Chapter 3

　　"No. I am not your wife. I lost my husband long ago."

　　"You have no right to punish me."

　　Her mouth opened and clamped down hard on Matthew's wrist.

　　Matthew hissed through his teeth at the pain. He wrenched his hand back and shoved Edith to the floor.

　　The fury twisted into a laugh. "Lost your husband?"

　　"As long as you go by the name Edith, you are my wife every single day. Don't dream of slipping out of my grip."

　　He ordered the servants to pin her limbs down, so that even if she wanted to run, she couldn't.

　　The first lash fell. A scream tore out of her throat, and yet her mind went to the day she first met Matthew.

　　Back then she was only an unremarkable bit player on the stage, but Matthew had stared up at her from the audience for the longest time, murmuring, "You're so beautiful. Like an angel."

　　The second lash fell. She thought of the day she first learned she was pregnant, how Matthew had been giddy as a boy, grinning like a fool at everyone he passed. "I'm going to be a father."

　　The third lash fell. She thought of the first time she discovered Matthew had faked his death. She had been overjoyed and enraged at once, glad he wasn't dead, furious that he would deceive her with something like that, and that it had cost them their only child.

　　After that, everything between them had turned to open warfare.

　　Matthew grew more and more brazen in cozying up to Susan, while Edith drifted from one glittering, drink-soaked night to the next.

　　The fourth lash fell. She thought of these ten absurd, laughable years, all the ways she had guarded this absurd love and tormented herself inside the lies.

　　But at least, in a month, she would be gone for good.

　　She would have a new identity, no longer called Edith, with not a single thread tying her to Matthew ever again.

　　By the end, she had lost count of how many times the whip came down.

　　Her mind had blurred. Her back was already raw, torn to shreds, not one patch of skin left whole.

　　"That's enough. Stop."

　　Matthew spoke, magnanimous as a man dispensing mercy.

　　He walked over to Edith and let his fingers trail across her tear-streaked face.

　　"Does it hurt?"

　　Edith said nothing.

　　"If it hurts, then remember this lesson. As long as you get along with Susie from now on, I won't make things hard for you."

　　"A punishment like today won't happen again."

　　Edith closed her eyes. The pain inside her slowly went numb, leaving only a mouthful of bitterness.

　　"Get up. I'll call the family doctor to dress your wounds."

　　Matthew held out a hand, gesturing for Edith to take it and rise. The clear mark of her teeth still showed on his wrist.

　　Edith turned her face away and, forcing down the pain in her back, pushed herself up inch by inch. She stepped around Matthew and staggered toward the doors of the Heath villa.

　　Matthew frowned. "It's this late. Where do you think you're going?"

　　"Still sulking at me? Off to some club to lose yourself?"

　　He reached out and clamped a hand around her wrist.

　　Edith frowned, her voice cold to the bone. "Where I go is no concern of yours, Mr. Heath."

　　"Or does Mr. Heath feel the punishment wasn't enough, and wants to swing the whip a few more times?"

　　With that, she yanked her hand free. The motion pulled too hard at the wounds on her back, and the pain doubled her over.

　　But she didn't look back. Step by step, she left the Heath house.

　　Matthew frowned, watching the woman's frail, stubborn figure retreat, and a restless heat surged up in his chest.

　　Especially that stretch of red across her back, the blood sliding down and dripping to the floor. Drip. Drip.

　　Unbearably glaring.

　　"Matthew, maybe you really should go see her off."

　　"You two haven't seen each other in ten years. She must miss you so much deep down. She's just angry, so she won't say it."

　　As she spoke, her fingertips pinched the hem of her dress, tears glimmering in her eyes. "Susie has hogged you for ten years. It's time I gave you back to your wife…"

　　Matthew frowned and quickly pulled Susan into his arms.

　　"What are you talking about?"

　　"Edith brought this on herself with her own vicious heart. She has no one to blame but herself. Besides, you and I were always meant to be together for life. Edith is the outsider."

　　"Don't worry. I've looked into the assets under her name. It won't be long before she comes crawling back, begging for my forgiveness."

　　He lifted his eyes carelessly, only to see Edith's body suddenly sway violently, then pitch forward and crash to the ground.

　　His chest clenched all at once. "Edith!"

　　His body moved faster than his mind. By the time he understood what he was doing, he had already rushed to her side, both hands catching her firmly.

　　He never noticed the jealous hatred filling Susan's eyes behind him.