How it's handled would be interesting to see. Rachel has put the MC through child abuse, which explains his earlier violent acts and police encounters. Sure you could be sympathetic and say she was abused by the father but that doesn't excuse abusing a kid. If you are sympathetic would you be so again if the father was revealed to have a tough childhood and drug addiction? This should give us a path where we hate-fuck Rachel into submission by exerting control over her. The other path of course would be the forgiving, loving one.
Ellie is more mysterious than Rachel imo. She pretends to be bad with tech. MC hears Jada talking to Ellie at the school "and you really should have told me how hot he is". Ellie only speaks with her apparently. She was also seen VERY close to MC's burning apartment building(just around the corner), although the news had reported police giving another reason.
IDK, if you have experienced violence in a relationship, you will probably be more understanding about lashing out against somebody else in return.
It's why so many victims of childhood abuse become abusers themselves.
If Rachel's lover (aka MC's father) put her through hell and she in turn became abusive against the MC that's just a human reaction.
We do it all the time. Someone pushes on us and we in turn push on someone we know is weaker than us.
Is that right? Hell no! But if we are honest, it is human nature and we have to really strive to raise above it.
So in my book, the abuse Rachel suffered makes her behaviour towards the MC understandable.
It doesn't excuse it, just makes it understandable.
The way I see it, she did horrible things and horrible things were done to her, now what is she gonna do about it? That's the crux of the matter.
If she genuinely regrets what she did and tries to make up for it, then I would be willing to accept it.
Yet, going by the last update, if her secret agenda turns out to be some plot leading to anything negative, fuck that bitch.