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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Rolling On A Bed Of Nails: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

22 Kabanata

Chapter 1

The Marsh family had one rule: If any woman wanted a divorce, she had to roll on a bed of nails before she could leave. Violet had pursued River for ten years. Once she finally got her wish and married him, she never thought about leaving him, but she no longer wanted to stay. Within the Marsh family’s ancestral hall stood Martha, its matriarch. Clan rules were enforced in the hall. As for Violet, she stood in front of the bed of nails. Pity shone in Martha’s eyes. “Have you thought this through, Violet? This punishment is harsh and cruel. Not even a man can go through with it.”Violet remained calm, and she showed no hesitation. “Yes.”Martha teared up. “You insisted on marrying River regardless of the cost, and you did it without hesitation. But you want to leave now. Why?”Violet did not answer her. She simply walked forward slowly and lay on the bed covered in sharp nails. In the next second, piercing pain spread through her body. Violet gritted her teeth. Inch by inch

Chapter 2

That was true. After she got married to River, she gave up on her flourishing career, suppressed her aggressive nature, and memorized more than 18,000 family rules. Every day at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., she had to greet the elders of the family. If she was late, she would be forced to stand for the entire night. Talking during meals was not allowed. If she laughed, she could not show her teeth. She was not to have more than three bites of every dish on the table. She was not allowed to spend more than three minutes in the toilet and use more than two squares of toilet paper. If she broke this rule, she would be whipped twenty times. During her period or when she was sick, she was not allowed to sleep together with River in the same bedroom. Even when they had a moment of intimacy with each other, they had to go on a vegan diet and pray for three days before sleeping together again. Every rule must be followed. Over the course of five years, she felt like she was walking on th

Chapter 3

When she reached the hall, the elders of the Marsh family had already arrived, and their eyes were all trained on her. Nina was standing right next to River at the center of the crowd. They were whispering and giggling. They looked right at home and familiar with everything. When Violet saw that, it stung her so much that her eyes burned. One of the ladies said coldly, “On your knees. You’ve married into the Marsh family for five years, and you still can’t obey the rule of the morning greeting? You are late, and you have broken the rule.”Alan immediately stepped forward to whip her twenty times. Violet instinctively looked at River. Last night, he had seen that her wounds had not healed. She thought he would feel pity for her. When he met her gaze, he faltered for a moment, then said, “Next time, wake up earlier.”There was no sympathy in his voice, and he did not defend her at all. Violet gritted her teeth and closed her eyes to brace for punishment. Just as the whip

Chapter 4

When she returned to her bedroom, a servant soon came in with the thick genealogy. The Marsh family had been around for centuries, and the genealogy was nearly a hundred pages long. Violet propped up her feverish, dazed head, endured the pain from her wounds, and started copying it. When she had finished copying a particular page, she froze. She could see that Nina’s name stood beside River’s, while Violet, despite all the suffering she had endured, the torture she had survived, and the fact that she was River’s real wife, had no place in the genealogy at all.But the former butler’s daughter was included in it.She felt a sting in her throat and could not breathe. But she blinked back her tears and continued copying the genealogy. When she finished, she felt drained, and she called Alan over. “Put the genealogy away and ask the family doctor to come for a visit.”The bed of nails had hurt her deeply, and her fever had still not subsided. She was barely hanging on. “Alri

Chapter 5

At midnight, her phone rang. She picked up to hear her mother’s panicked voice. “Violet, your dad got into an accident! You have to come to the hospital!”In an instant, all of Violet’s restraint shattered. While ignoring her pain, Violet rushed out of her bedroom, only to end up running into River as he was coming in. He froze for a moment before he scowled. “Why are you panicking? That’s unbecoming.”Violet teared up as she said in a quivering voice, “My dad got into an accident. I need to go to the hospital now. Please get a car ready for me!”Alan stepped forward with a troubled look. “Mrs. Marsh, it’s midnight now. Without Mr. Marsh’s permission, no one is allowed to leave. This is a family rule.”All her hopes were on River. “River, I’m begging you. Please let Alan get a car ready for me.”River looked at her and swallowed. But his face remained cool. “The family rules state that women aren’t allowed to leave at night. Stay at home now. You can leave when the sun is up.

