Devin smirked at my answer. He leaned in and whispered into my ear, "You'll beg for death."

They forced me into a chair and slammed the papers on the table.

"Sign." He commanded.

"I won't. No matter what you threaten me with. I won't sign it. You can kill me."

"Very well, you've made your decision," Devin said as a ghost of a smile spread across his lips. He raised his hand out towards the maid standing to his right. "The tool, please, Penelope."

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a trolley with a stainless steel plate and torture tools laid out on it; it glimmered under the crystal chandelier lights. As if Penelope was an assistant surgeon in an important operation, she handed Devin a plier.

I stiffened.

Don't let them see you're scared, Millie. They will feed off your fear. They want you to grovel and beg for mercy.

Don't give them the satisfaction!

I kept a straight face, numb to what was about to happen to me.

You've been through worse, you'll get through this, too.

Horrified about what was about to happen, I watched Devin wedge the plier into the nail of my index finger.

"One last chance." He said sweetly.

"The answer is still no," I told him, trying my best to not showcase the fear crawling deep inside my bones.

I was doing this for Castle, for freedom that I wanted for the both of us. As I was someone who was initially appointed to care for him and to protect him, I would do my job until I drew my last breath.

A second later, a horrified wail filled the silence and pain so potent speared through me. I wished I'd signed the papers and be done with it so I wouldn't be subjected to this torture.

My finger was soaking in blood, dripping, and devoid of a nail. The smudges stained the beautiful carpet below.

That was ironic. A beautiful home like this one held nothing but years of pain, sufferings, lies, and deceit. There was no love found between these four walls, only a hunger for power and the title that came with it, and somehow I'd been part of all this madness.

He wedged the plier into my thumb. "Don't make this hard on yourself."

I kept a straight face, even though my insides were screaming hell-fire. "Do it." I challenged him. "Do your worst, you sick bastard, but I won't sign the papers!"

Devin passed me the same charming smile from the first day I'd met him, "with pleasure, my love."

I screamed loud enough to shatter the glass windows of the entire mansion.

The nail on my thumb was gone, too.

"The blood is staining the carpet." Dayana pointed out, inspecting the expensive Turkish carpet. "I think we should stop, Devin. She won't talk even if you pluck all her nails, and it's not worth ruining a carpet worth three million dollars that was won from an auction. It's vintage and handmade."

Devin seemed to think Dayana had a point. The carpet was getting ruined after all.

Well, thanks to the expensive carpet, my torture was halted.

"Penelope, clean Mrs. Montgomery's wounds."

Penelope had come equipped with a first-aid kit. How very convenient.

Why did I have a feeling these two devils incarnates did this casually to people and got away with it? The housekeeper, Winston, had lost an entire leg, for god's sake! He seemed to do well with a replaced fake one.

The door had loud knocks on them. "Millie...is Millie there? I heard a loud noise." Castle's voice drifted from the other side.

I started calling him out, getting out of the chair, when Dayana scrunched up a ball of cloth and shoved it into my mouth to shut me up.

"She's not here, Castle." Devin said in his casual tone, "I heard her say she was going outside for a walk in the courtyard."

"Okay."

Then I heard the sounds of the retreating footsteps. I slumped back into the chair.

Penelope cleaned my wounds with some alcohol and covered my fingers with a bandaid.

Dayana brought a pen and forced it between my fingers. She had brought the document, the contract papers of when I was hired as an employee. The papers had my signature on them.

Dayana held my hand in hers with the pen and forced a signature on the paper. It was scrawly, but she'd managed to put Millicent Montgomery.

"It's done," she said happily, looking proudly at the papers. "The writing is a little funny, but I think no one would care though to check."

Devin looked at the paper, "you're right. As long as we got her signature."

I didn't know what problems were going to come over me, and I knew nothing would prepare me for what they had planned. I wasn't sure why they were being so cruel.

Castle's parents, especially his mother Aster, had taken in two unfortunate children and given them a roof over their heads, wealth, education, and everything else that kids born in the family would have gotten. They were biting the hand that fed them.

Their greed knew no bounds.

The door opened, and I climbed to my feet, spitting out the cloth from my mouth. "Karma is going to come for you soon, Devin, and when it does, I'm going to be there to see it happen."

He grinned, "Can't wait."

* ~*

"Millie, my head hurts," Castle complained when I went upstairs to our bedroom. He was holding his head between his hands, his face contorted with pain.

"what's happening to you?"

"I...I don't know." He was breathing hard. He grabbed my hand. "I need my medication! It's throbbing...the pain's unbearable..."

"The meds are not good for your health."

His eyes shifted to my fingers. "What's wrong with your hand?"

