Chapter 5

That day, no matter how much Rebecca struggled, she was forced to kneel on the uneven floor. Any time she tried to get up on her feet, the bodyguard would whip her. She would have torn the house apart if she was the person she was in the past, but Justin knew her weakness. He knew that she would end up conceding as long as Carrie was brought into the picture. Rebecca's knees stung. The dried blood staining her back from the countless times the bodyguard had whipped her made for a gruesome sight. The door to the hall swung open only after a day had passed. Rebecca wobbled as she got to her feet unsteadily. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to support her own weight anymore. Her limbs turned to jelly, and she fell facefirst toward the floor. However, the pain that she was expecting never came. Instead, a strong pair of arms pulled her into an embrace. James held Rebecca tightly, his eyes shining with a myriad of complicated emotions. "Why did you choose to do this to yourself, Becca? Today is your father's wedding ceremony. I'm here to take you there." Rebecca mustered the strength she had left and pushed him away. She then slapped him across his face. The sound of the slap rang through the air. She had slapped him so hard that there was blood speckled at the corner of his mouth. "Don't touch me! Your hypocritical ways make me sick, James!" James was momentarily stunned. His Adam's apple bobbed as he used his thumb to wipe the blood away. He scoffed and asked, "Did that make you feel better? Don't worry, Becca. I'm going to ruin you even more to make sure I can become your brother-in-law." He wrapped his arms around Rebecca's slender waist and pressed her closer to him. His words were laced with mockery as he said, "I'll make sure to save you a seat at the main table when Penny and I get married." … In the end, Rebecca was forcefully brought to the wedding ceremony. Worried that she would cause a scene, Justin assigned a few bodyguards to keep an eye on her. Although it was Justin's third time getting married, the Sawyer family still placed great importance in the wedding, inviting all their good friends and connections in the industry. Rebecca swirled her wine glass as she watched Justin fuss over Penelope and Wanda backstage. She felt nothing but disdain for them. Finally, the ceremony began. Rebecca felt like she had been struck by lightning the moment a video began playing on the big screen. She saw her own image being broadcasted—she was completely naked as a man trapped her under his own body. Chaos erupted in the banquet hall when the guests realized what they were watching. Sensual music had been paired with the video playing on the screen. Rebecca could feel the weight of everyone's mocking and repulsed gazes. She leaped to her feet and stared at James, who was still sitting calmly next to her. However, before she could express her rage, Wanda let out a shrill scream from where she was standing on the stage. "How could you be so shameless, Rebecca? I can't believe you're willing to sacrifice your own reputation to ruin your father's and my wedding ceremony." Her accusations caused an uproar among the guests. "Oh my God. I heard that Rebecca was rotten to the core, but I never would have expected her to broadcast this video of her own volition." "Do you really think she cares about that when she slept with her abductors?" "I think Mr. Heaton was bewitched by her. It's been three years, but he still insists on marrying a despicable woman like her. The Heaton family definitely won't be able to accept it if word of this gets out." Rebecca bit her lip hard. It became blatantly obvious that James and Wanda had worked together to come up with this scheme. Meanwhile, Penelope was watching the events unfold with a gleeful expression. Although Justin was pretending to be furious, the way he avoided making eye contact with Rebecca told her everything that she needed to know. All of them had worked together to set this trap for her. They were willing to sacrifice the wedding to ensure that Penelope was able to marry into the Heaton family. Since they were willing to go to such lengths, Rebecca had no reason to hold back either. She grabbed a wine bottle from the table and hurled it directly into the center of the screen. The bottle smashed into a million pieces. The broken pieces of glass rocketed in every direction along with the wine. "I was on my best behavior for your sake, Justin. Since you don't appreciate my efforts, you can forget about having a nice wedding!" Rebecca then pulled the cloth off the table, sending everything hurtling to the ground. The guests fled the venue amidst the sounds of breaking dishes. Meanwhile, Justin's first reaction was to protect Wanda. "That's enough, Rebecca! Have you forgotten about your punishment from yesterday?" James lunged at Rebecca and caught her in a death grip. "Calm down, Becca! Stop causing a scene!" He still wanted to pretend that he couldn't live without her in front of the outsiders. Disgust roiled in Rebecca's gut, and she nearly threw up. She struggled wildly within James' arms. She pushed herself up to her tiptoes and bit his Adam's apple. She had put all her strength into the bite, causing the taste of blood to permeate her tongue. James let out a pained grunt. His chest tightened when he felt something cold drip onto his neck, reminiscent of tears. As a result, he momentarily forgot to keep Rebecca restrained. Just then, Penelope rushed over to them. The sight of them wrapped around each other greatly irritated her. Her eyes reddened. "Why are you just standing around and doing nothing?" she barked at the bodyguards. "Rebecca's lost her mind. Hurry and take her away!" Rebecca took her chance the moment the words left Penelope's lips. She grabbed a fistful of Penelope's hair and ruthlessly shoved her into the cake that was next to her. James' expression changed completely when Penelope shrieked. In the next second, excruciating pain exploded at the back of Rebecca's neck, making her feel as if her neck had been snapped in half. Black spots danced in her vision before she fainted.