Chapter 7

The look in Mabel's eyes made Elliot's heart tremble inexplicably, but he quickly turned his face away and focused on analyzing Zoe's burn. "I'm fine, Elliot," Zoe mumbled softly with reddened eyes. "Don't be too harsh on Mabel." Elliot didn't say anything and just patted the back of her hand lightly. Mabel was dragged to the punishment site in the back garden. Her wrists were tied up with rough rope, and she was secured to the wooden pillar. When the whip struck her for the first time, she bit down on her bottom lip so hard that the skin broke. The sounds of the leather whip whistling through the air chilled everyone to the bone. It didn't take long before the back of Mabel's shirt turned to shreds, revealing the raw, bloody skin underneath. She clenched her teeth together like her life depended on it, refusing to make even a peep. Every lash felt like a burning brand against her skin. Her consciousness began to turn foggy while black spots exploded all over her vision. But she still didn't beg for mercy and just silently counted the number of lashes she'd endured. Her entire body felt like jelly when they finally dealt the 20th blow. When Elliot's subordinates loosened the ropes, her legs gave out, and she knelt on the ground. "Can you still walk?" a subordinate asked with a frown. Bracing her hands against the ground for support, Mabel slowly got back up to her feet. Her back felt like it was on fire as fresh blood flowed down her spine, staining the waistband of her pants red. "I can," she said calmly. She was taken to the labor camp and thrown inside a dark, damp room. There was a pen and paper on the table, and a hard bed was tucked into the corner. "You can leave once you're done writing your reflection letter," the subordinate spat before leaving, locking the door behind him. Mabel's hand shook as she picked up the pen. She realized that her fingers were so stiff that she couldn't even hold the pen properly. She inhaled deeply before forcing herself to write, one word at a time. "I recognize that I was in the wrong… I shouldn't have hurt Ms. Zoe Young…" She'd only written a few sentences before she suddenly crumpled up the paper into a ball. This entire situation was incredibly absurd. Why did she need to repent for something she hadn't done in the first place? When the warden pushed the door open and saw the crumpled paper ball on the floor, he scoffed. "Still don't want to admit that you're wrong? You can keep staying here then!" Mabel was locked in that dark room for three days and three nights. She wrote several reflection letters, but they were rejected each time. In the end, she became numb to it all and robotically wrote a letter that she didn't agree with just so she could escape the room sooner. On the morning of the fourth day, the room was finally unlocked, and she stumbled out of the labor camp unsteadily. The blinding sunlight stung her eyes. She'd lost a lot of weight, and her face was as pale as a ghost. She dragged herself back home with heavy footsteps. Each step she took tugged at the wound on her back. The pain was so excruciating that cold sweat beaded all over her body. "Mabel, you're back." Zoe stood at the entrance and smiled at her sweetly. "How have you been for the past few days?" Mabel ignored her and stepped into the house. "Don't be so cold." Zoe grabbed her wrist, pressing down on one of her wounds. "Since you were punished, I've forgiven you for what you did. I bought a few movie tickets. Let's go watch the movie together." Mabel inhaled deeply before she batted Zoe's hand away. "Mabel." Elliot's voice sounded from behind her. "Why are you still being stubborn when Zoe is offering an olive branch to you?" Mabel turned and saw Elliot standing near the staircase, wearing an icy expression. She suddenly felt so exhausted that she didn't even have the strength to explain herself. "Fine. I'll go," she murmured. Elliot only attended to Zoe's needs the entire time they were at the movie theater. He bought her favorite caramel popcorn and whispered in her ear to explain the movie's plot. He even gently wiped away the ice cream on the corner of her lips. "That couple is so lovey-dovey with each other," one of the audience members sitting in the back row whispered. "The man is handsome and caring. That woman is so lucky." Blushing from their words, Zoe leaned against Elliot's chest. Neither of them cleared up the misunderstanding. Meanwhile, Mabel was sitting near them as if she were invisible. Her eyes were trained on the big screen, but her thoughts were far away. In just three days, she would be able to get the divorce certificate. Then, she could leave this place and go find Luther, her true love.