Chapter 5

Andrew didn't say a word. He stared down at his hands.

My blood was still on them, already dried.

After a long silence, he finally looked up at Lily, his voice hoarse. "Lily, did Charlotte really put that poison in there?"

Lily's body went rigid.

She stared at Andrew in disbelief. "What do you mean?"

Andrew kept going, almost to himself. "She's got the mind of a six-year-old. How could she even get her hands on something like that? Unless someone gave it to her, or..."

Lily cut him off, tears streaming down her face. "You think I'd set up my own sister? Charlotte and I are so close. How could I ever do something like that?

"If we can't even trust each other, then what's the point of getting married?"

My mom quickly pulled her back, and my dad tried to calm things down. "Andrew, you two have come so far. You're finally about to tie the knot.

"Don't let someone who's already gone mess things up for you.

"Lily has suffered enough. Don't make her go through any more pain."

Andrew looked at Lily, her tear-streaked face heartbreakingly fragile, his gaze clouded and hard to read.

He was silent for a few seconds, then lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Lily. I shouldn't have doubted you."

*****

Andrew finished his shower and walked back into the room, only to stop dead in his tracks.

Lily was lying naked on the bed, her skin almost perfect under the lamp.

He quickly looked away, turned, and walked out. "Lily, we're not married yet. I'll sleep in the guest room."

Lily jumped off the bed and hugged him tightly from behind, her voice both urgent and pleading. "Why not? You and Charlotte weren't even married back then, right?

"She was having your baby, so why can't I?"

She looked up at him, her voice shaky with tears. "Is it because you still can't forget Charlotte?"

Andrew's face was dark with anger as he stared at her for a long time.

In the end, he pushed Lily onto the bed and ripped her clothes off.

The mattress creaked under their weight.

Lily endured the pain, letting out a moan of pleasure despite it.

She felt she had finally, like Charlotte once did, found her way into Andrew's heart.

Andrew stared at her face the whole time, his eyes distant, almost dazed. "Charlotte..."

Lily's voice stuck in her throat.

Her face went pale as she started yelling and fighting back, "Andrew, you bastard."

She snatched up a pillow to hit him, but Andrew grabbed her wrist before she could.

His eyes were cold as he slapped Lily hard across the face. "Don't cry.

"You look nothing like your sister when you cry."

The next morning, Lily lay bruised and exhausted in bed, barely able to move.

Andrew didn't look at her once. He kept smoking by the window, lost in his own world.

The housekeeper knocked and came in, holding a package with no name on it. "Sir, this was found at the door."

Andrew frowned as he opened the package, pulled out a USB drive, and, after a moment's hesitation, plugged it into his computer.

As he watched those videos, his face went white as a sheet.

The footage was from the limo on their wedding day, five years ago.

Lily spiked my drink with some powder. After I drank it, I blacked out and went completely crazy, lost my mind.

Lily paid off the driver, and he took us out to some deserted place.

They dumped me by the side of the road like garbage, left me there to rot.

Before leaving, Lily kicked me hard and sneered, "Charlotte, don't blame me. Andrew belongs to me."

Later, Carter's men found me and decided to sell me off to some creepy old man in the town as his bride.

But because I was pregnant, nobody wanted to buy me.

So, they beat me so badly I lost the baby, blood soaking the ground.

Carter thought I was pretty and claimed he wanted to keep me as his wife.

But being his wife meant getting abused by men every single day, with everything filmed and sold on the DarkNet.

Andrew was shaking with rage, gritting his teeth as he clicked on the second video.

It was a filthy, criminal hideout.

After Lily got tricked and brought there, she shrank into a corner, scared out of her mind.

One of the men was about to hit her for not listening, but I jumped in front of her to protect her.

Fists and sticks came down on me, but I held onto Lily for dear life and wouldn't let go.

I was beaten until I was coughing up blood, but I kept saying, "Don't be scared. I'll protect you..."