Chapter 3

During the entire interrogation process, I did not say a single word in my defense.

Stealing the money.

Saving my child.

That was my motive.

And that was my crime.

I was locked up in the detention center for fifteen days.

When I was released, nobody was there to pick me up.

I walked all the way back to the mansion on foot.

Ethan and Scarlett were sitting in the living room.

Ethan held a heavy leather whip in his hand. He looked at me coldly:

"As my wife, you actually committed theft. I must punish you so you learn your lesson."

My face remained blank.

I had known about the Vance family's strict traditions before I married him.

Back then, to stop Ethan from marrying a poor girl like me, his mother had whipped me a hundred times.

I loved Ethan so much back then that I actually endured it.

His mother had never expected me to survive.

Afterward, Ethan had held me close, crying, swearing he would marry me and love me for the rest of his life.

Now, seeing this same man holding the whip himself, ready to strike me, I laughed at my own foolishness.

It didn't matter. My baby was alive.

What did a few lashes matter?

Ethan's brow furrowed.

Seconds passed.

He still didn't get the tearful begging and pleas for forgiveness he expected from me.

He handed the whip to Scarlett:

"Scarlett has been interning with me since she graduated. She's like a sister to me. She will administer this punishment on behalf of the Vance family."

I froze.

The whip was already in Scarlett's hand.

According to the Vance family rules, the punisher had to be a representative of the family.

The whip struck my back fiercely.

I lost my balance and fell forward, my hands slamming onto the cold floor.

Before I could even scream, the second strike landed.

"Ah!"

I couldn't hold back the scream of agony.

"One hundred lashes. Not a single one less," Ethan's cold voice came from above. "Chloe, you can see your son after the punishment is finished."

Hearing my son's name, I clenched my hands into fists.

When the next strike fell, I bit my lip and didn't make another sound.

"While you're being beaten, think about what you did wrong. Are you setting a good example for our son?"

Ethan turned and walked away.

Scarlett put her entire strength into every single blow.

When she got tired, she handed the whip to the bodyguard she brought.

The sound of the whip slicing through the air lasted for half an hour.

"Chloe, have you learned your lesson yet?" Scarlett smiled playfully.

I glared at her, refusing to speak.

"Looks like you still don't get it. Keep going!"

"That's already a hundred!" I struggled to stand up.

But Scarlett pinned me down hard: "The point of the punishment is to make you admit your mistakes. Clearly, you haven't. Keep whipping her."

"Let me go! I need to see my baby! Ah!"

The whipping continued for another half hour.

By the time they finally let me go, I was lying in a pool of blood, barely breathing.

"Now, that's what I call learning a lesson," Scarlett smirked.

I lay on the cold floor alone, shivering as I dragged myself up.

I stumbled and crawled towards my baby's nursery.

"Leo..."

When I pushed the door open, the sight before me made my blood run cold.