Chapter 253 Battle for Custody Rights

Chapter 253 Battle for Custody Rights
Matthew sat in his wheelchair watching the scene unfold. His expression never changed, but his fingers tapped lightly against the armrest.

It was a habit he had whenever he was annoyed.

"That's enough." He rolled forward and reached out as if to help Emily up. "You've seen her. It's time to go back."

The moment Eleanor heard that, she wrapped her arms around Emily and refused to let go. Her crying grew louder. "Mommy, don't go! Mommy, please don't leave!"

Emily stood up and turned to Matthew. "I want to take Eleanor with us."

"No." Alex spoke first. His voice wasn't loud, but it was firm. "You're welcome to visit her, but she stays here."

"I'm her mother. I have the right to take her." Emily's tone turned cold.

"And I'm her father. I have the right to keep her with me." Alex stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Eleanor. "If you don't like it, take me to court."

Emily studied him silently, weighing her options.

Then she looked at Matthew, expecting him to handle it.

Matthew was quiet for a few seconds before saying to Alex, "See you in court."

He left with Emily.

After the door closed, Eleanor sat among the building blocks. Tears dripped onto the plastic pieces one by one, but she didn't make a sound.

Alex crouched down and pulled her into his arms. Her small hands clutched his collar as she asked in a muffled voice, "Daddy, does Mommy not want me anymore?"

"No." He patted her back gently but firmly. "Mommy is sick right now. When she gets better, she'll come back."

Matthew wanted Grace to keep an eye on Alex, so he gave her a new identity and arranged for her to work as a kitchen assistant.

She altered the shape of her nose with stage putty, covered the scar on her face with concealer, used a voice changer, and even wore a prop to make herself look hunchbacked.

Back at the villa, she kept a close watch on Alex's movements. Earlier, she had hidden around the corner of the hallway and watched everything happen.

When she saw Emily crying while holding Eleanor, she felt nothing.

Emily didn't have a single bruise on her. Matthew hated her that much, yet he still hadn't laid a hand on her.

Back when Grace slipped sleeping pills into Emily's milk, she had considered poisoning her outright. But poison would be too easy to trace, and she hadn't dared take the risk.

Now she regretted it.

She should have killed Emily back then and ended everything once and for all.

Grace returned to her small room, sat on the edge of the bed, and bit her nails.

That night, Eleanor tossed and turned in her little bed, unable to sleep.

She missed her mother. She missed the way her mother smelled and the sound of her voice reading bedtime stories.

She climbed out of bed, clutching her rabbit plushie, and walked to the door, intending to go find her mom.

But just as she reached it, the door opened from the outside.

Grace stepped in.

Eleanor immediately went to her and reached for her hand. "Auntie, I want to find Mommy."

Grace looked down at the miniature version of Emily, and the hatred inside her surged up again.

She crouched in front of Eleanor and grabbed the child's arm. "Find your mom? Can't you tell she doesn't want you anymore?"

Eleanor froze in shock at the sudden viciousness. Then the pain in her arm made her burst into tears.

"Stop crying." Grace lowered her voice and covered Eleanor's mouth with her other hand. "Cry again and I'll lock you in the basement. There are rats down there that bite naughty children."

Terrified, Eleanor didn't dare make another sound. Tears streamed down her face.

Grace released her mouth, then pinched the inside of Eleanor's thigh hard. And then again.

Watching the child's face twist in pain eased some of the resentment in her chest.

Eleanor trembled all over, but she didn't dare cry out. She bit her lip until it turned white.

"Remember this. Don't tell anyone I was here. Don't tell anyone I hurt you." Grace tugged on Eleanor's little ear. "If I find out you told someone, I'll take you away and you'll never see your mother again. Do you understand?"

Eleanor nodded frantically, tears flying everywhere.

Grace let go, dusted off her hands, and walked out.

Eleanor sat on the cold floor, hugging her rabbit plushie and crying silently.

She didn't know what she had done wrong. She didn't know why her mother didn't want her anymore, or why that woman had pinched her.

She only knew that she missed her mom terribly.

The next morning, the nanny discovered several purple bruises on the inside of Eleanor's thighs while helping her get dressed.

The nanny immediately informed Alex.

He hurried over, crouched in front of Eleanor, and asked, "Eleanor, how did these bruises get here?"

Eleanor bit her lip and said nothing. Her eyes were red, and she shook her head hard.

Alex asked several more questions, but she still wouldn't answer. She only clung to him and refused to let go.

He ordered the security footage from the previous night to be reviewed.

But somehow the hallway camera outside Eleanor's room had stopped working. The screen was completely black.

Alex's fingers tightened around the mouse one inch at a time.

He gathered all the villa staff in the living room and questioned them one by one.

When he reached the kitchen maid—Grace—her expression was perfectly innocent.

"I stayed in my room all night and never came out. Maybe Miss Eleanor fell down by herself? Little kids get bumps and bruises all the time."

Something about her felt familiar to Alex, but her face and build didn't quite match.

He frowned.

Was he imagining it?

The other servants all said they hadn't noticed anything unusual.

Alex had Eleanor taken to the hospital for an examination. Aside from the bruises on her thighs, she had no other injuries.

He also arranged for a child psychologist to speak with her. The psychologist said Eleanor was showing signs of severe stress. Her mother's departure had likely triggered a fear of abandonment, which could explain why she refused to talk.

Alex carried Eleanor home. The entire ride, she stayed curled up in his arms, gripping his shirt tightly.

After settling her in, he sat alone in his study and lit a cigarette.

Smoke curled through the room as a dark look gathered in his eyes.

He didn't believe Eleanor's injuries came from a fall.

She had always been a careful child. She walked and ran steadily and had never hurt herself this badly for no reason.

Someone in this villa was playing games.

Emily had a dream.

In it, Eleanor stood in a pitch-black room wearing a white nightgown. High walls surrounded her, with no doors and no windows.

Eleanor was crying softly, as if afraid someone would hear her.

Emily reached out to embrace her daughter, but a pair of hands emerged from the darkness, covered Eleanor's mouth, and dragged her deeper into the shadows.

Emily woke with a scream.

She sat upright, gasping for breath. Her back was soaked with cold sweat.

Instinctively, she reached toward the other side of the bed and found only cold sheets.

Since Matthew's legs had been broken, he had been sleeping in the room next door. They had not shared a bed.

Emily threw back the covers, got out of bed, and poured herself a glass of water.

As she raised the glass and looked out the window, she saw a pale ghostly face pressed against the glass.

The features were grotesquely twisted, the mouth stretched into an impossible grin, and the hollow black eyes stared directly at her.

Emily screamed and stumbled backward. The glass slipped from her hand and shattered across the floor.