Chapter 4
The hospital room door was thrown open with a bang.
Victor stood in the doorway, his parents right behind him.
The icy look on all three of their faces was enough to make anyone shiver.
"What the hell happened here?" Ernest's voice boomed through the room.
Gwen's expression shifted dramatically.
She flung herself at Victor, tears streaming down her face.
"Victor, my belly hurts," she whimpered.
Then she suddenly gasped. "The baby! You have to check on the baby."
Her trembling finger pointed straight at me. "I saw Evelyn hurting our baby. She was pinching and slapping her."
Victor's face went pale.
He rushed to the crib and grabbed the baby.
His hands trembled as he pulled up her clothes.
Dark bruises were all over her delicate skin.
I froze, my eyes wide with disbelief.
"I didn't do it! I never touched the baby," I shouted, shaking my head frantically.
Ernest stormed over to me, his eyes burning with fury.
Before I could react, he slapped me hard across the face. The slap sent my head snapping to the side.
A sharp ringing filled my ears.
"You vicious woman! How could you hurt a pregnant woman and an innocent child?" Ernest roared.
"Clearly, the last punishment was too lenient," Donna said coldly, standing behind him.
She didn't bother to look at me. "Take her to the dungeon and give her twenty lashes."
"Mom!" Victor called out, stepping forward, his fists clenched tight.
But Donna cut him off without hesitation. "You're still defending her?"
She jabbed a finger at the baby. "That's your own flesh and blood. No matter if you want to run off with Evelyn or not, that kid still carries your blood!"
I shook all over, looking at Victor.
He stood there, his knuckles white from how hard he was clenching his fists.
The same eyes that once would take on the whole world for me were now full of pain and struggle.
Then he met his father's gaze and looked away silently, accepting the punishment without protest.
Something inside me shattered.
It felt like someone had ripped my heart out, thrown it on the floor, and stomped it into pieces.
I stared at him and suddenly let out a laugh.
I was so stupid. Even now, I was still waiting for him to choose me.
The dungeon was as cold as a freezer.
Two guards pushed me down to my knees right in the middle of the stone floor.
The first lash came down. My vision started to blur.
Suddenly, I remembered the day I said we should break up after he stood up to his family for me.
That night, the wind howled, and rain poured down, but Victor stood in the storm under my window all night long.
By morning, he was burning up with fever and ended up passing out.
When I went to see him, his skin was so hot it scared me.
He grabbed my hand and said affectionately, "Evelyn, remember. If the whole world turns against us, I'll make you my one and only wife."
The second lash came down.
I bit my lip so hard that the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.
I remembered that night. He flew across the whole country because I sent him a message: [I miss you.] Three simple words.
The third lash... The fourth lash...
Every strike tore at my soul.
The pain in my back was nothing compared to the torment my memories brought.
By the fifteenth lash, I could almost hear his voice again.
It was a sunny afternoon. He looked at me and asked with concern, "Why are you hurt again?"
He reached out and said softly, "Let me see."
By the nineteenth lash, I was on the verge of blacking out.
Everything seemed so far away.
The room was spinning.
I thought I heard someone calling my name.
I couldn't tell if it was real or a memory.
The final lash came down.
My body couldn't take it anymore.
Darkness swallowed my vision.
Before I blacked out, I felt a pair of familiar arms catch me as I fell.
I heard someone cry out in utter despair. "Evelyn!"
When I came to my senses, I was lying face down on the bed.
Every little movement made my back burn like hell.
"Evelyn!" Victor was right beside me, his eyes bloodshot.
"You're awake," he said softly, worry etched in his voice. "How are you feeling? Does it still hurt?"
I looked at him.
For a second, I suddenly felt dizzy.
Whenever I had a fever, he'd always sit by my bed like this.
He wouldn't leave me, not for a second.
But this wasn't a fever.
His parents had me whipped, right there in front of him and the whole family.
Slowly, I turned away from him.
I couldn't bring myself to look at him.
Victor didn't move.
After what felt like forever, he finally spoke. "Evelyn, it's not that I didn't want to stand up for you.
"But if I'd tried to stop them, the elders would've thought I was weak.
"They would've been more ruthless with you. They might've taken you out."
"So, you think I hurt your child, too?" I asked.
Victor paused, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.
He stayed silent, not saying a single word.
That silence was louder than any answer.
The last bit of hope I had left was gone.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
"Answer me," I said, looking straight at him.
My voice was trembling. "Do you trust me?"
"Evelyn... "Victor frowned, frustration written all over his face.
"The baby's covered in bruises. Gwen saw you abuse her. The evidence is right there. How am I supposed to trust you?
"I told you to wait. I promised you that once Gwen delivers the baby, all our problems will disappear.
"W-Why did you have to mess with her now? Couldn't you have held on a little longer for us and for our future?" he said, staring at me.
I couldn't stop the tears from falling.
I thought my heart couldn't break any more than it already had.
Turns out, I was wrong.
But the pain was still there.
The pain was so bad that I could barely catch my breath.