His Cruel Obsession, Her Agony

ir, convulsing, his face a ghastly blue. I was on my kne

of cold indifference, and offered a choice: a h

e appeased. He called her his "therapy," claiming my disobedience upset her. I reminded him Ernest

." But I agreed to the whip, just for his medication. Kalen' s

nting. "You don' t get to choose who takes the punishment. You only get t

est. I couldn't see, but I heard everything: the sharp crack of the whip, the sickening thud, E

pte

er, was strapped to a metal chair, his body convulsing. A thin tube ran from a machine into his arm, but instead of life-saving

hands clutching the fine fabric of his trousers.

rn apart by hours of

of cold indifference. He adjusted his perfectly t

voice calm. "I can. But

whip. Next to it was a photograph of Izabella Booth, the woman w

. "She felt you weren't showing enough remorse f

"So, you choose. Either you take a hundred lashes wit

ble to process the cruelty. This couldn't be the same man who o

ng?" she whispered

sive watch. "You know how this works, Aileen. Izabella is my therapy. Keepi

r days. You let her slap me until my face was unrecognizable. You' ve done en

r than his, Aileen. The torment I feel when Izabella is displeased... you c

luttered open. He saw his sister

weak, gurgling sound. "Don

brother to the cold, unfeeling man before her. She crawled close

ct it all at me. Whatever she wants,

yanking her head back. Her scalp screamed in protest

said, his voice low and menacing. "After

leen' s sanity. She looked at Ernesto, whose breathing was becomin

oked out, the words tast

a whisper, a broken f

ng the words past the lump of terror in her throat. "Just...

nster vanished, replaced by the loving man she

"Everything will be alright. I just needed to know y

rm and familiar, a cruel illusion of saf

tear from her cheek. Then his smile disapp

, his voice dropping to a whisper

ng to the guards s

g with a terrible, dark light. "You don' t get to choose

you. It' s more fitting, don' t you think? You disobeyed, an

d picked up the whip. The leat

lood ran co

ying to run to her brother, t

his arms wrapping around her waist li

eath hot against her skin. "I don' t want

ng her screams against his expensive shirt. He held her tight

e, but she could

f the whip slicin

it landing on her br

sp of pain

Thud.

and

ave of agony. She fought against Kalen' s hold, her

ling, sobbing wreck in his arms. The man holding her, the man she had once loved