Chapter 2

This was absolute humiliation! I refused to give in. My eyes blazed with anger as I swept them all with a glare.

Nancy yanked sharply on the chain around my neck and said in a dissatisfied tone,

“Oh? Still not behaving? Then let me show you who’s the boss!”

She grabbed a leather whip hanging on the wall and advanced toward me like a predator.

Eileen tugged hard on the chain, cutting off my air.

I shouted in panic, “If you lay a hand on me, the Zane family in the capital won’t let you get away with it!”

“The Zanes? Who are you in the Zane family?”

Nancy stopped. Her eyes studied me carefully.

I met her gaze coldly and said, “My name is Troy Zane. You must have heard of my grandfather, Luke Zane!”

The Zane family was a century-old family, and my grandfather’s generation manipulated both the legal and underworld circles.

As the only son of this generation, my family protected me especially. To avoid unnecessary trouble, my family even forbade any news about me from being exposed.

My grandfather made it clear that my identity could not be disclosed until Hailey and I had been married for three years and our relationship was solid.

Nancy stared at me intently and hesitated slightly.

At that moment, Eileen walked over, sneered at me disdainfully, and called out to Nancy, trying to claim the credit, “Nancy, relax! I checked with Hailey. Her husband is just a poor orphan. This guy must have overheard something from her and is just pretending here!”

When I saw Nancy narrowed her eyes, the fleeting relief I had felt returned as sharp anxiety.

Sure enough, Nancy waved her hand and shouted, “Sisters, let’s all have fun with him tonight! Don’t just stand there filming!”

The dozen or so women cheered, “Thanks, Nancy!” Then, they came charging at me like wild animals.

My eyes burned red as I was toyed with by this crowd. As a man, nothing could be more humiliating than this.

The more helplessly I screamed, the more wildly Nancy laughed, tugging harder on the chain.

I could barely breathe and could not fight back at all, forced to endure as my body became covered in slime and filth.

At some point, one of the women grabbed a cigarette and pressed it against me, making me scream in pain as the others followed suit.

Fighting for control over my body, the women began dragging and yanking me around.

I was completely exhausted. My body was covered in blood and burns from the cigarettes.

Finally, the clock struck midnight. The women stopped, panting, still unsatisfied.

“Too bad, time’s up. Handsome, we’ll need you next time!”

As they left one by one, I was left naked, discarded like trash, stripped of every shred of dignity.

I closed my eyes in despair. The silence around me was terrifying. Then I heard Hailey’s voice.

“Troy, are you still alive?”

I quickly opened my eyes and saw Hailey standing at the doorway, unharmed. Only then did I feel a small measure of relief.

I turned my face away in shame. How could a grown man face his wife after enduring hours of absolute humiliation?

Hailey saw me and stood frozen. Chris, who came with her, muttered in astonishment,

“Troy, what happened to you? You look like you just fought a battle.”

A hint of displeasure appeared on Hailey’s face when she heard this. Then, she said with a calm voice, “Take him to the hospital first.”

When we got to the car, Chris opened the back seat for me. Hailey got into the passenger side herself.

I forced a weak smile and whispered, “Can you sit with me, Hailey?”

Hailey stiffened slightly, avoiding my gaze entirely, instinctively putting space between us. She replied irritably,

“You can sit alone in the back. It’s spacious and you won’t touch your wounds.”

A pang of sorrow hit me.

Of course. I could not even accept myself like this. How could Hailey, who had always been so gentle and delicate, deal with it?