Chapter 4

Theo never caught sight of me again before the party ended.

The image from the ballroom refused to leave him. I had stood there bowing numbly, my body covered in bruises, yet I hadn't shed a single tear.

The frustration he'd been carrying for days slowly melted away, replaced by a dull ache he refused to admit was guilt.

He brushed off Eve's attempts to keep him there, dismissed his bodyguards, and came to find me alone.

The attic door creaked open, breaking the silence.

I sat before the vanity, my black velvet gown slipping off my shoulders. Red welts from the chains wrapped around my arms, and a dark bruise spread across my chest, all painfully exposed beneath the cold light.

I didn't turn around. I remained perfectly still, as though the person behind me were no more important than another servant passing through.

Theo froze in the doorway. His voice softened in a way I hadn't heard in a long time. "Those wounds look serious. I'll have the butler bring up some cream."

Since Eve had moved into the estate a year ago, it was the first time he'd spoken to me without an accusation or reprimand.

He came closer. "Eve is alone in the world. To me, she's a helpless younger sister. Bella, you're my wife. I don't want the two of you to keep misunderstanding each other. You have to stop targeting her."

I spoke, measured and deliberate. "This is the last time I'm saying this. I have never targeted her."

The coldness in my voice seemed to strike a nerve. His temper flared again.

"When are you going to own your mistakes, Bella?

"While I was away, you slapped her, threw her jewelry and clothes in the trash, had her held down in cold water for an entire night, and sent people to assassinate her. If I hadn't found out in time, you would have tortured her to death!

"Bella, you used to be so smart and sensible. How did you become this cruel?

"Or was this who you were all along, and you were just hiding your true nature?"

I gave a humorless laugh and forced myself to stand. "She said I slapped her, but I was in the garden the entire time. I never so much as touched the hem of her dress.

"She said I stole her jewelry? I've never even set foot inside her room.

"She said I held her in cold water? I was burning with a high fever that day. I never left my bedroom."

"You believed every word she cried to you. You never checked whether the security footage had been tampered with. You never once asked for my side. Instead, you sent men to block my car on a mountain road, locked me inside an abandoned freezer, tore my clothes off, and threw me into the basement as if I didn't matter.

"While I was curled up in a pool of my blood, you were flying her to a private island for a night of flowers and romance on the beach.

"While I burned with fever in the hospital and doctors warned I might not survive the night, you commissioned a $1.4 million custom necklace for her.

"While I went days without a drop of water in that basement, you were hosting a lavish birthday party for her with all of New York's elite.

"Theo... do you even remember what day it is today?"

Theo stood rooted to the spot, confusion flashing across his face. "What are you talking about? When did I ever..."

Before he could finish, Eve's tearful voice echoed up from downstairs. "Theo! Where are you? My ankle's hurting again! There isn't a single maid in my room. I'm all alone... I'm scared..."

Theo's hand hung in the air for a brief moment before dropping back to his side. His voice turned hurried and dismissive. "You're weak. The fever's making you delirious. Put some medicine on those wounds. Eve can't be alone. She needs someone with her. I'll go check on her first, then I'll come back."

Before the last word had even left his mouth, he was already hurrying down the stairs.

A second later, the heavy attic door slammed shut. The little warmth that remained in the attic disappeared with it.