THE TORTURE CHAMBER

LIRA

"What?" The blood drained from my face, and underneath the table, my hands were already shaking nervously.

The woman approached me, a calm smile on her face. She had an all-knowing look on her face, and it made me feel like she could see through me.

My heart raced fast against my chest, did she somehow find out the truth? Was I about to be exposed? Would Sebastian....

So many thoughts were running through my head when she opened her mouth, "you know," she began, as she studied my face closely, "I don't remember you having such good manners. The last time you were here, you wouldn't even look at the maids!"

My racing heart finally slowed. I studied her expression closely, this woman didn't know the truth....right?

Laughing awkwardly, I tried to cover up my guilt. "In the past, I was upset that I had to get married like that, and so I was a bit upset. I am sorry about how I treated you in the past," I said carefully, so as not to trigger the woman's suspicion.

She squinted her eyes as she continued to watch me slowly, it was as if she were trying to catch some kind of crack in my expression, something that would give me away.

However, I gave her my best smile, if I got caught, both my grandmother and I would probably die!

"Is that so?" She asked, stepping away from me.

I let out a breath of relief that I didn't even realize that I was holding in, and the immense pressure I'd felt lifted when she stepped away from me.

However, I was still watching her carefully. This woman seemed like a smart person, any small mistake from me, and my cover would be blown!

"Does that mean that you have accepted this marriage?" She suddenly asked me.

My heart skipped a beat, as I had no idea how I was supposed to answer this question.

Although I had a smile on my face on the surface, the truth was, my mind was a mess.

It seemed, this question was a trap, and if I said the wrong thing, I would be giving myself away.

Did I want to remain married to Sebastian? Of course not! What I wanted the most was a divorce!

"Well, I ..."

"Of course she wants this marriage, Elena. Sophia may be good at pretending but I can see through a woman like her at one glance!"

An irritated female voice spoke up, just then, and turning my head, I saw a familiar face approaching me.

Standing up from the chair I was sitting on, I smiled sweetly as I prepared to meet my sister in law for the first time.

According to the information that I had received on Sebastian, his sister, Isabelle, was one of the few people he held in high regard.

If she didn't like me then....

"Miss Isabelle!" Elena called out,a happy smile on her face.

I glanced at the older woman in shock, I had no idea that she knew how to smile this genuinely!

It seemed....she had a great relationship with Isabelle.

"I had no idea that you were around, you should have told me you were moving here!" Elena said excitedly.

Isabelle's gaze fell on me, as her eyes hostilely raked over me from head to toe, "of course I came! There's no way I am letting my brother stay with this cunning woman alone!" She paused, and her gaze on me could have frozen fire. "Who knows what she's plotting?"

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, however, Isabelle pinned me with a cold gaze and I couldn't bring myself to spit out the words.

So she didn't like me, too.

What kind of person was Sophia anyway?

Since I was pretending to be her, it was better to get along with everyone. After all, if my identity was discovered because I didn't make the act believable, I would be done for!

"Nice to meet you, Isabelle," I smiled at her, stretching out my hand for a handshake.

Isabelle stared at my hand, a disdainful frown on her face. It was obvious that she didn't like me, or rather she didn't like Sophia, but she also didn't want to bother herself with her.

"Don't you ever get tired of pretending, Sophia? Are you going to act like this is the first time we are meeting?" She sneered at me.

I blinked my eyes, trying to make sense of this. Of course! She would have met Sophia before!

Withdrawing my hand, I tried to play it safe.

"Well, you are my sister in law now and I hope we can put the past behind us and...."

She didn't let me finish, Isabelle just bypassed me and walked towards Elena, an elegant smile on her face.

"How about you make me some breakfast, Elena?" She asked the woman, completely ignoring my presence.

Elena nodded her head, as she looked happy to oblige.

With Elena and Isabelle ignoring me completely, I found no need to remain at the table, my appetite was already gone, anyway.

I walked out of the kitchen, with no destination in mind.

I realized that this house was huge,and in the two weeks I had been here, I had barely explored it.

I remembered Sebastian was here, and I wondered if he would be willing to give me a divorce like I had asked yesterday .

It was better to clear things up and know where we both stood, and so I tried to look for him.

I somehow found myself in a long hallway, with only a slightly ajar door at the end of it.

I raised an eyebrow, as an eerie feeling settled inside of me, it was obvious there was something odd going on in that room,and the sensible choice would be to turn and leave.

However,my curiosity got the better of me.

With determination, I headed for the door and I peeked inside once I was close enough.

The smell of burning flesh, as well as the metallic smell of blood, hit my nose first and made my stomach churn.

A man was tied to a chair, his muffled screams barely audible due to the cloth shoved in his mouth.

Someone stood in front of me, pressing a hot iron into his flesh.

He could only struggle, but there was no getting away for him.

My eyes went wide, as I took in this cruel scene.

Someone else picked a knife, and it was stabbed into his leg that had just been burned by an iron.

The scene made me nauseous, and I covered my mouth in fear to keep myself from screaming out loud, and my heartbeat increased.

I realized too late that I should not be here, and I stumbled back, wanting to get away from this scene as soon as possible.

My legs gave way, and I fell to the ground with a thud, attracting the attention of the people inside the room.

Someone turned towards the door sharply, and my heart sank even more.

"Who is there?" Someone barked, and turned towards the door.

Our eyes met, and I froze. Sebastian!