Chapter 12
718 Words
Caroline's pov
The lock clicked again barely thirty seconds later.
My heart jumped into my throat. For a wild moment, I hoped it was Peter coming back to untie me. But when the door opened, it was Cerene again.
She stepped inside carrying a thin, black leather whip in her right hand. The end of it dragged lightly across the floor as she closed the door behind her and locked it once more. The sight of the whip made my blood run cold.
“Miss me already?” she asked sweetly, twirling the whip between her fingers as she approached the bed.
I pulled against the silk ties, panic rising fast in my chest. “Cerene, what the hell are you doing? Put that away!”
She ignored me completely. Instead, she stood at the foot of the bed, slowly running her fingers along the length of the whip while staring down at me with pure malice in her eyes. The pitiful, fragile mask she usually wore in front of Peter was completely gone now. In its place was something ugly and venomous.
“You know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately,” she said casually, tapping the whip against her palm. “All these years, you’ve had everything I should have had. Perfect health. A strong body. The ability to live normally without everyone treating you like you’re about to break. You stole that from me, Caroline. My health. My life. My future.”
She took a step closer, her voice dropping into a mocking whisper.
“So now… I’m stealing yours.”
Cerene raised the whip and brought it down across my legs with a sharp crack.
I screamed as the leather stung my skin through the thin fabric of my dress. The pain was sharp, burning, and immediate. My body jerked violently against the restraints, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks.
She laughed again — that bright, delighted sound that made my skin crawl.
“Look at you,” she taunted, circling the bed slowly. “Tied up. Helpless. Screaming. This is exactly where you belong. You’ve always acted like you were better than me. The healthy twin. The one who got to marry Peter. The one who got pregnant so easily. But not anymore.”
She cracked the whip again, this time across my thighs.
Another scream tore from my throat. The pain bloomed hot and fierce, making my eyes water even more.
“Peter is mine now,” Cerene continued, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “You stole my health, so I’m stealing your man. He’s been mine for a long time anyway. The way he looks at me… the way he touches me… you could never compete with that. And soon, I’ll be carrying his child while you rot away in this room.”
She brought the whip down again, harder this time.
I cried out, my body arching off the bed as the leather bit into my skin. My wrists burned from how hard I was pulling against the ties. Every breath came out in ragged gasps.
Cerene leaned over me, her face inches from mine. The Harrington bracelet still gleamed on her wrist as she smiled down at me.
“You will never win, Caroline. Never. I’ve taken everything from you. Your husband. Your bracelet. Your dignity. And when Peter comes back, I’ll make sure he sees only what I want him to see .... the poor, sick twin who needs him. While you…” She straightened up and flicked the whip lightly against my stomach, right over the hardened wax, “stay right here. Learning your place.”
She stepped back toward the door, still holding the whip, her eyes sparkling with cruel pleasure.
“Sweet dreams, dear sister. Try not to scream too loud. The staff already thinks you’re crazy.”
Cerene gave me one last mocking smile, then slipped out of the room.
The lock clicked into place once again.
I lay there on the bed, chest heaving, tears streaming down my face, my skin burning from the whip and the wax. The pain was everywhere, but the humiliation cut deeper.
“Cerene…” I whispered hoarsely into the empty room, my voice breaking. “I swear… one day I will make you pay for this.”
- Writer
