---- Chapter 6 Haylie Camacho POV: Jeremy' s pathetic excuses washed over me, meaningless noise. The pain in my leg was a dull, constant throb, a physical reminder of his ultimate betrayal. "Your father was right," | said, my voice eerily calm. "You are weak." His face crumpled. "Haylie, please..." "No," | cut him off. "This is over." | looked past him, at Joselin, who was still kneeling on the floor, trying to look small and penitent. "You wanted to be punished? Fine." | turned my glacial gaze to Edmund Glass, who had been observing the whole scene from his leather armchair like a king watching a court drama. "Edmund. According to your family rules, harming a member of the main family is a serious offense, isn't it?" Edmund' s eyes narrowed. He understood immediately. "Indeed it is." "Then you know what to do," | said. Joselin' s head shot up, her eyes wide with real fear this time. "No! Haylie, you can' t!" ---- Jeremy stepped in front of me. "Haylie, don' t. She' s your sister." "She stopped being my sister the moment she crawled into your bed," | snapped. | held Edmund' s gaze. He gave a slow, deliberate nod and gestured to two stoic bodyguards standing near the door. "Take her to the hall. Ten lashes." The family rule. An archaic, brutal tradition Edmund maintained to enforce his control. Joselin screamed as the guards hauled her to her feet. "Jeremy, help me! Don' t let them do this!" Jeremy grabbed my arm. "Haylie, this is insane! Stop this!" "Let go of me," | said, my voice dangerously low. | watched, impassive, as they forced Joselin over a long wooden bench in the grand hall, her designer dress hiked up unceremoniously. The first crack of the leather whip echoed through the mansion, followed by Joselin' s agonized shriek. Jeremy flinched, his grip on my arm tightening. "This is cruel. She's learned her lesson." "Ten lashes," | repeated, my eyes never leaving the scene. "Not one less." After the third lash, Joselin fainted. The guard paused, looking ---- to Edmund. Jeremy rushed forward. "She's unconscious! That's enough!" He gathered Joselin' s limp body into his arms, his face a mask of fury and anguish as he glared at me. "Are you happy now?" he snarled, his voice trembling with tage. "You' re a monster, Haylie. You' re just as cruel as my father." He cradled Joselin' s head against his chest, murmuring soothing words to her unconscious form, his touch infinitely gentle. He looked at her with a raw, protective love he hadn't shown me since before my surgery. He looked at her like she was precious, like she was his whole world. And in that moment, | knew. It wasn' t just lust. It wasn' t just a mistake or a moment of weakness. He loved her. He truly, deeply loved her. He carried her out of the room, leaving me standing alone with my throbbing leg and a heart that had finally, irrevocably, shattered into dust. Edmund cleared his throat. "The wedding with the Meyers family is in two days. Be ready." "It doesn' t matter what | am," | said, turning to him, a bitter smile on my lips. "I'm just a pawn in your game, aren' t |? A replacement bride for a replacement bride." He didn't deny it. ---- | limped out of the mansion, into the cold night air. The pain in my leg was nothing compared to the gaping wound in my soul. | walked past the rose garden, the place where Jeremy had proposed to me, where he had promised me forever. How did we get here? How did a love that felt so real curdle into this toxic, unrecognizable mess? As | reached the end of the long driveway, a dark van screeched to a halt beside me. The side door slid open. Before | could scream, a hand clamped over my mouth and | was dragged into the darkness.