Chapter 4

"On the floor. Now," Alexander ordered coldly. The bodyguards rushed forward at once and grabbed Selene's shoulders roughly as if she were a criminal. She struggled, but they forced her onto the cold marble floor. Her knees hit the floor hard, and pain darkened her vision. Alaric raised the whip that he had readied. It cracked loudly through the air before slashing across her back. The pain exploded through her body, sharp and intense. Selene bit down hard on her lower lip, and she could taste the blood in her mouth. But stubbornly, she refused to make a sound. "Do you admit you were wrong?" Alaric asked coldly. "I did nothing wrong," she spat out the words with difficulty. Another loud crack echoed through the hall, and the next blow was even harder. Blood soaked through her thin dress and bloomed on her back, spreading across the fabric. "Do you admit it now?" Alaric growled. Selene shouted back, "I did nothing!" The whip came down again and again, each strike seemingly hard enough to split her in half. Blood slowly soaked through her white dress and pooled on the floor in a shocking red. "Please, stop! I'm begging you. Please stop hitting her!" Emma sobbed as she begged from the floor. "Mrs. Nicholson will die from that. She really will!" But the Sinclair brothers ignored Emma, and the whipping continued. Selene's mind started to blur. In a daze, she heard Alexander sneer. "If she won't admit her mistake, then we'll beat her until she does." When the final strike fell, Selene couldn't take it anymore. Everything went black as she passed out. Just before she lost consciousness, the last thing she saw was the pool of blood on the floor and her brothers' cold, emotionless eyes. … Selene was left alone in a room for three full days. As she lay in bed, she could hear the happy chatter from next door loud and clear. Through the walls came Stella's soft and cutesy voice, the brothers' gentle coaxing, and Malcolm's deep laughter. The sounds tortured Selene day and night, all of it making her chest ache. "Stella, take your medicine." "I don't want to. It's too bitter." "Be good. I'll give you candy after." "Malcom, feed me." Selene buried her face into her pillow and dug her nails into her palm. She thought she was already numb to everything, but each breath still sent a stabbing pain through her chest. On the fourth morning, she could barely get out of bed. While holding onto the wall for support, she slowly made her way to the stairs and happened to hear an excited discussion going on downstairs. "I heard there's a pod of dolphins in this part of the ocean recently," Malcolm said, his tone unusually cheerful. "Stella's always wanted to see them." "Let's go today, then," the Sinclair brothers agreed at once. "It'll cheer her up." Selen froze at the landing, her fingers trembling slightly as she held onto the railing. The wounds on her back hadn't healed, and every step sent a searing pain through her. "Selene?" Stella suddenly looked up and called out in surprise. "You're finally out of bed!" The four men turned to look at Selene on the staircase, the emotions in their eyes unreadable. Selene had grown frighteningly thin. Her loose nightgown hung on her frame, and bruises still marked her wrist. We're going to see the dolphins," Stella said as she jogged lightly up the stairs and clung to Selene's arm. "Come with us, okay?" Selen pulled her arm back out of instinct, and Stella's eyes grew red-rimmed in an instant. "Selene, I've already forgiven you," Stella said, her voice choked. "Although you ruined my reputation… I don't have much time left, and I don't want to hold grudges." "Selene!" Malcolm strode toward them and pulled Stella behind him. "Stella's trying to make peace, and this is how you're behaving?" Alexander sneered. "Exactly. Take a look at Stella, then at yourself. It's clear who's the better person." Selene bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood. She looked at the four people who used to be closest to her. Now, they all felt like strangers. … In the end, they forced Selene onto the yacht to keep Stella happy. The blue sea stretched endlessly. Sunlight reflected off the deck, so bright that it was hard to keep one's eyes open. Stella excitedly suggested a barbecue. The four men immediately frowned and rejected the idea. "I'm already dying." Stella looked down, her voice extremely faint. "Can't you let me do what I want?" "Don't say that!" Alistair hurriedly covered her mouth. "We've already contacted the best experts abroad. You'll be fine." Selene sat quietly in the corner. She watched them bustle around, getting the barbecue ready. No one remembered she was allergic to seafood, just like no one remembered she still had wounds on her back. "Why aren't you eating?" Malcolm suddenly noticed her. "I'm allergic to seafood," Selene said softly. The atmosphere turned awkward in an instant. Malcolm frowned. He was about to call for the chef to bring her something else when strong winds suddenly blew. The yacht shook violently, and the grill flipped over, sending hot coals flying everywhere. "Watch out!" Malcolm yelled. Selene watched as all four men threw themselves around Stella, shielding her with their bodies. Selene screamed as a clump of burning coal landed on her skirt, flames bursting to life at once. She rolled on the ground in agony, screaming, but no one turned to look at her.