Chapter 1

In a luxurious villa.

Meredith Leighton tumbled down the stairs from the second floor and her head hit the railings before she finally landed at the bottom of the stairs.

"If anything happens to Yena, I will have your entire family buried next to hers!" A man taunted cruelly.

With her limbs sprawled across the stairs and blood tracing down her forehead, Meredith put her hands over the wound on her forehead as she pleaded, "Joe, you have to believe that I didn't harm Yena in any way. I really didn't…"

"Meredith, please stop denying it. There is video evidence of you cheating on Josiah with Yoel Harper in Yena’s phone," Ysabelle Layne sobbed and went on, "Meredith, how could you kill someone just because you're afraid of your dirty affairs being exposed? Yena is our best friend!"

"I didn't," explained Meredith. The blow to her head was likely a concussion and lead to her feeling disorientated.

However, she mustered up all the energy that she had left in her and crawled toward where Josiah Shelby was standing. Tugging at his trousers, Meredith tried to explain, "Joe, there's nothing going on between me and Yoel…and I didn't push Yena down the stairs…"

"You didn't? Then what is this that I'm seeing?" Josiah hissed as he bent over, grabbing Meredith's long hair from the back and forcing her to look at Yena's phone.

In the video, Meredith was seen rolling in the sheets with the servant, Yoel, and as soon as she realized that she was being recorded, Meredith struggled away from Yoel haphazardly. At that moment, Yena turned around and ran. As soon as she reached the stairs, the video turned blur due to an abrupt and violent shake when Meredith and Yena were tugging at each other. Right then, Yena was seen being pushed down the stairs…

With her eyes wide open, Meredith denied, "It wasn't me…it wasn't me that pushed her…"

As the video was too blurred, the person involved in the struggle with Yena could not be seen properly aside from a woman's arm.

However, Meredith remembered that she was drugged and did not even have the strength to get out of the bedroom hence it was impossible for her to be the one that pushed Yena down the stairs.

"Meredith Leighton, I've given you what you wanted for the past year and I've given you the freedom to do as you please. I didn't expect you to do such a horrible act behind my back and even harm Yena!"

"I didn't!" With tears and blood on her face, Meredith looked at Josiah and tried to explain again. "Joe, I'm being framed…"

"How are you still denying when there's irrefutable evidence! It seems as if I have to teach you a lesson so that you know your mistakes," Josiah bellowed as he threw Meredith to the floor heartlessly and ruthlessly.

Josiah was looking at her with feelings of disappointment and resentment in his eyes.

Josiah had never imagined that someone as kind and gentle as her was secretly evil and ill-hearted.

If he had known, he would have never agreed to marry her.

Closing his eyes, Josiah turned around, and proceeded to walk over to Miss Leah who was sobbing silently as she was all crouched down on the floor and said, "Lock her up in the basement and hit her until she admits to her wrongdoings!"

"Sir, thank you for seeking justice for our Yena," sobbed Miss Leah as she thanked Josiah. She then scowled at Meredith with a look of hatred in her eyes.

In the dark and damp basement, Meredith felt her skin and flesh tearing with every lash she received on her back.

Trembling and shivering, Meredith lay breathlessly on the floor.

"Ah-" Meredith cried out in pain when she received another lash on her back. "Miss Leah…it really wasn't me who harmed Yena, it's really…not me."

Seeing how Meredith was still denying it, Miss Leah increased the strength that she used to lash her.

"Our Yena had always been careful throughout the years and had never thought of taking your place as Josiah's wife. Why would you harm her? Tell me why!"

With the feelings of pain and resentment of her daughter being hurt, Miss Leah took it out on Meredith by lashing her again, and again.

Meredith would never admit to something that she had never done.

With the wound on her forehead and the injuries from the whipping, Meredith finally passed out.