Chapter 308

Droplets trickled down her neck, seeping into her clothes but she didn’t flinch.

Around them, the usual lunch crowd chatter died to shocked whispers.

“My Richard,” Margaret’s voice took on a sickeningly sweet tone, “Has never raised his hand without cause. If he did something, you must have pushed him to it.” She adjusted her Hermès scarf elegantly.

Emmeline dabbed at her face with a pristine white napkin as a bitter laugh escaped her lips. “Is that what helps you sleep at night? Believing your precious son is incapable of cruelty?” She lowered the napkin, meeting her mother-in-law’s gaze. “Tell me, did he learn to break spirits before or after you taught him to break bones?”

“How dare you!” Margaret’s face flushed an ugly shade of red.

“No, how dare YOU!” Emmeline’s voice cut through the air like a whip crack. “You raised a monster, Mrs. Maine. A charming, well-dressed monster who knows exactly where to leave bruises that won’t show under designer atti