Chapter Two
KATRINA'S POV
My hands gripped the sheets so tight my knuckles turned white. My head tossed from side to side, breath ragged as I tried to pull myself out of the nightmare clawing at me. I was running, laughing, with William just ahead of me, his voice echoing with a teasing warmth it always had.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a girl rushed at me, her face twisted with rage, her scream echoing loud in the air. "You should die and rot in hell!" she shrieked. Her eyes blazed, wild, and before I could move, a dagger gleamed in her hand.
I froze, helpless. The steel shot toward me but suddenly, William threw himself between us, and the blade sank into his chest instead of mine. A scream tore from my lips as I clutched onto the knife, my voice drowning as I felt myself being yanked away into a foggy environment.
Just then I felt water crashed against me with brutal force, dragging me out of the nightmare. I jolted awake, gasping for air, my lungs burning as droplets streamed down my face and soaked my hair, my body, my sheets.
Before I could even catch my breath, a hand cracked across my cheek. The sting seared, whipping my head to the side, wet strands of hair sticking to my skin.
My eyes snapped open, fury surging through me. I turned sharply, ready to glare at whoever had dared…
And froze.
The sight rooted me in place. My chest tightened as I raised a trembling finger toward the girl standing in front of me. My lips parted, the words spilling out without thought.
"You?"
It was her. The same girl from my dream. The one who had tried to kill me.
Her eyes blazed with the same hatred, her chest heaving as if she lived only to see me crumble. With a sneer twisting her lips, she struck me again, her palm ringing against my cheek, forcing my head sideways.
"You dare point at me?" she screamed, her voice vibrating with venom. "Bow your head and show some respect!"
I sat there, drenched, my nightclothes plastered to my body, my sheets a wreck. The sharp sting on my cheeks burned, but it wasn't the pain that rooted me—it was confusion. My mind spun, questions colliding against each other. Who was this girl that she could walk freely into William's house? And more importantly… why had William shielded me in my dream? Why would he risk himself for me?
"You dare ignore me? You dare disrespect me?" she shrieked, her voice cutting through the room. She whirled toward the door, her scream echoing. "Guards!"
The door slammed open, and four men rushed in, their heads bowed, awaiting her command.
"Drag her out," she spat, her finger stabbing the air toward me. "Strip her bare, and each of you—teach her what happens to insolent bitches. Fuck her until she begs for mercy!"
My blood ran cold. My body jerked backward against the headboard as her words carved terror deep into me. My throat constricted, and fear wrapped itself like a fist around my lungs.
The guards shifted uncomfortably, glancing at each other. One of them lifted his head slightly, his voice cautious yet firm. "Miss Caroline… we cannot. She is the Chairman's mistress."
Caroline….
Her face twisted, fury overtaking reason. "Then flog her!" she hissed. "Fifty strokes. She dares to defy me, she should learn what it means to defy Will's fiance and the future Mrs Adams"
Before I could process her words, rough hands seized my arms, yanking me from the bed. I kicked, thrashed, my voice breaking. "Let me go! Do you hear me? Let me go!" My cries rang out, desperate, but none of them faltered. Their grips were like iron, dragging me from the room as my bare feet scraped against the floor.
Terror thundered through my veins. My heart slammed wildly in my chest as they pulled me outside, into the cold air that stung my wet skin.
I was shoved forward, my knees scraping the ground, the harsh smell of dust and wood hitting my nose. My body trembled, but I clenched my jaw.
Before I could steadied myself, the first strike cracked across my back. My body jolted forward, a sharp hiss ripping through my teeth. Pain bloomed instantly, searing.
Another came. Then another. Each stroke cut deeper, fire spreading across my skin until my vision blurred.
I bit down hard on my lip, copper filling my mouth, refusing to give her the satisfaction of my sobs. Sometimes the pain broke through, forcing screams from my throat, raw and sharp. But never tears. Never tears. I wouldn't cry.
William had broken all rules and he had even forgotten me even before I came back, so as much to have not just a girlfriend but a fiance. I was the fool, I was always a fool.
Caroline's laughter echoed, her delight feeding on my suffering.
The guards showed no mercy and I lost count after thirty.
After forty, I felt consciousness fading away from my grasp, every second a battle against collapse.
Finally, when the fiftieth stroke landed, my legs buckled completely. I collapsed to the ground, my body trembling. Breath tore from my lungs, shallow and ragged. My vision swam, darkness edging the corners.
Caroline's grin widened as she stepped closer, her heels clicking against the floor like a countdown to my ruin. She crouched before my broken body, her face so close I could feel the venom of her breath.
