Chapter 2

Summer stared at Logan in disbelief before finally screaming, "Did you hear what Vivian just called us? You know how much we hate that word!"

But Logan only stroked Vivian's cheek tenderly. When he spoke, his voice was cold, tinged with self-mockery.

"She's right, Summer. We're bastards. We'll never belong in their world."

Summer could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her nails dug into her palms.

Her voice shook as she demanded, "Logan, have you lost your mind? We worked ourselves to the bone for years just to get people to stop calling us bastards. And now you're..."

He'd once cupped her face in his hands and whispered, "Summer, don't worry. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure no one ever looks down on us again just because of how we were born."

Yet now he held the very woman who'd bullied Summer in his arms, throwing away everything they'd fought so hard for.

As Logan turned to leave with Vivian in his arms, Summer grabbed a knife and pressed the blade to her throat. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her voice rose to a hysterical scream.

"Logan! Take one more step with her, and I'll kill myself!"

Even now, she clung to one last shred of hope.

Every time she'd threatened him before, he'd backed down immediately, afraid of upsetting her. This time, he just paused and let out a tired sigh.

"This again? I've spent ten years giving in to you. I'm sick of it. If you want to die, go ahead."

Summer froze. All the fight drained out of her. Her hands and feet turned ice-cold, and she could barely speak through her sobs.

"No. That's not what you said. You promised you'd never let me die before you did. You said even if you had to follow me to the other side..."

She still remembered the promise Logan had made back in high school.

"Even if I have to follow you to the other side, I'm bringing you back."

Summer had been born out of wedlock, and her mother had died when she was little. She'd had to grow up fast, learning to be tough and keep her guard up just to survive.

Then word got out that she was the Siegel family's illegitimate daughter. Vivian and her friends showed up at the food cart run by Summer's grandmother, Lucinda Reyes, and tipped it over.

"You're seriously eating food from that bastard's family? What if it's poisoned?"

Summer planted herself in front of Lucinda, arms spread wide to protect her. She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood.

"Vivian, I've never asked the Siegels to accept me. I've never done anything to you. Why can't you just leave me alone?"

Vivian grabbed Summer by the throat, her eyes blazing with hatred. "Accept you? You think a bastard like you belongs in our family? Your mother had you in secret, and look what happened to her!

"Why don't you and that old hag just die too? I'm the only one who belongs in this family. And if I hit you, you'd better keep your mouth shut and take it!"

Summer glared right back at her. "If you ever come after us again, I'll kill myself right on your doorstep. Everyone will know your family drove me to it. Let's see what that does to your precious reputation!"

Sure enough, Vivian flew into a rage. "You think you can threaten me? Get her!"

Outnumbered, Summer could only watch as Vivian's friends dumped all the food Lucinda had worked so hard to prepare onto the sidewalk and stomped on it.

The food cart was Lucinda's only source of income, and they relied on its meager earnings to cover Summer's school expenses.

Just then, Logan rushed to Summer's defense and hit Vivian hard.

"I've got nothing to lose. Lay a hand on her, and I'll kill you. I don't care if I go to prison!"

The fury in his eyes frightened Vivian. She called him a psycho but finally backed off.

For a while after that, Logan often stood guard at Lucinda's food cart after school.

Summer didn't find out until later that Logan had knelt before Vivian and endured dozens of lashes, all to get Vivian to leave her alone.

Vivian had even filmed his humiliation, called them both shameless bastards, and spread rumors that Summer and Logan had slept together.

Logan had endured it all.

The moment Summer touched the whip marks on his back, she burst into tears.

Logan was the one comforting her. "Hey, Summer. Since when do you cry? I thought you were too stubborn for that."

After that, Summer threw herself into her studies, working tirelessly to earn scholarships. She was determined to make sure neither of them would ever be at anyone else's mercy again.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Vivian had sent her a video.

In the video, Logan was kneeling shirtless before Vivian, a dog collar fastened around his neck. Vivian lounged on the couch, holding the other end of his leash.

"Your wife gave me a hard time earlier, Logan. Now I'm not in the mood to please you. So what are you going to do about it?"

Logan kissed her foot, then handed her a whip. "Whip me. Take your anger out on me however you want."

Vivian took the whip and brought it down across Logan's back. She struck him again and again, until she was too exhausted to continue.

Then Logan suddenly got to his feet, pushed Vivian down onto the couch, and showered her with kisses.

"You whipped me 30 times. Now it's my turn to make you pay."

"You asshole..."

Vivian wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes.

By then, Summer was trembling all over.

And now, Logan had willingly put himself right back on Vivian's leash.

Another message from Vivian popped up.

"You got me slapped earlier, so now he's making me feel better. Summer, you've been the fool this whole time."