"Do you take me for a three-year-old? Don''t feed me that bullshit. You got pregnant with James''s child to frame Hawthorne, to have him raise your baby while you two steal his family''s fortune?


    "You can''t even fool me with a cheap trick like that, and you thought you could outsmart Hawthorne? No, no, no. I see what''s happening. You''re not trying to trick him; you''re trying to y me for a fool, aren''t you?


    "I''m telling you, Patti, you''re still ying games with me even now. You''re a worthless, scheming slut trying to use another man''s child to climb thedder, is that it? You want to have a child? You want to give him a son? I''ll show you!"


    Consumed by rage, Mrs. Mercer kicked Patti hard in the stomach. Patti writhed on the floor in pain. Soon, she couldn''t withstand the brutal assault. The sharp pain in her abdomen intensified, and two streams of blood began to flow from between her thighs.


    Sweat beaded on Patti''s forehead as she curled into a ball, crying out.


    "My stomach hurts so much! I''m going to die! Please, stop hitting me! Mrs. Mercer, please let me go. I''m not lying, I swear. Everything I said is true.


    "If you don''t believe me, bring James here. Let him face me! We were really just trying to use the baby to scam Hawthorne. I never wanted to take your ce. I never wanted to be the next Mrs. Mercer."


    After her flurry of blows, Mrs. Mercer still wasn''t satisfied, but she was out of breath. She pped Patti twice more before sinking onto the sofa, panting.


    "Don''t you worry. That bastard James is already on his way. He doesn''t know you''re here yet. When he arrives, we''ll see how you two dogs turn on each other.


    "Let me tell you something. James built his career on my family''s money. At a critical moment, do you really think he''ll side with you? I don''t believe a word you''ve said, but even if it were true, I could make James twist the truth into whatever I want.


    "I''m going to show you who''s more ruthless, you or me. Since you and James love each other so much, I''ll let you be a pair of star-crossed lovers in hell."


    Mrs. Mercer sat in the living room and waited. Before long, the sound of a car horn echoed from the courtyard. She knew James had arrived. Patti, having heard Mrs. Mercer''s chilling words, was now deathly pale.


    Blood was still seeping from between her legs, and she was on the verge of copsing from blood loss.


    But Mrs. Mercer didn''t care. She was blinded by rage, and if she didn''t seize this opportunity to settle the score with James, she wouldn''t be Mrs. Mercer.


    James hade to the vi because his wife had called him. He had no idea she had captured Patti and set an ambush for him.


    Mrs. Mercer had used a flimsy excuse to lure him over. The moment he stepped inside, the heavy front door mmed shut behind him.


    The instant James saw Patti lying in a pool of blood, he understood everything. Before Mrs. Mercer could even speak, he dropped to his knees in front of her and began frantically pping his own face.


    "Honey, please don''t listen to a word this bitch says! It was all her idea! It had nothing to do with me! I was bewitched, I fell into her trap! She seduced me!


    "You have to believe me! You know this woman''s reputation in Greenvale. The number of men she''s slept with is countless! It was a


    moment of weakness, don''t even


    moment of


    like her, she''s the one who''s been


    clinging to me!"


    Mrs. Mercer watched the man she''d been married to for over a decade with a small smile, then reached down and pulled him up from the floor.


    "Why are you so scared? Look at you, sweating all over. You must be tired aftering all this way. Have some tea first."


    Mrs. Mercer had a maid pour James a cup of tea. He held it with trembling hands, spilling nearly half of the steaming liquid before he dared bring it to his lips.


    James knew all too well how


    ruthless his wife could be. He was terrified she had poisoned the tea.f he died here, he knew the Everhart family had a thousand ways to exin away his death without Mrs. Mercer ever seeing the inside of a prison cell.


    His heart pounded in his chest. He didn''t dare even nce at Patti on the floor.


    Mrs. Mercer smiled at her husband, taking a tissue to gently wipe the sweat from his forehead.


    "Why are you so nervous? I just brought her here to ask a few questions, and she ended up like this. She says the baby in her belly is yours. How do you exin that?"