Chapter 2 · Sweet Revenge: My Cruel Husband Feels All My Pain

When I got back to the Knight family's villa, the first thing I saw was Grace's face, twisted with rage.

"How dare you show your face here? You husband-killer. Edward never so much as lost a hair his whole life, but the moment you marry him, he lands in the hospital. You're nothing but a bad luck charm," Grace said.

As she cursed, Grace ordered the servants to bring over the horsewhip hanging on the wall.

The whip was made of cowhide, soaked in oil, black and gleaming.

My heart clenched as I stared at that whip.

I remembered how Edward was when we first met, so spirited, like a proud, untamed stallion.

I used to follow in his footsteps, believing that if I worked hard enough, someday I could keep up with him.

But now, I was just another object in their home, something they could beat and scold whenever they pleased.

The TV in the living room was on, and the financial news channel was reporting a story.

The host said, "Knight Group CEO Edward Knight was rushed to the hospital today. His childhood sweetheart, pop diva Vivian Lane, was the first to visit. The two stayed together, looking very close, ending earlier rumors that Mr. Knight had married an ordinary woman..."

On the screen, Vivian was tucking the blanket around Edward with a worried look, and the way he looked at her was gentle, something I had never seen before.

Turned out, Edward wasn't born cold; he just gave all his warmth to Vivian.

And me? I couldn't even get a bit of his trust.

A wave of grief and anger crashed over me.

The first lash struck my back hard, my skin tore open, and the agony nearly brought me to my knees.

"I'll teach you, you little bitch. Trying to hook my son? I'll beat you to death," Grace shouted.

Grace was like a madwoman, whipping me over and over without stopping.

Right at that moment, my phone started ringing.

Edward was calling.

I used every bit of strength I had left to answer the call.

"Anna," Edward said, his voice thundered through the phone, strained with pain. "Are you trying to hurt yourself again just to get my attention? Stop it right now. All you're doing is making me even more disgusted with you."

Grace overheard Edward's voice on the phone.

She thought I was telling on her, and her expression grew even more twisted. Grace said, "You dare to complain? Looks like you haven't been beaten enough."

She raised her hand and brought the whip down with all her strength, another brutal lash landing on me.

I cried out.

On the other end of the line, Edward's angry shout suddenly twisted into a gut-wrenching scream, the sound cutting through me, raw and unbearable.

Grace froze.

Edward's screams kept coming through the phone, each one more desperate than the last.

Panic finally seized her. Grace dropped the whip, grabbed my phone from me, and shouted desperately into the receiver, "Edward? Edward, what's wrong? Don't frighten me."

Edward's breathing was ragged and broken on the other end. He stammared, "Mom... my back... it hurts like hell... it's killing me..."

"Your back?" Grace answered as she spun around, confusion twisting her face as she looked at me. I was sprawled on the floor, my back torn open, blood everywhere.

Grace instantly yelled into the phone, "Edward, don't be afraid, Mom's coming right now. That wretch must be cursing you."

Grace hung up and rushed out.

At the hospital, Edward lay on the bed, his back burning with pain, cold sweat breaking out all over him.

He grabbed Grace's hand as she rushed in, his voice tense with suspicion. Edward asked, "Mom, did you... Did you just hit Anna?"

Grace's gaze shifted nervously as she denied it right away. She said, "No. Why would I ever hit her? She was just acting hysterical at home, crying and making a fuss. I only said a couple of things to her, that's all."

Vivian quickly said, her voice gentle and pitiful, "That's right, Edward. Mrs. Knight has always been worried about Anna. But Anna was rambling nonsense on the phone just now, and it upset Mrs. Knight so much her heart started hurting."

As she spoke, Vivian soothingly stroked Grace's chest.

Edward glanced at his wronged mother and the ever-considerate Vivian, then recalled Anna's lifeless silence on the phone. All his suspicions disappeared without a trace.

He thought, even if there really was some weird empathy thing, Anna was just using self-harm to fish for pity. Her manipulations ran deeper than he ever imagined.

Chapter 2

When I got back to the Knight family's villa, the first thing I saw was Grace's face, twisted with rage.

As she cursed, Grace ordered the servants to bring over the horsewhip hanging on the wall.

The whip was made of cowhide, soaked in oil, black and gleaming.

My heart clenched as I stared at that whip.

I remembered how Edward was when we first met, so spirited, like a proud, untamed stallion.

I used to follow in his footsteps, believing that if I worked hard enough, someday I could keep up with him.

But now, I was just another object in their home, something they could beat and scold whenever they pleased.

The TV in the living room was on, and the financial news channel was reporting a story.

On the screen, Vivian was tucking the blanket around Edward with a worried look, and the way he looked at her was gentle, something I had never seen before.

Turned out, Edward wasn't born cold; he just gave all his warmth to Vivian.

And me? I couldn't even get a bit of his trust.

A wave of grief and anger crashed over me.

The first lash struck my back hard, my skin tore open, and the agony nearly brought me to my knees.

"I'll teach you, you little bitch. Trying to hook my son? I'll beat you to death," Grace shouted.

Grace was like a madwoman, whipping me over and over without stopping.

Right at that moment, my phone started ringing.

Edward was calling.

I used every bit of strength I had left to answer the call.

Grace overheard Edward's voice on the phone.

She thought I was telling on her, and her expression grew even more twisted. Grace said, "You dare to complain? Looks like you haven't been beaten enough."

She raised her hand and brought the whip down with all her strength, another brutal lash landing on me.

I cried out.

On the other end of the line, Edward's angry shout suddenly twisted into a gut-wrenching scream, the sound cutting through me, raw and unbearable.

Grace froze.

Edward's screams kept coming through the phone, each one more desperate than the last.

Panic finally seized her. Grace dropped the whip, grabbed my phone from me, and shouted desperately into the receiver, "Edward? Edward, what's wrong? Don't frighten me."

Edward's breathing was ragged and broken on the other end. He stammared, "Mom... my back... it hurts like hell... it's killing me..."

"Your back?" Grace answered as she spun around, confusion twisting her face as she looked at me. I was sprawled on the floor, my back torn open, blood everywhere.

Grace instantly yelled into the phone, "Edward, don't be afraid, Mom's coming right now. That wretch must be cursing you."

Grace hung up and rushed out.

At the hospital, Edward lay on the bed, his back burning with pain, cold sweat breaking out all over him.

He grabbed Grace's hand as she rushed in, his voice tense with suspicion. Edward asked, "Mom, did you... Did you just hit Anna?"

As she spoke, Vivian soothingly stroked Grace's chest.

Edward glanced at his wronged mother and the ever-considerate Vivian, then recalled Anna's lifeless silence on the phone. All his suspicions disappeared without a trace.

He thought, even if there really was some weird empathy thing, Anna was just using self-harm to fish for pity. Her manipulations ran deeper than he ever imagined.