady?" she said quietly, her voice uncertain as she bowed deeply. "Forgive me... I heard sounds... I just came to..."

"What do you want?" I snapped, cutting her off. My voice came out sharp and full of venom. I was still fuming, and the sight of someone standing in front of me, looking all concerned, only irritated me more. "I didn’t call for you."

"I... I know," she stammered, her eyes still on the floor. "I just heard... the things breaking, and I got worried. I thought maybe you were hurt or something..."

I scoffed loudly and folded my arms across my chest. "Worried? About what? That I broke a few things?" I stepped closer to her slowly, deliberately. "This is my room. My things. I can destroy whatever I want here. I’m not a child who needs supervision."

She bowed her head quickly. "I’m sorry, my lady. I didn’t mean to upset you."

"Then don’t stand there like a statue," I spat. "If you’re so worried, start cleaning it up."

She moved immediately, bending down to begin picking up the pieces of the broken vase. Her hands trembled slightly as she worked, and for some reason, that only satisfied me a little. She was afraid. She should be. Everyone should be right now.

I turned away from her and sat down heavily on the edge of the bed. My hands were still shaking from anger. I couldn’t stop thinking about Lisa. That disgusting, disrespectful little brat. She dared to talk to me like that. She dared to say those words.

I clenched my fists again.

Who was she to even think she had the right?

I let out a bitter laugh, watching the maid sweep up glass. She looked so small, so quiet. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"What’s your name?"

She looked up nervously. "Cecilia, my lady."

"Tell me something," I said suddenly, my tone softer, but not friendly. "Are you trustworthy?"

She blinked, unsure. "I...I believe I am, my lady."

"Believe?" I laughed softly. "That’s not very convincing. Either you are or you aren’t."

"I am," she said quickly, standing up straight. "I am trustworthy."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Do you like that maid, Lisa?"

Cecilia hesitated. "She... she doesn’t speak much, my lady. She just does her work."

"That’s not what I asked," I said coldly. "Do you like her?"

She looked down again. "No, my lady. She... she makes things complicated for us. Since she came, everyone’s been walking on eggshells."

A smile touched my lips. "Good answer."

Cecilia looked up slowly, unsure of why I was smiling.

I stood and walked toward her, my heels clicking on the floor. I stopped right in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Would you like to help me with something, Cecilia?"

Her eyes widened slightly. "Help... you?"

"Yes. It’s something fundamental. Something that’ll make your life easier. And mine."