Chapter 13
811 Words
Caroline's pov
I thought the nightmare had finally ended when Cerene left the room the second time. My body was shaking uncontrollably, every inch of me aching from the whip marks, the hardened wax, and the pressure she had put on my stomach.
I lay there trying to steady my breathing, wrists raw and burning from the silk ties, when I heard the lock turn again.
The door creaked open.
Cerene stepped back inside, moving with that same quiet confidence that made my skin crawl. She had the whip in her right hand, letting the leather tail drag across the wooden floor as she approached the bed. This time, there was no rush in her movements. She took her time, savoring every second.
“You didn’t think I was finished, did you?” she asked, her voice low and mocking. She circled the bed slowly, eyes roaming over my tied-up form like I was nothing more than an insect she wanted to crush. “After everything you’ve taken from me, Caroline? No. We’re just getting started.”
I tried to pull my legs up, but the way Peter had tied me made it impossible to get any real leverage. “Cerene, please… I’m begging you. Stop this. You’re going to seriously hurt me.”
She let out a soft, amused laugh and climbed onto the bed, straddling my thighs.
Her robe slipped open a little at the front, but she didn’t bother fixing it. Up close, I could see the wild gleam in her eyes .... the kind of look someone gets when they’ve been holding onto resentment for years and finally get the chance to release it.
“You stole my health, Caroline,” she whispered, leaning forward so her face hovered just above mine. “All those years I was sick, struggling to breathe, fighting leukemia while you got to run around living a normal life. You got Peter. You got the attention. You even got pregnant so easily. And now you think some old woman’s money is going to save you?”
Before I could respond, she shifted her weight and pressed her bare foot down hard onto my stomach.
I screamed.
The pain was immediate and crushing. Her heel dug right into the tender, welt-covered skin, grinding down with deliberate force.
My back arched off the bed as far as the restraints would allow, a raw, guttural cry tearing from my throat.
“Cerene....stop! Please! It hurts!” I sobbed, tears streaming down the sides of my face. My stomach muscles clenched uselessly against the pressure, sending fresh waves of agony through my body.
She laughe, it sounded like a genuine, delighted laugh that echoed in the quiet room. Instead of lifting her foot, she pressed down harder, twisting slightly like she was trying to grind something out of me.
“That’s right. Scream for me,” she taunted, watching my face twist in pain. “This is what you deserve. For every time doctors fussed over me while you got to be the strong, healthy twin. For every time Peter chose to stay by my side instead of yours. I’m taking it all back now.”
She finally lifted her foot after what felt like forever, but the relief was short-lived. I gasped and curled inward as much as I could, sobbing quietly while my stomach throbbed violently.
Even through the pain, a stupid, desperate part of me still clung to hope.
*Peter… please come home. Please see what she’s doing to me.*
I hated myself for thinking it, but I couldn’t stop. He was still my husband. Some broken piece of my heart refused to let go of the idea that he would walk through that door and stop this.
Cerene noticed the look on my face and smirked.
“Still hoping he’ll save you?” she asked, climbing off the bed. “How cute. He’s been mine for a long time, Caro. You were just too blind to see it.”
She gave me one last look, eyes sparkling with satisfaction, then turned and walked toward the door.
Just as she reached for the handle, we both heard it .... the sound of the front door opening downstairs, followed by heavy footsteps.
Peter was back.
My eyes widened in a mix of fear and desperate hope. Maybe he would come upstairs. Maybe he would see what his precious Cerene had done to me.
But Cerene didn’t look worried at all.
She turned back toward me, a slow, wicked smirk spreading across her lips. The kind of smirk that said she had already planned exactly how this was going to play out.
My heart sank.
Whatever was about to happen next, Cerene was ready for it. And that terrified me more than anything else tonight.
“Oh dear sis... let's see who he believes...“
- Writer
