Forged My Marriage, Stole My Baby—Now I’m the Judge You Kneel To - Chapter 24: Chapter 24

Rowena watched their pathetic little show and put down her fork. "Whatever makes you guys happy."
She got up and walked away like none of it mattered.
Back in her room, Rowena realized she'd left her phone downstairs.
The hallway lights threw long shadows as she paused at the top of the stairs, getting a perfect view of the living room where Shane had his arm wrapped around Gina's shoulders, whispering something in her ear.
Gina was melting into him, baby in her arms, gazing up at him with total adoration and dependence.
What a picture-perfect family.
Rowena watched for a beat, waiting until they broke apart before making her footsteps deliberately loud as she headed downstairs.
Shane glanced back. "What're you doing back down here?"
"Left my phone." Her tone was completely flat as she walked straight to the coffee table, grabbed it, and turned to go.
Behind her, she caught Gina's whiny voice"Shane, I think Rowena really hates me. She won't even look at me..."
Shane mumbled something back, but Rowena was already halfway up the stairs.
Late that night, the house was dead silent.
Rowena had just closed her eyes when this blood-curdling scream ripped through the quiet.
Next thing she knew, there were footsteps stampeding down the hall and someone was hammering on her door"Miss Sinclair! Emergency—Mr. Vellmore needs you downstairs now!"
Rowena threw on her robe and barely made it to the stairs before she heard Gina's sobbing echoing up from below.
In the living room, Gina was practically collapsing into Shane's arms, pale as death and shaking uncontrollably.
Shane looked pissed as hell. The second he spotted Rowena, he snapped: "What the fuck did you put in that bedroom?"
Rowena blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't give me that bullshit!" Gina choked out through her tears. "Rowena, if you've got a problem with me, just say it! Why would you do something this sick?"
The housekeeper stepped forward holding this small black speaker. Shane hit the power button, and suddenly the room filled with these horrifying sounds.
The shrieking mixed with creepy-ass background sounds made the staff jump out of their skin. Even Rowena instinctively stepped back.
"This piece of shit was stuffed under Gina's pillow." Shane's stare could freeze hell over. "You moved out of that room this morning, and tonight this happens. Who else would pull this crap?"
Rowena finally got what was going down.
She looked Shane dead in the eye. "I didn't put that there."
Shane went still for a second, then let out this bitter laugh. "In this whole damn house, you're the only one with a reason to do something this!"
Gina grabbed his sleeve, tears streaming. "Shane, just let it go... Maybe Rowena's just really upset about me taking over her room..."
"Hell no!" Shane's voice was arctic. "This kind of twisted shit needs consequences."
He turned to the housekeeper. "Lock her in the media room and put horror movies on all night. Since she likes scaring people, let her see how it feels."
Rowena's blood went cold.
He knew damn well she was terrified of that shit!
After her parents died in that accident, she couldn't sleep with the lights off for months. Shane had been the one to pull her through it.
He'd held her and promised: "Rowena, as long as I'm here, you'll never have to be scared again."
And now he was personally throwing her back into that nightmare.
The media room door slammed shut with a final click of the lock.
In the pitch black, the huge screen flickered on, and this ghastly white face suddenly jumped out with a sharp screech.
Rowena's whole body jolted, and she bit down hard on her lip. On screen, some twisted ghost was crawling around with blood streaming from its eye sockets...
She curled up in the corner of the couch, hands clamped over her ears, but those horrifying sounds still crept in everywhere.
*Drip... drip... drip...*
*I died...*
Tears started falling before she even realized it. Rowena bit her lip until she tasted blood. After her parents died, she'd had nightmares every single night, dreaming of them reaching out to her from pools of blood...
Shane used to hold her tight, saying over and over, "Don't be scared. I'll be with you."
And now he was upstairs cuddling another woman, personally shoving her back into that hell.
The screen's light kept flickering, casting shadows across Rowena's ghost-white face.
Then this incredibly realistic scream blasted from the speakers, making Rowena jump out of her skin.
She heard something behind her and started to turn around, but the moment she did, the ghost on screen whipped its head around, staring straight at her with these hollow black holes for eyes.
*Found you...*
Rowena had no idea how she survived that night.
The AC was cranked up full blast, cold cutting right through to her bones, while ghostly figures danced across the screen and screams split her eardrums.
In her haze, she kept seeing Shane's gentle smile.
"Rowena,be me side, you don't have to be afraid of anything."
But where the hell was he now?
Rowena closed her eyes, tasting copper in her throat.
When morning finally came, the media room door cracked open.
The housekeeper stood there looking uncomfortable. "Miss Sinclair, Mr. Vellmore wants to see you in the dining room."
Rowena slowly hauled herself to her feet, her legs completely dead, black spots dancing in her vision.