"It's nothing. I cut myself on the cutting board." I lied to him. "I'll see if I can find some mild pills for your pain, okay?"

I found some pills in the drawer that I handed him. These weren't prescribed to him, but they were normal pain meds and then I changed into my nightgown, aware of his watchful eyes following me.

"You're lying." He said.

"What?"

"You're lying about your hand." He said, "what...what happened to you, Millie? Who did this to you? Don't lie to me."

I couldn't control myself. If he wanted the truth, he would get it. "Your family is evil. Your brother and sister are monsters! And they plan to do vile things to us, Castle!"

He was on the edge now. I had his attention. "What vile things?"

I made sure the door was properly locked. "They want to kill you and frame me for it."

"No." He said almost as if his denial would be enough to prove me wrong.

"It's true! They are making me out to be a gold-digger who laundered money from your company when I have done no such thing. They are creating this scenario so that it would be easier for them to kill you and make me a scapegoat."

"Devin wouldn't do that," Castle whispered. "I...I handed over the company to him after my accident because I couldn't remember my past...much less how to run a corporation. It was voluntarily...so why would he kill me?"

"Because they are afraid you would remember!" I whispered, screamed at him. I close to him, holding his face in my hands, "They are afraid you would remember each and everything about the accident and whatever happened before that. Devin and Dayana want you out of the picture."

"They are...they are going to kill me?"

"Baby, I won't let them touch a hair on your head. You have my word." I said, hugging his head to my chest, "But you have to remember...

His light brown eyes filled with confused tears. "It's all hazy and unclear. I can't remember anything after the day I turned up at the funeral."

I wiped his tear with the pad of my thumb, "You have to try harder, baby. That's the only way we can stop them."

"Or what happens?" He asked.

I knew hiding the truth from him was of no use. We didn't have the liberty to keep information from him that could only cause him harm.

"If they succeed, then you'll be dead and I'll be in jail convicted for your murder."

* ~*

Time was running out.

I had to read the journal to find out the truth before things went down. I skipped to the next set of marked pages.

Aster Montgomery's Journal

12th September

I'm not usually a suspicious person. I don't doubt anyone unless I have a reason to. I have wondered if Dad is secretly still doing those devil-worshipping rituals and I've been wrong with my assumptions so far. I'm happy to be wrong about this.

But then Christopher is acting strange. He would come home late at night, sometimes he would be out for days due to the business.

I suspect him. My father isn't the type who would give up on what he started and it is likely possible that he somehow influenced Chris into being part of the rituals.

I hope not.

I've been late to enter the diary because I'm not in the right state of mind. Last night I was gone for a charity function and told Chris that I would return late at night, but luckily the event was wrapped up early and so I got home earlier than usual.

I planned to surprise Chris because he complained I wasn't giving him enough time. With four kids, it was sometimes impossible to spend time with him. I bought him a set of cuff links. I knew how much he loves collecting them.

When I climbed the stairs to our bedroom, I saw the door was slightly ajar and the sounds of someone speaking in hushed whispers drifted from the gap.

My heart thundered. I stopped dead in my tracks, listening.

'What if the kids see us together?' The female voice asked.

'They won't. Castle, Devin, and Dayana are out for some friend's party. They won't be here until midnight. Theo is asleep and as for Aster, she won't be home until mid-night as well. It's just you and me until then.' That was Chris's voice.

My Christopher.

There were sounds of kissing, followed by a moan. 'Stop it.' She giggled.

Lorna. The house help. Devin and Dayana's biological mother.

'Will our kids ever know?' She asked him silently.

At that moment, I wondered what they were talking about. I was tearful and I couldn't believe my ears. I wanted this to be a nightmare.

'They are better off not knowing.' Chris replied. 'With this baby on our way, we have to act fast. You know we can't let Aster find out. The kids adore her.'

'But I'm their mother.'

'Hush.'

'I'm scared Chris. Sometimes I think you love her more.'

'No. Never. I've always loved you, Lorna. Aster was only a means for us to get all this wealth. You're my real wife. Just a few more days and then it's all ours.'

I should have known. I'm crying...NO...I'm sobbing while writing this. There are smudges on these pages, but I don't care. I need to pour everything out.

Christopher Gates is a swindler, a fucking thief! Dad was always right, but I was blinded by love. Chris had known Lorna before he knew me, and he'd been having two families secretly. He had children with two women.

How hadn't I noticed?

Devin and Dayana had Chris's features. They had Lorna's green eyes, so I hadn't realized...I was a fool.

Nobody gets away with fucking up a Montgomery.

I going to ruin him. 

* * *

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