Chapter 57



Shirley forcefully pulled Kallie toward her car and shoved her inside without a hint of gentleness. Kallie, though fully capable of resisting, chose not to. She assumed Gilbert, the driver Jake had hired, must have witnessed the scene from nearby and would probably leave since there was nothing he could do. Kallie remained silent with her thoughts.

Before long, Shirley and Kallie reached the Reeves family mansion. Shirley impatiently waited for a servant to open her car door. Once outside, she carried herself with an air of arrogance, raising her chin high and pointing sternly at Kallie. “Bring her to the hall! Make her kneel! And she will stay kneeling until I say otherwise!”

This mansion had seen Kallie punished by Shirley many times before. Whether it was for inadequately caring for Jake during his sickness or failing to keep the mansion spotless, Shirley always found a pretext to chastise and torment Kallie.

Now alone, Kallie knelt silently in the hall, feeling the cold seeping into her bones. The room was chilly and musty, stripped of any cushions by Shirley’s cruel design, forcing Kallie to endure the hard, cold marble beneath her. Her knees were bound to throb for a long time even after she left this place.

As dusk settled in, Kallie had been rigidly kneeling for several hours. She shifted slightly to ease her aching back just as someone opened the hall door. “What are you up to?” Shirley snapped upon noticing Kallie’s movement. “Were you just loafing around, waiting for someone to see you kneeling?”

Kallie faced Shirley and shook her head, but Shirley paid her no attention, signaling to a servant. “Fetch the cane. I’ll show this bitch a lesson for messing around!” A chill of dread swept through Kallie. Shirley was preparing to strike her.

In the past five years, Shirley had resorted to physical punishment only once, a beating so severe that Kallie had feared for her life. It had taken Kallie over a month to heal from that ordeal, and now history seemed poised to repeat itself.

galnovℯℓs․com keeps you updated With a heavy heart, Kallie bowed her head, resigned to her fate. Her inability to speak due to her damaged vocal cords, coupled with the lack of any child in the picture, meant she would never truly be embraced by the Reeves family. The cane was swiftly delivered to Shirley, who lifted it high, the cane cutting through the air with a menacing swish.

Kallie tensed, bracing for the agony to follow. However, a cry rang out, and the cane clattered to the ground and snapped in two. Kallie’s eyes flew open, and she was met with the sight of Jake in the hallway, his grip firm around Shirley’s arm.

“Why are you hitting her?” Jake demanded, his voice tinged with unmistakable anger.

“She was flirting with another guy right in front of me! I’m just teaching her a lesson!” Shirley retorted, her tone dripping with self-justification.

Kallie felt her heart sink deeper. Jake’s trust in her had always been shaky, and now with Shirley’s groundless accusations, she was scared he might truly turn against her. But to her amazement, Jake said, “Brent was merely inquiring about her response regarding the offer. Don’t make false accusations against Kallie.”

Kallie looked up at Jake, wide-eyed with surprise. How did he know that? She hadn’t told Jake about the job offer from the Hayes family, but it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to find out. Moreover, Jake was aware that Brent had stopped by earlier just for a brief chat. Perhaps Gilbert had informed him.

As Kallie remained lost in her thoughts, Jake’s gaze landed on her. “Aren’t you going to stand up?” he asked.

Snapping back to reality, Kallie unsteadily rose to her feet, supporting herself on her knees. After kneeling for so long, her entire body felt stiff and numb, nearly causing her to stumble as she stood up. Jake quickly stepped forward to catch her.

“Stop pretending… You’ve never been this delicate when Jake wasn’t around!” Shirley scoffed from the sidelines, showing no remorse for punishing Kallie.

“Has this happened before?” Jake asked Shirley, his gaze piercing.

Feeling cornered, Shirley instinctively took a step back. “If I don’t discipline her, how will she ever learn?”

Sensing Jake’s mounting disapproval, Shirley swiftly changed the subject. “You’re home early today. Why don’t you stay for dinner?”

Jake remained silent, his expression darkening. Kallie leaned against Jake for support, gradually regaining her strength. Just as she was about to step away from him, he drew her in closer, embracing her tightly. “Can you walk? Or do you need me to carry you?” Jake inquired worriedly.

Kallie shook her head quickly. She desperately wanted to keep the fact that Shirley had forced her to kneel in the hall a secret. She feared causing any strife between Jake and his mother. Thus, she had suffered in silence many times before, never once confiding in Jake. Jake’s sudden appearance this time had already set Shirley on edge, worrying Kallie. If he were to carry her, what would his family think?

Despite her objections, Jake scooped her up in his arms without a second thought. He strode past the servants with a determined air, carrying Kallie directly into the living room. All eyes were on them. Kallie’s face flushed as she pressed it against Jake’s chest. She had never been this close to Jake right here before, and seeing this made Shirley’s face turn dark.

“Sit down and eat already. You aren’t kids. Stop the theatrics with all this carrying,” Shirley muttered under her breath, annoyance lacing her tone. “But she was ill here before, and I wasn’t here to care for her,” Jake countered, recalling a different concern. During that period, Jake was swamped with crucial projects, practically living in his office for weeks. It was only later that he learned of Kallie’s illness during her stay here.

Shirley’s features tightened at his words, her gaze shifting to Kallie with a veiled, threatening look. It wasn’t just any illness. It was when Kallie had fallen pregnant, and Shirley had coerced her into an abortion. Jake remained oblivious to the truth.

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