Chapter 2

My stomach was in knots, and my throat tasted of blood.

I gulped back the blood in my mouth before pulling a lowly smile at Dylan.

“Got it, sir.”

Dylan’s eyes widened.

His mind was probably stuck on the old me when I was obnoxious and hot-tempered.

The moment I discovered that Dylan had been bleeding my family’s assets dry, I flipped the table, ready to fight him to the end.

One step ahead of me, Dylan teamed up with outsiders to set my parents up and bury them in debt. The humiliation was too much for my parents to bear, and they stepped off the ledge.

The funeral was barely over when Dylan showed up with Tammy at my home to take over everything.

As blood rushed to my head, I confronted them with the determination to end everything, even at the cost of my life.

Before I could even get close to Dylan, his security detail pinned me down.

It took one supposed psychiatric evaluation, and Dylan had justification to exile me to a desert island in the middle of the open sea.

Apparently, it was for my rehabilitation when in truth, Dylan simply wanted to break me.

Meanwhile, Dylan and Tammy lived off the wealth and social standing tied to my family’s legacy.

Following a stabbing pain from my gut, I coughed out a mouthful of blood. I clung to the ropes to get out of the ring.

Dylan observed me with a mix of emotions before uttering icily, “Go and sort out your injuries.”

I nodded and saw myself to the domestic quarters, oblivious to the menacing look on Tammy’s face in the ring.

The door clicked shut, cutting off the sounds in the outside world.

I stared at my bruised face, along with the cuts and scrapes on my body, in the mirror.

Wiping the blood off my lips, I dabbed alcohol on my open wounds.

That night, Dobie went mad again when I was feeding it.

Dobie jumped on me while Tammy stared at me with the vilest look.

She only spoke up when Dylan showed up. “Sarah! What is wrong with you? Did you give Dobie something weird again?”

“By the time Dylan had his men pry Dobie off me, my skin was torn open in multiple places.

It took the last of my strength for me to stand up, and I was quick to admit fault.

Dylan withdrew his raised arm.

Back in the domestic quarters, the sting of the alcohol cut across my skin like broken glass.

Tammy opened the door to my quarters and kicked the dog bowl across the floor toward me in disdain.

“Dobie’s leftovers are premium meat. Don’t let it go to waste.

“Just what you need to build yourself back up.”

I held the bowl up respectfully and offered my gratitude with my head down.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Tammy smirked in silence, her gaze never leaving me.

I knew exactly what she expected of me. Taking big gulps, I stuffed the meat in my mouth.

In between, I even barked like a dog.

“Woof! Woof!”

Happy with my compliance, she said, “Now, that’s a good girl. You’re coming with me in a bit.”

I cleaned the scraps off my face, not wasting a second of Tammy’s time. My injuries ripped open, and the pain made me break out in a cold sweat.

In the living room, Dylan sank his back into the sofa and enjoyed his drink.

As I emerged with a discolored complexion, his wine glass halted mid-air, and his voice turned husky.

“Sarah, don’t start barking like a dog again.

“No one is going to punish you so long as you behave and do as you’re told.”

Back when we were dating, Dylan quit drinking on the very first day just to please me.

I once complimented another guy for his gentlemanly side, and Dylan took it as motivation to learn the piano for six months. He never once voiced his complaints when his fingers were raw and blistered.

“I’ll do whatever it takes for you to fall in love with me, Sarah.”

The vows of everlasting love echoed in my ear, but the past was long gone.

Outside the entrance, Tammy slammed on the gas, pulling me back to reality with a loud vroom.

“What’s the holdup, Sarah?”

Shivering all over, I raced to the door while Dylan’s muffled voice came from behind.

“You’ve changed, Sarah.”