Chapter 4

"Kneel!" Luther commanded coldly.

Bodyguards immediately stepped forward, gripping Karina's shoulders as roughly as if handling a criminal.

She struggled but was forced to her knees on the cold marble floor. Her kneecaps slammed down hard, the pain so sharp it darkened her vision.

Clarence picked up a whip that had been prepared in advance, swinging it through the air with a sharp crack before bringing it down fiercely across Karina's back.

Intense pain exploded through her body. It felt as though thousands of needles had simultaneously pierced her flesh.

Karina clenched her teeth hard, the taste of blood spreading in her mouth. Yet, she stubbornly refused to make a sound.

"Will you admit your mistake?" Clarence asked icily.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Karina replied, forcing out the words with difficulty.

Another crack. This time, the blow landed even harder. Blood immediately soaked through her thin dress, spreading across her back like a crimson bloom.

"I'll ask again," Clarence said. "Will you admit your mistake?"

"I didn't… do it."

The whip lashed down again and again on her body, each strike feeling as though it were tearing her soul apart. Blood gradually soaked through her white dress, pooling in a glaring red on the floor.

"Stop. Please stop hitting her," Molly cried, kneeling down. "Ms. Karina will die. She really will."

But the three Fleming brothers turned a deaf ear, and the whipping continued relentlessly.

Karina was starting to lose consciousness. In a daze, she heard Luther scoff and say, "Since she refuses to admit her mistake, we'll keep whipping her until she does."

When the final strike landed, she could no longer hold on. Darkness flooded her vision as she passed out completely.

Before sinking into that darkness, the last thing she saw was the glaring pool of blood on the floor and the cold, indifferent eyes of her three brothers.

…

Karina was left alone in her room for three entire days.

Lying in bed, she could clearly hear the cheerful laughter and conversations coming from next door.

Rowena's soft whining, her three brothers' gentle coaxing, and Nicholas' low laughter cut into Karina's already battered heart like a knife without end.

"Rowena, take your medicine."

"But it's so bitter."

"Be good. I'll give you candy once you finish."

"Feed me, Nicholas."

Karina buried her face into her pillow, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She had thought she was already numb to the pain, but with every breath, a sharp ache still pierced her chest.

On the morning of the fourth day, she managed to get out of bed. Using the wall as support, she slowly made her way to the stairs, where she happened to overhear an excited discussion below.

"I heard a pod of dolphins had been spotted nearby recently," Nicholas said, his voice unusually cheerful. "Rowena has always wanted to see them."

"Let's go right away then," her three brothers said at once.

Clarence added, "It'll be a good chance for Rowena to relax."

Karina froze on the landing, her fingers trembling slightly as they gripped the railing.

The wounds on her back hadn't yet healed, so every step felt like fire burning across her skin.

"Karina?" Rowena suddenly looked up, her voice bright with surprise. "You're finally up and about!"

All four men turned their heads simultaneously, their gazes shifting to Karina on the stairs.

She had grown terribly thin. Her loose nightgown hung emptily on her frame, and the bruises on her exposed wrists had yet to fade.

Rowena walked upstairs and warmly looped her arm through Karina's. "We were just about to go see the dolphins. Won't you come with us?"

Karina instinctively pulled her hand back, a gesture that instantly made Rowena well up with tears.

"Karina, even though you ruined my reputation, I already forgave you," Rowena said, her voice choking with emotion. "I don't have much time left, so I don't want to hold onto grudges anymore."

"Karina!" Nicholas strode over and stepped protectively in front of Rowena. "Rowena is extending an olive branch, and this is how you respond?"

Luther chuckled coldly and said, "Exactly. Just look at Rowena and then look at yourself. The difference speaks for itself."

Karina bit her lip until she tasted blood.

Looking at the four men who had once been closest to her, she suddenly felt they were complete strangers.

In the end, to please Rowena, she was forcibly taken aboard the yacht.

The vast expanse of the blue sea stretched endlessly before them, and the sunlight reflecting off the deck was dazzling.

Rowena excitedly suggested having a barbecue, but the four men immediately frowned in disapproval.

She lowered her head, her voice as light as a feather. "I'm going to die anyway, so can't I just do what I want?"

"Don't say that!" Irving quickly covered her mouth. "We've already contacted the best specialists abroad. You'll be fine."

Karina sat quietly in the corner, watching them busily prepare for the barbecue. No one remembered she was allergic to seafood, just as no one remembered the wounds still healing on her back.

Nicholas suddenly noticed her and asked, "Why aren't you eating anything?"

"I'm allergic to seafood," Karina answered softly.

An awkward silence instantly fell over them.

Frowning, Nicholas was about to stand and call the chef to bring other food when a sudden fierce wind swept across the sea.

The yacht lurched violently, the grill overturned, and scalding charcoal scattered in every direction.

"Watch out!"

Karina watched as all four men threw themselves toward Rowena, forming a protective wall around her.

As for herself…

"Ah!"

A cluster of embers landed on the hem of her dress, instantly igniting a fierce blaze.

She rolled on the deck in agony, screaming. But not a single person glanced back at her.