Chapter 2

I had a very long dream.

It started from the first time Pedro and I met.

Back then, my parents were still alive, and the family business was still doing well.

Pedro's grandfather, Garrett Farrell, had received help from my family, so he was especially fond of me.

Pedro and I ended up in an arranged engagement when both of us were young and naive.

He didn't love me, but I loved him.

That became the earliest and most fundamental conflict between us.

In the past, I believed that with enough effort, anything was possible, so I pursued him with stubbornness and refused to give up.

Only later did I realize that all my persistence and stubbornness existed only because I had something to rely on.

After the company went bankrupt and my mom died unexpectedly, everything I could rely on was gone.

In those days, I had to live under someone else's roof and beg for my life. That wore away every shred of my pride.

To survive, to pay for my father's ICU bills, I learned to bow my head and please Pedro and his worthless friends.

Even when his female companions forced me to strip and bark like a dog, I would do it with a fawning smile.

I had no choice. I had to keep my dad alive until three days ago, when news of his death arrived. Amid the grief, I felt an unexpected sense of relief.

Whatever love or affection I once had had long been worn away by the daily grind of suffering.

Now, all I wanted was to leave Pedro as soon as possible.

Before the dream could finish, I was jolted awake by a bucket of cold water.

I opened my eyes and saw Pedro's shoes right in front of me.

He ordered ruthlessly, "She gave Melanie a scar. You're going to give her ten times that many."

Several bodyguards nodded, grabbed hold of me, and pulled out knives to begin their "revenge."

Sharp pain shot through me. I struggled to break free. But the gap in strength made my will to survive useless.

The wound on my head hadn't fully healed, and I was still suffering from blood loss.

If they carved ten cuts deep enough to see bone, death would be close.

"Pedro, I've been obedient to you for the seven years during our marriage. Even if I haven't done anything worthy of praise, I've at least put in the hard work. Please let me go." With no other options, I begged him in a trembling voice.

I only hoped he still had a shred of humanity left.

Seeing my pitiful state, Pedro finally noticed the wound on my head. "How did this..."

But before he could finish, Melanie's voice came from the doorway. "Pedro, help me. My stomach really hurts."

She scurried over and threw herself into Pedro's arms, showing no signs of actual pain.

Then, she looked at me from within his blind spot and flashed a provocative smile. "Eliza, please don't look at me like that. I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have fallen for Pedro. Please don't hurt my baby, he's innocent."

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but my throat was so dry from dehydration that it burned.

Pedro's gaze was drawn to the woman in his arms. He looked at her and patted her back tenderly and said to his bodyguards. "What are you all standing around for? Get on with it."

The moment he finished his words, the searing pain of a blade cutting skin returned.

I looked at the two of them and finally understood what it meant to have a heart too weary to grieve.

Forget it. I couldn't win against them anyway. I'd better conserve my strength and wait for a chance to escape.

Maybe because they were afraid of being implicated in a murder case, Pedro called a doctor to tend to my wounds.

At least they managed to keep me alive.

He locked me in the basement, saying he wouldn't let me go until after Melanie had given birth.

He claimed he was afraid I would hurt her and her unborn child.

I thought it was ridiculous.

Ever since Melanie showed up, there hadn't been a single uninjured spot on my body.

How could I possibly have the gut to hurt her?

"You seem to be living quite comfortably down here." Pedro's words interrupted my thoughts.

He brought food and sat down beside me, and then handed the plate over. "After reflecting for so many days, do you realize your mistake?"

I didn't answer. I lowered my head and silently ate.

"Eliza Sloan, don't push it. I've already humbled myself to come and comfort you. You should be thankful." Stung by my attitude, he frowned and began to scold me.

I put down my spoon, stared at him for a moment, and let out a soft sigh. "Give me back my luggage and my phone."

"Are you trying to provoke me?" he asked.

In all the years we'd been together, he had seen me in many humiliating situations, but he had never seen me so cold.

For a moment, Pedro was stunned into silence.

I ignored him and continued eating. Only by eating my fill could I gather the strength to escape.

Maybe his conscience finally stirred, because as soon as I finished eating, Pedro brought my things over.

After the torment of the past few days, my phone had run out of battery and shut down.

With my shackles dragging behind me, I plugged it in to charge. One after another, notifications began to chime.

"Who is it?" Pedro frowned and stepped forward to look.

I shook my head and stepped back. "Spam texts."

Before he could say anything else, the butler appeared in the doorway, looking uneasy.

I seized the opportunity to cut in. "Go ahead. Melanie wants you."

After he heard this name, a flicker of delight passed through Pedro's eyes.

Just before leaving, he turned back and gave me a complicated look. "Stop being so unreasonable. In a few days, when Melanie's in a better mood, you can apologize to her, and I'll let you out."

I nodded obediently.

Apologize? As long as I could leave, I would even be willing to take another ten cuts.