Chapter 4

When I regained consciousness, I was already lying in a hospital bed. Everything smelled like blood, filthy and metallic.

Chelsea was sitting beside me, her exquisite makeup mostly ruined and her hair a huge mess.

When she realized that I was awake, she burst into tears of joy and immediately hugged me, but I gently pushed her away.

That startled her.

"Did I hurt you, Jacob?" she asked.

I shook my head and got down on my knees before her instead.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Herrera, for wasting your time and resources on me. Please take me back to the villa. Mr. Carpenter still needs a live punching bag, and Dobey also needs me to care for him."

Chelsea stared at my mechanical fake smile and staggered backward involuntarily. She reached out, meaning to touch me, but I flinched on instinct and protected my head like I was expecting a blow.

She continued staring at me in shock, asking me in a hoarse voice, "Jacob? What's gotten into you? Why are you like this?"

I lowered my head in silence. The only sound left in the ward was the constant beeping of the medical machines and equipment.

A piercing ring broke the silence just then. Derrick's voice then came through the call.

"Chels! Dobey hasn't been eating for a while, and I'm worried sick. I can't do anything anymore. Can you get Jacob to come back and take care of him?"

I didn't wait for Chelsea to reply as I slipped out of my hospital gown. The hundreds of gruesome scars on my body, large and small, were exposed to her, and she gasped in complete shock.

She hung up on Derrick immediately, her voice sounding even more hoarse than before. "These scars… What happened?"

I calmly changed back into my uniform and forced a smile on my lips. "My duty is to take care of Mr. Carpenter and Dobey, Ms. Herrera. Please take me home."

Chelsea's composure cracked. She grabbed me by my collar and yelled, "What the hell did you go through?"

I asked, puzzled. "What's the matter, Ms. Herrera? I've learned to be obedient now. Why are you still unhappy about it?"

Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably. "I just… I just wanted to—"

Her phone rang again, and I reminded her lightly, "We should leave now, Ms. Herrera. Mr. Carpenter is probably very angry by now."

Back at the villa, Derrick immediately pulled Chelsea into his arms and began complaining about her hanging up on him earlier. Meanwhile, I just headed straight into the kitchen to prepare Dobey's food.

Chelsea stared at me in a daze the whole time, and Derrick realized that something was off. He immediately ordered me coldly, "Get back into your room! You're not allowed to take a single step out of without my explicit permission. Understand?"

I nodded politely and respectfully in return.

…

Sometime around midnight, suppressed moans and loud groans came from the next room. The voice belonged to none other than Chelsea.

Derrick then spoke in a very loud voice, as if he was worried that I wouldn't be able to hear him clearly.

"Don't you miss me at all, Chels? I missed you so much that I thought I was about to die… Let's go another round, without the condom this time…"

I simply opened the window and let the night breeze blow away the sedative powder from my sleeve.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

"I've disabled the security camera at the back door. Use the fire escape!"

I didn't move a muscle and continued listening to the increasingly loud and blissful panting from next door.

An hour later, the sedatives finally took effect. I retrieved the evidence hidden in the dog kennel's false bottom and disappeared into the night, getting into the car that had been waiting for me all night.