Chapter 6

“An explanation?”

Preston looked at her as though she'd just said something ridiculous.

His eyes were ice-cold.

“What exactly do I owe you an explanation for? Who I love and who I choose to be with is none of your business.”

Sylvia's face went white.

She stared at him in disbelief, clearly not expecting him to be so ruthless.

Beside them, Liam frowned.

“Sylvia, you really did go too far this time. Tanya is Preston's wife. How could you do something like that to her?”

Sylvia looked from Preston to Liam.

These were the two men she'd always believed would take her side, spoil her, and protect her no matter what.

And now they were both defending another woman.

Her tears fell even harder, anger and hurt twisting across her face.

“Fine! Preston Hayes, Liam Hunter, so you're both taking her side now?”

She wiped at her tears.

“Fine! I'm leaving! You won't have to look at me anymore!”

She shoved Liam away and ran out of the room crying.

Liam instinctively started after her, but after glancing at Preston, he stopped.

Preston didn't follow Sylvia.

Instead, he turned and walked back to Tanya's bedside.

His gaze fell on her pale face and burned hand, his brow tightening.

“Tanya, I'm sorry.”

His voice softened with apology.

“I should've protected you. Sylvia... we've spoiled her since we were kids, so she's always been used to getting her way. But she went too far this time. I'll make sure she apologizes to you.”

Liam came over as well.

“Yeah, Tanya. Don't worry. Sylvia just lost her temper. We'll talk to her.”

Watching the two of them play their parts so perfectly, Tanya found the whole thing almost laughable.

And unbearably sad.

She said nothing.

She simply closed her eyes again.

Over the next few days, Preston stayed at the hospital to take care of her.

He was attentive in every possible way.

He fed her, helped wash her, and sat beside her talking to her.

Sometimes Tanya would stare at his face, searching for some tiny crack in the act.

But she could never find one.

He looked so sincere.

So gentle.

Exactly as he had for the past five years.

Sometimes she would even find herself wondering if the conversation she'd overheard that night had only been a nightmare.

Then the burns on her hand and the pain throughout her body would remind her.

It hadn't been a nightmare.

It was real.

One day, something came up at Preston's company, and he had to leave the hospital.

Tanya went to get some tests done on her own.

She was waiting for the elevator when someone suddenly came up behind her and clamped a hand over her mouth.

A harsh chemical smell filled her nose.

Everything went black.

When Tanya woke again, she was locked inside a metal cage.

It was huge.

And she wasn't alone.

There were more than a dozen dogs inside with her.

Large dogs.

Their teeth were bared, saliva dripping from their jaws as they stared at her like a pack of starving wolves.

Tanya was terrified of dogs.

She'd been bitten by one as a child, and the fear had never left her. Even now, she couldn't bring herself to go near a small dog.

And there were more than a dozen huge ones surrounding her.

“Let me out! Help!”

She screamed in terror and pounded desperately against the bars.

But the noise only agitated the dogs.

They lunged.

“Ah!”

Sharp teeth sank into her flesh.

Agony ripped through her.

Tanya kicked and struggled desperately, but she was no match for the pack.

Within seconds, she'd been bitten repeatedly on her legs and arms.

Blood poured from the wounds.

Just when she thought they were going to tear her apart, voices drifted toward her through the haze of pain.

From outside the cage.

Preston and Liam.

They were right there.

“Preston, don't you think that's enough?” Liam asked.

“What's the rush?”

Preston's voice was as cold as ever.

“Sylvia cried for days after what happened at the hospital. She could barely eat. If it weren't for Tanya, I could've been with Sylvia years ago. I wouldn't have had to hide the truth from her and let her suffer all this time.”

His voice held no trace of pity.

“Compared to that, this is nothing.”

Sylvia.

This was because of Sylvia.

Because Sylvia had been “wronged” at the hospital, Preston was punishing Tanya like this to make it up to her?

Worse, he actually blamed Tanya for keeping him and Sylvia apart all these years.

It felt as though the dogs' teeth were tearing into Tanya's heart over and over again.

The pain was suffocating.

Just as she was about to pass out, Preston finally spoke.

“That's enough. Get her out and take her to the hospital.”

The cage opened, and someone stepped forward to drag Tanya out.

But Liam suddenly stopped them.

“Wait.”

Preston looked at him.

“What?”

Liam's voice was indifferent.

“You're right. If it weren't for her, Sylvia wouldn't have been hurt. I grew up with Sylvia too.After seeing how miserable she's been, I should make Tanya pay for it too.”

Preston hesitated.

“Don't go too far. It'll be hard to explain afterward.”

“What's so hard to explain?”

Liam sounded completely unconcerned.

“We'll say she was kidnapped and tortured. She's already covered in dog bites. A few more injuries won't make much difference.”

Then Tanya heard metal scraping across the floor.

Several men roughly dragged her out of the cage.

A blindfold was tied over her eyes.

She had no idea what Liam intended to do.

The uncertainty terrified her so badly that her entire body began to shake.

Then they lowered her onto something cold and hard.

Something covered in sharp points.

A bed of nails?

Before Tanya could process what was happening, someone shoved her hard from behind.

Then hands grabbed her and forced her body across the bed of nails again and again.

“Ah!”

Excruciating pain tore through her back and limbs as the sharp points pierced and ripped her skin.

Each time they forced her across the surface, fresh agony ripped through her.

Someone nearby began counting in a cold, emotionless voice.

“One, two, three... ninety-eight, ninety-nine.”

Ninety-nine times.

By the time they finally stopped, Tanya was drenched in blood, her body covered in horrific wounds.

The pain became too much for her to bear.

Her consciousness finally slipped away, and everything went black.