Chapter 9

That day, when Daniel had taken Cheryl to the hospital, he'd casually told a few of his friends to scare Elizabeth, just to knock her down a peg. He thought they might make her drink some pepper in liquid form or rough her up a little. He never imagined they'd go that far, and never imagined they'd torture her. Cheryl, completely rattled by the disaster unraveling around her, bolted toward the control booth, frantically pressing buttons. "Turn it off! Shut it down, now!" she screamed, her voice shrill with panic. But in her frenzy, she accidentally hit the volume button. The sound roared through the speakers—Elizabeth's desperate screams, the men's cruel laughter, the vile insults—all blaring through the hall like a nightmare made real. The engagement party descended into chaos and had to be shut down. Daniel ordered all the guests to leave, keeping only Cheryl and the men who had assaulted Elizabeth. Cheryl stood frozen, trembling. The moment Daniel's eyes swept over her, sh