"Drag her back to the kitchen," she ordered, her voice smooth but laced with cruel delight. "She'll make me breakfast. I'm watching my weight, so I would prefer…perfectly brewed tea and sandwiches"
The guards bowed, wordless, and their hands found me again as they dragged me like a torn cloth behind Caroline, who swayed ahead like she owned the ground she walked on.
The kitchen doors flew open, and I was tossed inside like garbage. Pain shot up my knees as they collided with the hard tiles. My palms caught me, scraping raw. Caroline bent down, her manicured fingers seizing my face in a cruel grip, forcing me to meet her gaze.
"You have twenty minutes," she hissed, her nails biting into my skin. "I am starving. Don't keep me waiting."
She clapped her hands sharply, her voice rising. "Everyone, out!"
The chefs and maids scattered like frightened mice, none daring to look back. Caroline followed them, her perfume trailing after her, her presence lingering like poison in the air.
My chest heaved as I dragged in ragged breaths. For a moment, the silence pressed heavy on me. And then… warmth flickered. In my mind, laughter filled the room. My father's deep chuckle, my mother's soft giggle, the way my brother would throw his arms around me before school—those memories flashed before me like fragile rays of sunlight in a storm.
I swallowed the knot in my throat, pressing my palm against the cold counter, pushing myself upright. I wasn't going to break.
I had to do this—for them. For myself.
I limped toward the shelves, reaching for a container of flour, setting it down with a quiet thud. My fingers curled around a bowl, my breath shaky as I stared into it.
"Caroline…" I whispered to myself, my voice low but steady. "If you're in this game too… then fine. May the best player win."
I tapped the clock timer and set it to fifteen minutes.
Although, every movement hurt—my back screamed, my arms trembled—but I pushed through, mixing, kneading, boiling water, layering sandwiches with precision. My vision blurred now and then, dark spots swimming, but I shook my head violently each time, forcing myself back into focus.
The timer rang just as I placed the last sandwich neatly on the plate. My lips trembled, but a small, bitter smile tugged at them. I had done it. Somehow, I had done it.
I arranged the tray with care, even though my hands shook so badly the porcelain rattled against the wood. Holding my breath, I carried it toward the dining room, my legs barely obeying me.
Caroline was already waiting, seated like a Queen draped in victory. Her gaze cut into me the moment I entered.
With trembling hands, I set the tray before her. My breath hitched as I poured her tea and placed the plate before her, my body swaying with exhaustion.
Her lips curved into a smirk as she picked up one sandwich. She bit into it—then spat it out instantly, the half-chewed mess splattering across my dress.
The next thing I knew, the sandwich hit my face with a wet slap.
"You dare try to kill me with this tasteless trash?" Caroline's scream sliced through the room.
I flinched as she seized the teacup next, gulped a mouthful, and spat it out again all over my clothes, her disgust twisting into rage.
She leaned forward, her eyes sharp as blades. "Lower your gaze. Don't you dare look at me like that" She snarled and I immediately looked away trying to blink back my tears.
" I know what you're trying to do, Katrina. You think you can walk your way into Will's heart?" She sneered, her tone thick with mockery. "Don't fool yourself. You'll always be nothing but his mistress. A sex tool. That's all you'll ever be."
The words cut sharper than the cane had earlier. My chest tightened, bile rising in my throat, but I forced myself still.
Caroline's smirk deepened. She stood and grabbed my hand in a vice grip. Before I could pull back, she slowly poured the boiling tea poured down my skin, the scalding heat causing instant pain wretching burns.
A scream tore from my lips as my hand convulsed in her grip. My vision blurred, my ears ringing as her voice dripped with insults, accusations, and endless venom.
"You disgusting little whore…what did you use to entice him…huh? You slutty bastard! You should be grateful it's your hands being burnt and not your ugly face!"
I couldn't hear the rest. My body was screaming, my mind swimming in a haze of pain. Caroline's words became echoes in the distance.
She grunted and flung me aside like trash, my body folding as I slipped against the air. I braced for the impact, for the hard surface of maybe my death…but it never came.
Instead, srong hands caught me, an arm wrapping around my waist, pulling me upright. My body froze at the sudden warmth, the strength that steadied me effortlessly.
The room erupted. "Welcome back, Chairman!" voices chorused.
My gaze lifted, unfocused, and landed on him. William. His eyes were locked on me, blank, unreadable, yet I felt them pierce straight into my soul.
My chest heaved and the echo of our childhood laughter filled my ears. Tears burned at the edges of my eyes, but I swallowed them back. Slowly, shakily, I raised my trembling hand, reaching toward his face. Just to touch. Just to know if he was real.
But before my fingers could graze his skin, darkness swam in my vision, my body collapsing inward.