Dashiell lit a cigarette, savoring it after taking his fill of Thea’s body.
Her pleas meant nothing to him; as far as he was concerned, she deserved every bit of it.
Tonight’s performance from her had been truly remarkable, and after their heated encounter, she’d played the part of someone utterly powerless, when in reality, he was certain she’d enjoyed every second of it, even wilder than the night before.
This time, he told himself, he wouldn’t fall for Saphira’s tricks again.
“Satisfied now?” He took another drag and blew the smoke into the air.
“That’s exactly what I should be asking you. Are you satisfied now?” Tears streamed down her face without end.
Every inch of her body ached.
He’d taken her so roughly, and all she could do was endure whatever he did to her.
Whatever was going through his mind tonight, it felt like he’d been punishing her in the cruelest way imaginable.
“Don’t play the victim, Saphira. I know you enjoyed every bit of this. You must be satisfied with my performance, aren’t you?”
“And what if I told you I wasn’t?” Thea turned to face him, her eyes sharp with anger.
She hated him.
She wasn’t sure why, but she genuinely hated this man.
She could stomach every cutting word he threw at her, but the way he’d treated her in bed, that was what truly wounded her, because he’d treated her like nothing more than a whore.
“Oh? So you weren’t satisfied?”
“No, you were pathetic, that’s why I wasn’t satisfied!”
“Hm.” Dashiell’s mouth curved into a smirk.
Did she really think a comment like that would rattle him?
“Do you want more, or are you already scheming to find some other man who can actually satisfy that wild appetite of yours?” He shot her a sharp glance, taking another drag of his cigarette.
“What exactly are you implying, do you actually think I’m some whore looking for satisfaction from other men?”
“Isn’t that exactly what you are, Saphira? No need to play the hypocrite with me. However hard you try to hide your true colors, I already know everything about you. I already told you, don’t bother acting sweet, because you’ll never fool me. My grandfather is completely blind, he can’t see who you really are, but I’ve heard more than enough to know you’re nothing but a whore out there. We’ve already been through this, so there’s no need to repeat it, since you’ll never be able to hide what you truly are!”
Thea bit down on her lip.
The insult was meant for Saphira, but it stung her too, since she’d agreed to all of this for nothing more than money.
“Stop looking at me like that. I’m not going anywhere near you again. Now get out of my room, I don’t need you anymore.”
“I’m not some whore you can just throw out once you’ve used me!” She wanted so badly to scream those words at him, but she didn’t dare, because in this moment, she really was exactly that.
“Why haven’t you left yet?” Dashiell fixed her with a sharp look, then seemed to remember something.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” He got up and pulled something from his wallet.
A card, which he pulled out and flung straight at Thea’s face.
Thea flinched, watching the object land in front of her.
It was a black card, the kind only a select few in the world ever possessed.
She picked it up and looked at him, still not understanding what he meant by it.
“All that acting today was for this, wasn’t it? You truly are something else, Saphira. I have to give you credit for your intelligence and your remarkable performance. All for money, you were willing to deceive my grandfather and make yourself look pitiful in front of him.”
“You’ve got this all wrong, Dashiell. I wasn’t acting, and I didn’t do any of that to get your money. I don’t deserve this, so take it back!” Thea tried to hand the card back to him, but her gesture only made him angrier, since he assumed it was just another part of her act.
“No need to keep up the pretense, Saphira. Use that card however you like, you earned it fair and square with that impressive performance of yours. I don’t mind at all. Consider it fair payment for enjoying your body!”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Are you deaf? That money is payment for your body!”
Thea’s eyes went wide at words so cruel they cut straight through her.
She didn’t want to cry, but the tears fell anyway.
She tried to hold herself together, but what could she possibly say to that?
Dashiell kept staring at her, without a shred of sympathy, convinced she was far too cunning to deserve any.
Even if she got to enjoy his money, he was determined she’d never have a moment’s peace.
He would make sure of it.
He started toward the bathroom but paused mid step, one more thing left to say.
“Get out of my room now. Starting tonight, you’ll sleep in the storage room. I’ll call for you whenever I need your body. Don’t you dare refuse me when I want you, I’ve already paid you well enough for that. If you’re foolish enough to try, I’ll expose everything about you in front of my grandfather, and your family will see exactly who you really are!”
“No, please don’t do that!” She couldn’t let things spiral out of control; Saphira would surely hate her forever if her reputation was destroyed because of this. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Then get out now. I don’t want to see your face when I come out of that bathroom, and don’t forget to take your pills, I don’t want a child out of you.” He turned and walked back toward the bathroom, slamming the door shut hard enough to make Thea flinch.
Thea’s grip tightened around the card in her hand.
Tears welled up again.
She told herself she shouldn’t cry, since everything he’d said was, in some twisted way, true.
She had no right to feel hurt, because this was exactly the role she’d chosen to play.
She wiped her tears away.
It’s fine, she told herself.
This would all be over soon; she just had to be patient a little longer.
She rose slowly from the bed.
Thea gathered up her scattered clothes, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.
However hard she tried to stay strong, the truth was her heart ached from the humiliation Dashiell had put her through.
She dressed herself piece by piece, then slipped out of the room.
Not knowing where the storage room even was, she curled up on the staircase instead.
There, she mourned her own foolishness, regret settling deeper by the minute.
She should have been grateful for her simple, honest life, but instead she’d sold herself for a sum of money that wasn’t even worth it, and now she had to live with the consequences of that mistake.
Dashiell stepped out of the bathroom to find his wife already gone.
He felt a flicker of satisfaction, though not nearly enough; he didn’t feel he’d humiliated her thoroughly enough yet.
He found himself growing more curious just how long Saphira could endure this.
This was only the beginning; there was so much more pain waiting for her still.
Was it really his fault, that she’d agreed to become his wife in the first place?