Chapter 3 Imprisonment

"That's illegal imprisonment, Yvonne!"

The darkness in Yvonne's eyes turned thicker. "You made me do this, Shawn."

…

The underground chamber was dark and humid. The only source of light was the lightbulb dangling overhead, spilling yellow light into the air.

Yvonne was standing at the entrance, with light shining from behind. Her face was masked in shadow. Coldly, she said, "You'll stay here until the trial."

Her men shoved me into the chamber. I staggered and crashed into the wall. A stab of pain shot up my shoulder. I inhaled sharply and gave her a withering look.

Her eyes darted as she told her men to untie me. Then she took out a diamond-encrusted watch from her pocket. "Shawn…" Her voice was filled with guilt. "I asked for a custom-made one for you. It's… compensation."

She presented the watch to me. The diamonds shone with a nearly blinding gleam under the light.

I looked at her icily, but I did not take the watch. "Is this supposed to be something to keep me from running away?"

Yvonne froze up, and she heaved a sigh. "I just want you to know I still love you."

I snickered. "You love me so much that you want me to take the fall for your lover and lock me up in an underground chamber."

She froze again. Before she could say anything, Christopher's voice tumbled down the stairs. He hurried over and snatched the box. "Oh, nice watch. Did you get this for me, Yvonne?"

That stunned Yvonne. "Christopher, it's…"

"I don't care! It's mine now!" Christopher wore the watch, grumbling. "He's going to prison anyway. A watch like this is wasted on him."

She looked at me, then at him. With all her love, she relented. "Fine, take it if you want."

Even though Christopher had already gotten what he wanted, he wasn't going to let it go that easily. He frowned. "But if I get his present, what about him? Maybe…" He stopped and let a smile curl his lips. Then, he took off his old watch and presented it to me.

"How about you take this instead?"

Yvonne ignored the blatant and obviously malicious gesture and treated it like an act of goodwill. "He thinks about you so much, Shawn. I know you two can get along."

I stared at the watch. It was cheap and did not even gleam under the light. A sneer pulled at my lips.

Yvonne continued, "Oh, Christopher's not feeling too good, and…" She paused. "And the doctor did say it's going to be hard for you to get anyone pregnant, so I'm canceling our marriage."

I was prepared for this, but that statement still pierced my heart anyway.

"But don't worry. I'm not heartless. When you come out of prison, I'll get you a job and a place to stay. After all, we were…"

I interrupted coldly, "And what makes you think I'd trust a single word you say, Yvonne?"

Christopher wrapped an arm around Yvonne's waist and shot me a look of scorn. "Know your place. Yvonne's kind enough to pity you. No one's going to marry a useless man."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The pain kept me awake. It told me not to do anything rash. Not yet. It was not the time to retaliate.

…

It was the dead of the night, but the dungeon's door creaked open. I raised my head, a frown creasing my brows.

Christopher came in. He looked at me like I was beneath him, and a smug smile dangled on his lips.