Chapter 5 The Gate of hell

After the forced wedding, something strange happened.

Demi Shire had every right to treat me like his property, to demand anything he wanted from me. But he never touched me. He never forced me to do anything against my will.

I sat on the edge of the bed in silence, watching him as he removed his jacket and loosened his tie.

For a moment, I thought I understood him.

He was a man broken by grief. He had lost the love of his life, and now he was drowning in revenge. He married me not out of love, not out of desire, but because he wanted me trapped in his palms. He wanted me to live under his shadow, to pay for a crime I didn't commit.

There was no way out now. Even if I wanted to escape, where would I go? How could I run from a man who owned the entire city?

“Sleep early,” he said casually, tossing his tie onto the chair. “Tomorrow, you will enter the gates of hell.”

I froze. “What gates of hell?”

He looked at me, his smile fading completely, leaving only cold darkness in his eyes.

“Your way to suffer.”

My heart sank. I didn’t know what awaited me, but I knew one thing for certain—it would be far worse than anything I had imagined. I had married the Devil himself. Now, whether I lived or died, I had only one goal:

I must survive his ninety-nine ways of punishment.

 

The next morning, Demi drove me to a massive, towering penthouse. As we arrived, the gates opened and guards lined up, bowing their heads in fear and respect.

“Mr. Demi, what are we doing here?” I asked, my throat dry and tight.

“You’ll see,” was all he said.

Suddenly, maids appeared and grabbed my arms, pulling me away from the car.

“Demi! Don’t leave me here!” I screamed, struggling against them.

But he didn’t even turn back. He just walked away, leaving me to my fate.

I was dragged inside and brought to the dining room.

Sitting there with perfect grace and terrifying elegance was a woman. She held a teacup, her eyes sharp and cold as she looked me up and down.

“So… you are my son’s wife?” she asked, taking a slow sip.

This was Stella Shire. Demi’s mother.

Rumors were true. Cruelty truly ran in their blood. She was known throughout the city as the Iron Lady—unforgiving, heartless, and dangerous.

I realized everything now. This was the punishment. Demi married me just to hand me over to her. He wanted his own mother to torture me.

“Kneel,” she commanded, her voice rough and full of disdain.

I dropped to my knees on the cold marble floor, my heart pounding.

Then, another figure appeared. A young woman walked in, looking at me with pure hatred and mockery.

“So you’re the one stealing my fiancé?” she sneered. “You little homewrecker.”

I frowned in confusion. Fiancé? Demi’s bride was dead. Who was this woman?

“I am Kaye Cortez,” she smiled wickedly, stepping forward to lift my chin forcefully. “And I am the one who was supposed to marry him.”

“Well,” I spat back, pride refusing to let me break completely. “I am his wife now.”

“You think that means something?” she laughed, the sound sharp and ugly. “I waited for that wretched woman to die! I waited so long! This position, this status… it was supposed to be mine! And now you took it?”

“I won’t let you get away with this,” she hissed.

“Punish her however you see fit,” Stella said coldly, giving permission.

Kaye’s eyes lit up with madness. “Hold her down!”

The maids grabbed my arms tightly. Before I could react, Kaye poured a whole cup of hot tea directly onto my face, making me a laughing stock in the room.

“Beat her!” she ordered.

A maid grabbed a thick wooden plank and swung it hard against my back.

CRACK!

Agony shot through my body. Blood trickled from the corner of my lips.

So this is what he meant. The gates of hell.

They thought I was weak. They thought I would just cry and take it. But they were wrong.

Fueled by pain and anger, I gathered every ounce of strength left in me and pushed the maids away with one powerful strike.

I was small, but I was fierce. I climbed onto the dining chair to match their height, and when the maid came at me again, I bit her neck hard—like a wild animal, like a vampire.

Blood stained my teeth.

The maid screamed and fell to the floor, clutching her wound. I stepped down, walking slowly towards Stella and Kaye, my eyes dark and terrifying.

“Lay a hand on me again,” I whispered, my voice hoarse and dangerous. “And I will make you all pay.”

“Monster!” Stella shrieked, stepping back in fear. “You are a monster!”

“Monster?” I laughed evilly, wiping the blood from my mouth. “This is just self-defense. Is it a crime to fight back when you are trying to kill me?”

I looked straight at Stella, my gaze unwavering.

“Stella, I still respect you as my mother-in-law. But do not test me. I have already lost everything. I have nothing left to be afraid of.”

I turned my glare to Kaye.

“And you? Demi buried his former bride. But he married me. Not you. Doesn’t that tell you something? It means he never, ever wanted you.”

“How dare you?!” Kaye roared, her face turning red with fury.

“How dare I?” I smiled slightly, challenging her. “Only Demi has the right to get rid of me. Not you. Not her. None of you.”

“I wonder why Demi married you,” Stella said coldly, trying to regain her composure. “You are ill-mannered, violent, and respect no one.”

“Do I even deserve this life?” I countered sharply. “Or did your son marry me simply to torture me? Tell me, do you really think you deserve to judge me?”

“You…” Kaye stammered, unable to reply.

In that moment, clarity hit me like lightning.

Demi never told them the truth. He never told them I was here as a criminal, as revenge. He let them think I was just his wife, a rival to be hated.

He married me to trap my soul. He handed me over to his cruel family to break me.

This was just the beginning of his game.

I looked at their angry faces and touched my bleeding back.

I understand now, I thought, my heart hardening like stone.

This is hell. And I am going to survive every single bit of it.