He Showed No Mercy When I Gave Birth Chapter 03

He Showed No Mercy When I Gave Birth Chapter 03 Bone Chimes

I stepped around Adrian and fought through the suffocating itch burning across my skin. Then I ladled out a bowl of soup. Before the spoon could even reach Rosalie’s mouth, she suddenly screamed and shoved the bowl away. Scalding, greasy soup splashed all over me. Rosalie’s eyes turned red at once. “Iris, if you didn’t want to cook for me, you could’ve just said so. Why would you put a bug in my soup just to disgust me?” The tiny flicker of pity in Adrian’s eyes disappeared in an instant. His face darkened. He called in the nanny from earlier. “No. Please, don’t do this to me.” I quickly hid my hands behind my back and begged in terror. Adrian looked right through me. Then he left with Rosalie, pushing the stroller beside her. The servants lunged at me. Several hands pinned me down at once. My wrists were yanked forward, my fingers forced open. The wooden clamps clamped down at the base of my fingers. Pain split through my hands and shot straight into my heart. I screamed until my throat tore. Then I collapsed to the floor and blacked out. When I woke, it was already late at night. I staggered into the courtyard and dug up a metal box from beneath the tree. On our wedding night, Adrian had buried our signed divorce papers here. Back then, he had kissed me like I was his whole world. “Iris, I’ll never give you the chance to take this away.” The memory stabbed deep. I swallowed the dull ache in my chest, held the box close, and turned to leave. Adrian was standing behind me. I had no idea how long he had been there. When he saw the blood and mud covering my hands, something complicated flashed across his face. Rosalie’s gaze dropped to the metal box in my arms. Then she widened her eyes, pretending to be shocked. “Iris, even if you don’t want me here, you don’t have to curse me like this.” “No wonder I’ve been having nightmares ever since I gave birth…” Adrian’s expression turned vicious. Before I could explain, he lifted his foot and kicked me hard in the chest. “Iris Hayes, who the hell gave you the nerve?” My lower back slammed into the stone base behind me. Something cracked. But I felt almost nothing. I crawled across the ground like I had lost my mind, searching for the metal box that had fallen from my arms. Disgust flashed in Adrian’s eyes. He grabbed me and dragged me all the way to Rosalie’s bedroom. The spiritualist they had invited pointed at me, his expression grave and full of fake authority. “What Mrs. Sterling used is crooked ritual magic. But it is not impossible to break.” “As long as bone chimes made from the remains of a pure child are hung by the window for seven days and seven nights, Miss Sullivan will have peace again.” Adrian looked at me thoughtfully. Then he said, “Iris, this started because of you.” His voice was calm. Too calm. “So we’ll use your son’s bones to make the chimes for Rosie.” My head snapped up. My eyes burned so fiercely they felt as if they might tear open. “Adrian Sterling, how can you believe a fraud like him?” My voice broke. “And he was your son too.” “Do you even know what you’re doing? If his body isn’t buried whole, he won’t be able to be reborn as a human.” Adrian reached out and stroked my cheek. His touch was gentle. His voice was ice. “Don’t worry, Iris. On the day of his funeral, I’ll leave a few extra tributes for him.” The spiritualist led his men straight toward the morgue. I dropped to my knees in front of Adrian and slammed my forehead against the floor. Once. Then again. And again. “Adrian, I’m begging you. Please stop this.” My voice came out broken. “The matching family outfits you bought for him… he’ll never get to wear them now.” For a brief second, Adrian’s gaze froze. Something in him seemed to waver. Right on time, Rosalie spoke softly. “Adrian, I believe Iris only hurt me because she loves you too much. It’s fine. I can handle a few more nightmares.” Adrian’s whole body jolted, as if he had just woken up. Without another thought, he kicked me away. He used all his strength. Before I could even react, my body flew several feet and hit the floor with a heavy thud. I had not eaten in two days. My body had already been tortured by wounds, rashes, and pain for too long. Darkness swallowed me almost immediately. When I woke again, Rosalie’s nanny had been waiting for me for a long time. “Mrs. Sterling,” she said, smiling. “Miss Sullivan is playing ball downstairs. She wants you to keep her company.” A crisp chiming sound drifted up from below. Ding. Ding. Ding. It was the sound of my son’s bones striking against the bells.