Beneath The Surface

Chapter 5

He was so embarrassed and scared about what happened, he was more scared about what was going to happen, but he tried to be brave tried to stand up, even though he felt like he wants to cry his heart out  , he almost got up but that's when a sharp slap across his face sent him sprawling to the ground .

Struggling to keep his composure, he looked up to see his stepmother, Victoria, fuming with anger, glaring at him as though he were nothing more than an annoying insect. "Ethan, you clumsy boy! Clean this mess up immediately!" she growled, her words sending a shiver down his spine.

As he knelt to mop up the spilled tea, and pick up the broken pieces of teapot from the floor , the tears he tried his best keep started to welled up in Ethan's eyes.

He was humiliated and in pain, and his stepmother's friends only made things worse with their chuckles and insults about the mess he'd caused. The weight of his powerlessness bore down on him, and a single tear escaped, trailing down his cheek.

Victoria noticed the tear and couldn't resist adding to his misery, "Oh, brat! Are you crying after making mistakes? Did you forget you don't have the right to cry here when you are the one who messed up here ?" Her words dripped with venom, causing his skin to feel as though it were burning.

Ethan's heart felt like slowly crumbling, and he couldn't hold back the tears any longer. Frustration and hurt poured out as he blurted withoutthinking, "It's not my fault " His voice trembled with a mix of  anger and despair.

Victoria's friends fell silent, their expressions turned into surprise and discomfort. Victoria's face hardened with fury , "You brat, how dare you raise your voice in front of our guests!" She growled at him as Her hand met the other side of Ethan's face in a sharp slap. He fell again on the floor ,now  both side of his face was red and his lip bled from the cut which was made from the slap.

Ethan realized he couldn't stand there and endure this pain any longer. He knew that his punishment would be severe once the guests left , but at that moment, it didn't matter. He rushed to clean the mess he had created, desperately trying to finish the task and escape the torment. He could feel the eyes of their on his back.

As he left the garden, his stepmother and her friends observed his actions, smirking at his misery. Victoria, however, watched him with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. "Well, he certainly has become quite the drama queen," she remarked to her friends.

Margaret, the woman who was sitting there in silence ,  put out a suggestion, "You know, Victoria, Ethan is a rather an average good looking person. Perhaps you could consider marrying him off to another family with a business partner's daughter or something. It might be a way to grow your profit and it can make your wish come true .

Victoria raised an eyebrow, considering the idea. "Hmmm, that might not be a bad idea," she mused. "Ethan is a burden, and if we can find a suitable match for my family than it would certainly be a relief."

Ethan, who had been eavesdropping from a distance, couldn't believe his ears. The chances that his stepmother might actually consider marrying him off to get rid of him was both shocking and hurtful . His heart ached with the realization that there might be a way out of this hell hole .

In his room, he couldn't contain his emotions any longer. He cried his eyes out, feeling a mixture of relief, hurt, and sadness. That's when his phone lit up, showing a message from Sam and Emily in their group chat.

They were concerned about his sudden departure and wanted to know what had happened. Ethan explained everything, as they were already aware of his difficult situation. They offered comfort and even invited him to a feast to lift his spirits, but he declined, fearing that leaving without permission would only anger his stepmother further.

The chat went silent, and Ethan found himself clutching the picture frame of his mother. He whispered to it through his tears, "I'm tired, Mom. I'm doing my best to endure this, but it's not getting any better. I just want to rest, to be with you " he mumbled so many things to his mother as he thought of the days when she was with him .

As he was on the floor while calming down from the incident , someone slammed his room , he startled from his , he saw his step mother with guards and someone else was there too , when he realized who it was his eyes filled with terror

"Eleanor do anything you want with him , the guards will be outside if you Need anything " with that she left him alone in there with Eleanor and the guards .

The Guards closed the door while looking at him in pity ,this was making his heart beat fast ,   ' his step mother wouldn't do this ... right ? ' He thought desperately but that was a lie he told himself  , Eleanor looked at him with smirk , " let's play shall we ,you little whore "

To be continued........

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