Chapter 3
“Tell me, how do you teach someone as filthy and shameless as her a lesson?”
…
I huddled in the snow. My body was covered in bruises.
The neighbors whispered and sneered among themselves. Some mocked me, some laughed.
“This girl looks so proper, but behind the scenes, she’s completely shameless.”
“Griffin’s son is such a good man. How could he fall for someone like her?”
In all the noise, I felt someone spit right on my face.
I was freezing, and my teeth chattered, but my heart felt even colder.
Cole watched me being humiliated.
He did not look sorry. He looked satisfied.
I forced my teeth to stop chattering and mustered all my remaining strength to speak.
“Cole, aren’t you even willing to hear my side of this story? Are you just going to take her word for it?”
Cole sneered.
“What’s there to explain? Sophia, I don’t want to hear any of your lies.”
His eyes were full of disgust.
“You only disgust me. The thought of being with you makes me sick. Once this is over, the first thing I’ll do is get a full medical check.
“If I’ve caught any filthy disease from you, I’ll make sure you pay for it.”
Quilla patted his back gently to comfort him.
“Cole, don’t get angry over something like this. Getting sick over it isn’t worth it.”
I curled up on the ground. My face was blue from the cold.
Every breath felt like sharp thorns scratching my throat.
I forced out a few words.
“Quilla, am I the shameless one, or are you the one turning everything upside down?
“I’m giving you one last chance. If you don’t tell everyone the truth now, you’ll never have another chance to make it right.”
Quilla flew into a rage when she heard that.
“Sophia! After all this, you still have the nerve to threaten me?”
She bared her teeth and cursed.
She ran toward me, lifted her foot, and aimed it at my head.
When she almost hit me, Cole grabbed her just in time.
“Quilla, stop!”
His voice was low but urgent.
My heart skipped a beat.
I thought maybe Cole still cared for me.
But what he said next was colder than the winter snow.
“Stay away from her. A girl from a nightclub could carry all kinds of diseases. Don’t get your shoes dirty.”
The last bit of hope I had died the moment he spoke.
I could no longer feel the cold. All that was left was a numb emptiness.
Quilla pulled her foot back. She had a wicked smile on her face.
“Cole, I can’t believe you wasted time on her. This filthy liar tricked you for so long and still won’t admit it. It makes me furious. I almost want to kill her myself!”
She looked at her men and gave a nod.
“Tie her up tight. I don’t want her acting out later.”
The men rushed forward. They ignored my struggles and bound my hands with a rough rope.
I stared at them in panic. A bad feeling rose in my chest.
“Quilla… what are you doing? Hurting someone on purpose is a crime. Even if I’ve done something wrong, you have no right to abuse me!”
Quilla laughed like she had heard the funniest joke.
She crouched down and leaned toward me. Her face was full of excitement.
“Dealing with shameless trash like you is not abuse. It’s protecting everyone else.”
Before I could process her words, she raised her foot.
This time, she did not hesitate.
Her heel smashed into my face.
Bright sparks shot across my vision. Blood poured from my nose.
The metallic taste filled my mouth.
I did not even have time to cry out before darkness swallowed me.
Chapter 4
I did not know how long I was unconscious before I woke up.
The cold wind cut across my nearly bare body like knives.
It helped me regain some awareness.
Then I realized I was hanging from a tree.
My feet did not touch the ground. The rope dug deep into my skin.
Quilla held up her phone and aimed it at my face.
The number of viewers was climbing fast. Comments started to scroll.
[What the hell is happening?]
[It’s the middle of the New Year! What’s she doing?]
[What did this woman do? Why is she hanging from a tree? Is this a stunt or something else?]
[Hey, tell us what is going on!]
Quilla grew more excited when she saw the questions.
She held up the police raid notice and the photos of me from the hotel.
The comments changed instantly.
[This kind of person corrupts society. Hanging her like this is too kind!]
[Support the streamer! People like her should be exposed! Let her reputation be destroyed!]
[Nice! This feels so satisfying! Great job, streamer!]
[No mercy for someone like her! Make her pay!]
The screen was full of insults and cheers.
Quilla watched the viewer count rise. Her smile could have split her face in two.
She moved the camera close and gave me a full view of my swollen, bruised face.
I forced out the last bit of strength I had and said, “Quilla, you’re insane. You’ll stop at nothing to frame me. Did you ever think about what would happen if the truth came out?”
Quilla did not get angry. She laughed. She picked up an ice-covered tree branch from the ground, swung it hard, and struck me.
“You shameless woman! Still talking back when death is at your door!”
The branch cut several bloody welts into my body.
I was already numb from the cold. I could barely feel any pain.
After striking me more than ten times, I was still silent.
Seeing her attacks fail, Quilla panted and walked over to Cole. She put on a pitiful look.
“Cole, this woman is so stubborn. Punishing her like this is still too mild.”
Cole stared at my bloody wounds.
He froze for a moment. The last trace of hesitation in his eyes disappeared, and he looked cold and determined.
He took a deep breath and said sharply, “If she’s so shameless and refuses to repent, then brand her face with a mark. Let everyone know what she has done.”
My blood ran cold.
The man I once loved, the one I wanted to spend my life with, could say such cruel words as if they meant nothing.
It felt like a hole had been drilled through my heart, and the cold wind rushed straight in.
Before long, Quilla brought a tool.
She held up a glowing hot branding iron and waved it in front of my face like a threat.
“Sophia, I’ll give you one last minute. If you admit everything now, maybe I can go easy on you.”
She shook the red-hot tip of the iron.
I stared at the phone camera.
I forced out my voice.
“I’ll never admit to something I didn’t do, even if it kills me.
“But you’ll pay for what you did today.”
Quilla’s face turned bright red with fury.
Her eyes hardened. She raised the glowing iron and aimed it at my face.
“Fine! I’ll finish this. You’ll never hold your head up again!”
Just as the tip of the iron was about to touch me, urgent sirens cut through the air.
Several police cars stopped at the gate.
Officers jumped out and ran toward us as fast as they could.
Leading them was Owen.
He pushed through the crowd and searched anxiously until he saw me hanging from the tree, battered and bruised.
His face went pale.
He shouted in fury, “You have some nerve! Do you even know who she is? Put her down right now!”
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