Chapter 1

My husband, Edward Young, posted something online that chilled me to the bone. He said a marriage certificate was a free gym membership, and his wife was his personal punching bag.

He could take out his frustrations on her, and the more he worked out on her, the more she'd stick to him.

I stared at the computer screen, my hand unconsciously crushing the thermos in my grip until it was warped out of shape.

I set the thermos down gently. When I got home tonight, I'd do some workout on him.

The day after our wedding, I was scrolling through the trending posts in my city when I saw something.

The poster had shared a photo of his marriage certificate with the caption: [Free gym pass, successfully claimed.]

Some people in the comments were confused, but the poster gloated: [A marriage certificate is a free gym pass.

[My wife is my punching bag. Working out on her keeps me fit, and the more I do it, the more she clings to me.

[If you hit her, all she'll do is beg you to stop.

[If you don't hit her, she'll start making all kinds of crazy demands.

[My biggest dream is to have a wife who's indestructible, and whose cries are music to my ears.]

As I read the post, I couldn't help but get curious about how much of a fighter this guy really was.

Honestly, he seemed like the type who could take a hit and keep going.

So, I made an alt account and DM'd him: [Hey, bro, what kind of cries do you think sound nice? Can you give me an example?]

He replied almost instantly: [No problem. I'll try it out on my new nurse wife and record it for you guys to see tonight.]

As soon as I confirmed the poster was actually my newlywed husband, I suddenly realized what was going on.

I tossed the crushed thermos into the trash angrily. The metallic clang rang out in the quiet office.

I worked out the stiffness in my wrist, still tingling with anger, and decided to leave work early. Time to go home and give myself a little "relaxation".

The post kept getting updated, and the likes had already blown up to 140,000.

I shook my head in disbelief. How could such malicious comments get so much support?

One of the latest comments caught my eye. [Couldn't agree more. Nothing beats going home and taking all the crap I take at work out on my wife. It's way more satisfying than hitting a punching bag.]

Another person chimed in: [Some women just need to be disciplined. If you don't hit them, they won't listen. Gotta teach them the rules.]

The poster called "WifeTamer" was clearly loving the attention and started showing off his so-called trophies. [Check out this custom swing I had built. It's made just for 'disciplining' my wife.

[She still doesn't know this thing comes apart. Once I strap her in, she's basically my ready-made punching bag.]

My fingers went stiff on the mouse.

The swing in the picture was identical to the one Edward bought for our matrimonial home.

The comments section was getting wild, with people even asking: [What if the neighbors see you hitting your wife out on the balcony and call the cops?]

The poster replied smugly: [I've already thought of that.

[To keep the neighbors from hearing any noise and calling the cops, I installed blackout curtains and double-layered soundproof glass.

[Close the doors and windows, pull the curtains, and no matter how much she screams inside, no one outside will hear a thing.]

I stared at the screen, my fingertips feeling icy cold.

I couldn't believe that I actually married someone like this.

When I finally snapped out of it, I saw I'd crushed the thermos in my hand so badly.

After the shock wore off, I actually thought this whole thing was pretty interesting.

I'd always been strong, and I'd had a bit of antisocial tendencies.

Back in elementary school, I once crushed a creep's balls with one hand right there on the bus. The teachers and cops were totally stunned, and it even made the local news.

After that, my mom always told me, "Girls should be graceful and gentle."

So, I learned how to pretend.

I got into nursing school and became a gentle nurse.

So, a marriage certificate was a free gym pass, huh?

And beating his wife would make her stick to him even more, right?

Well, time to drop the act.

I flexed my wrist, the joints cracking quietly. "Edward, since you want to play this wife-taming game, I'll play along."