Chapter 6

The next morning, the driver finally drove Violet to the hospital. She had not slept for the entire night, and her eyes were bloodshot. She was also swaying on her feet. When her mother saw her, she immediately rushed forward to grab her hand. “Violet, you’re here! Your dad’s hurt very badly, and he’s still in the ICU. He’s not out of danger yet. What should we do?”Violet’s heart ached, and she forced herself to speak. “Don’t panic, Mom. What happened? Tell me.”“Yesterday, after your dad delivered the pork stew to you, he was on his way back when a few drunk girls ran into him with their car. After the accident, they left their car and ran…”Her mother wiped away her tears. “Your dad has always lived an honest life. Why did he have to get into an accident?”Violet clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white. Her father had always loved her and never wanted her to suffer. He got into an accident just because he wanted to bring her a thermos full of the pork ste

Chapter 7

In the afternoon, Violet went to the counter to pay the medical bills. Nina saw Violet at the waiting area and immediately went to her. “Violet, I really didn’t crash into your father on purpose.”She was apologizing, but her eyes shone with smugness. Violet clutched the receipt tightly, and her gaze turned cold. “Save your apology for the police. I’m not signing that pardon letter.”She was about to step past Nina and leave, but Nina took a step toward her and whispered, “It doesn’t matter even if you don’t sign it. River’s going to get this settled for me. “It’s a pity that I didn’t crash into him hard enough. To think that he managed to survive…”Those words crushed the last bit of self-control Violet had. She could endure all the suffering that was inflicted on her, but she would not allow anyone to trample on her father’s life. Slap!Violet raised her hand and slapped Nina in the face. Nina’s face snapped to the side. She cradled her face and teared up. “Violet, I

Chapter 8

Outside the hospital, Tom stood beside River and said, “Mr. Marsh, the family of the victim refuses to sign the pardon letter.”River looked down at the name on the document.[Mark Stane.]The familiar surname made him pause. “Why does that name look so familiar?”Tom was about to say that this was Violet’s father when Nina spoke up. “There are so many people with the same names nowadays. That name is very common.”Then, she teared up and said, “River, you’ll help me, won’t you? I don’t want to go to jail. I’m so scared.”River immediately moved his focus away and patted the back of her hand gently as he said firmly, “With me around, nothing will happen to you.”He then tossed the pardon letter to Tom and said coldly, “Handle it. I just want it done.”Tom hesitated for a moment before he whispered, “Shouldn’t you explain things to Mrs. Marsh? This is her—”But River thought Tom was talking about how Nina was slapped in the face, so he dismissed his words with an annoyed wave o

Chapter 9

The thick doors cut her cries off, and River’s gaze focused again on Nina. When Violet rushed back to the operating theater, Dr. Stern looked at her regretfully. “I’m sorry. We did our best.”Violet’s knees buckled, and she staggered a few steps. Her mother could not handle the news. She was so distressed that she fainted. “Mom!”…Back in the VIP ward, Dr. Luther put away his equipment and said, “Miss Lane just suffered a bit of a scare and is alright. By the way, I heard from your assistant that I have an emergency surgery scheduled. What—”Before he finished speaking, Nina frowned. “But I still feel short of breath. I don’t feel good…”River comforted her. “Dr. Luther, take care of Nina first. As for the surgery, we have plenty of doctors here. The patient can just have another lead surgeon.”Nina ducked her head, and her eyes flashed with the satisfaction of someone who had just gotten her way. …Violet’s mother only woke up the next day. While enduring her grief, Viol

Chapter 10

Nina knocked on the door to the study of the Marsh family’s mansion and went in to deliver a bowl of chicken soup. River was doing some work, and he looked serious and aloof.“Madam Zavier is busy, so I came in to deliver soup in her place.” Nina smiled gently. She lifted the bowl of soup and tried to feed him. River did not even look up and just turned away. His voice was cold and distant. “Don’t do this. It’s against the rules. Just leave the bowl there.”His restraint was carved into his bones, even when he was talking to Nina, the person he had protected since she was a girl. Nina’s hands froze in the air, and she felt a little awkward. She had no choice but to set the bowl on the table. River’s gaze returned to the documents. As he flipped through another page, he asked, “Is there anything else?”Nina bit her lip and tested the waters by asking softly, “My parents won’t be at home over the next two days. Can I stay here for the night?”River did not stop flipping through

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