Chapter 10

For the first time in a long while, I had a sweet dream. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw William's assistant sitting at my bedside. Seeing that I was awake, he diligently asked how I felt and if I wanted to eat anything. I pressed a hand to my forehead and asked where William was. The assistant hesitated for a moment before telling me the truth—William had gone to settle the score with Sophie. As it turned out, Sophie orchestrated the kidnapping that left me brutalized and scarred all over. She'd ordered the kidnappers to torture me, claiming William had intended it. After watching the footage of me being tortured in captivity, he flew into a maniacal rage. He had his men lock Sophie up so he could do to her what she had done to me a hundredfold, personally breaking her legs and slicing every inch of her skin. It wasn't until her skin and flesh were practically in ribbons that William tossed her into the river to die. … William had returned smelling like a slaughterhouse. He