Natalie Sterling tightened the faucet and reached for the towel on the shelf, wrapping her son, Calvin Sterling, with practiced ease. She rubbed the towel vigorously over his tiny frame, and within a minute, a fragrant, handsome little boy emerged, as fresh as a daisy.

Holding Calvin with one hand to prevent his playful return to the bathroom, she reached with the other for the clean clothes on the shelf. It was then that she heard a woman's moan.

"Weren't Sarah and Charlotte off to the spa? And neither of them had men in their lives." Natalie murmured to herself. Sarah was her mother-in-law, and Charlotte her sister-in-law. Natalie's father-in-law had passed away in a business accident years ago, and her husband was often busy working away from home, leaving just Natalie, Sarah, and Charlotte at home.

The moaning upstairs grew louder, and Natalie could faintly hear the woman calling out for Matthew, her husband.

Hastily dressing Calvin, she scooped him up and exited the bathroom. Trying to be as silent as a shadow, she darted to the storeroom, grabbed a handgun, and crept upstairs. The sounds were emanating from her own bedroom. As she toggled the safety off the gun, she sidled up to the door, now hearing the all-too-familiar panting sounds.

There, Matthew Sterling was atop a woman with a lithe figure, her black stockings scrunched at her calves, red stiletto heels pressing fiercely into the bedsheets Natalie had made that morning, blonde hair sprawling across the bed in careless waves. In that moment, Natalie felt a twisted sense of fit—the opulent surroundings seemed to be the proper setting for such a woman.

Suddenly, Calvin's call for "dad" shattered Natalie's trance. Matthew and his mistress continued their escapade, oblivious until Calvin's giggling and louder calls of "dad, dad" caused Matthew to turn in shock. The woman beneath him hastily grabbed a corner of the blanket to cover her nakedness.

"Why aren't you at the spa with them? How come you're here?" Natalie was dumbfounded that Matthew's first words were not of apology.

"Your family's word is as worthless as your loyalty," Natalie said, each word dropping like a stone, as if slowing them down could stem the flow of her tears.

"Don't forget who has given you everything you have, and don't forget who is the master of this house," Matthew said casually, getting out of bed and walking towards the door. "Take the boy and play in the garden. You're not to enter until I leave," he declared, locking the bedroom door behind him.

Natalie stood frozen at the door, while Calvin, scared, dared not move. The sounds of lovemaking resumed inside the room, and Natalie's tears flowed unchecked. She feared being cast out, having been confined to this villa for seven years, her past friendships, glory, confidence, and beauty all devoured by time. She lacked the courage to step out.

Descending to the second floor, Calvin struggled to free himself from her arms. Drained of all strength, Natalie let him down, following his toddling walk into the playroom.

Whipping sounds from upstairs made her shiver; each lash felt like it was striking her heart.

As the sun went down, Calvin was hungry and nestled into her for milk. Natalie lifted her shirt with her gaze hollow, revealing nipples crusted with blood, fresh blisters weeping atop old scars. Calvin's teeth were sharp, but her mother-in-law disregarded the doctor's advice, insisting on continued breastfeeding. After Calvin fed, Natalie painfully burst the large blisters, knowing that if she didn't, her son's next meal would be blood-tainted milk.

She fell asleep without bothering to adjust her lifted shirt, awakened only by a stinging slap across her face. Matthew, with Calvin in his right arm and the well-dressed woman in his left, dropped the cruel words "You don't deserve to be a mother" before striding away. It turned out, Calvin had been lured by the tapping of the woman's high heels and ran out, which led Matthew to discover them.

Natalie tried to follow but couldn't muster the strength to rise; she was too exhausted. She slowly crawled to the windowsill and watched as the blonde, holding Calvin, got into Matthew's car.