Chapter 2

Alina POV:

He threw me towards the men, like a piece of meat to hungry dogs. My body slid across the rough floor, stopping at their feet. My breath hitched.

"No! Please!" I screamed, but it was a ragged sound, barely a whisper. I looked at Adrien, my eyes pleading for a sanity he no longer possessed.

One of the men leaned down, his breath foul. "Looks like someone's been a bad girl. Adrien wants us to play nice." He chuckled, a sickening sound.

I heard a faint gasp from the doorway, quickly stifled. Someone had seen. Someone had heard. But no one helped.

Adrien watched, his face blank. No emotion. Just a cold, empty stare.

"Enjoy your 'gift,' Alina?" he sneered. "Or are you going to pretend you don't like this either?"

Then he turned and walked out, the heavy metal door clanging shut behind him. The sound echoed, sealing me in. The last sliver of hope I had, was crushed.

The men' s smiles widened. Their movements became bolder, rougher. "He's gone now, princess," one of them said, his voice dripping with malice. "Time for the real fun to begin."

Another touched my hair, then let his hand slide down my arm. "Such soft skin. A real shame, isn't it?"

I scrambled backward, desperate, ignoring the fresh scrapes on my skin. I clawed at the door, my fingers scraping against the cold metal, leaving trails of blood. "Let me out! Please! Someone help me!"

A hand clamped around my ankle, dragging me back. I kicked, but it was useless. My nails tore against the concrete floor as I was pulled deeper into the darkness. A sharp pain shot through my toes.

"Stop fighting, little bird," the man chuckled, his voice closer now.

"I'll confess!" I screamed, my voice raw and broken. "I'll say whatever you want! Just stop! Please!"

The heavy door creaked open again. Adrien stood there, a dark silhouette against the faint light from the hallway. He looked like a god, a cruel one, come to judge.

"Anything," I sobbed, looking at him, desperation filling my eyes. "I'll say anything. Just make them stop."

I crawled towards him, my body aching, my hands reaching for his pants leg. It was a pathetic sight, I knew. But I didn't care. I just wanted it to end.

Then, a wave of dizziness washed over me. The world spun. Darkness closed in.

The next thing I knew, I was lying in a soft bed. The rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor and the soft hiss of an IV drip filled the sterile air. A hospital.

"He's an animal! How could he do this to his own wife?" My mother's voice, thick with anger, filled the room.

"Mrs. Stanley, please calm down," a hushed voice, belonging to Adrien' s family elder, replied. "Adrien didn't mean for it to go this far. He was only trying to scare her."

"Scare her?" My mother's voice cracked. "He nearly had her... He nearly killed her! And for what? Some fabricated story from that vixen Fallon?"

"Alina is his wife," the elder continued, his voice firm. "He must remember that. The Stanleys are a powerful family. This merger, this marriage, is important. He cannot simply discard her, or abuse her, without consequences."

Adrien' s voice cut through the tension, flat and cold. "I was merely teaching her a lesson. A wife must be loyal."

"Loyal?" My mother shrieked. "You forced her into a marriage to begin with! And then you accuse her of infidelity on your wedding night based on Fallon's lies?"

"The evidence was clear," Adrien retorted.

"Evidence fabricated by a jealous ex-lover!" the elder snapped. "You were blinded by pride, Adrien. You allowed Fallon to manipulate you into believing the worst of your own wife. She is a Stanley now. You will treat her with respect, or face the full wrath of two families."

A heavy sigh followed. "I understand." Adrien' s voice was grudging.

The elder' s footsteps faded away, followed by the angry slam of the door.

Silence. Then, Adrien' s gaze fell on me. A cruel smirk. "Awake, are we? Good. Now you know the consequences of your actions."

A dull ache settled in my chest, colder than the fear that still gripped me. "You don't believe me, do you?" My voice was weak, barely a whisper. "After everything? After ten years?"

His eyes narrowed. "Don't play the victim, Alina. It doesn't suit you. You chose to betray me. You chose to defile our marriage."

"I never betrayed you!" I cried, a surge of adrenaline momentarily pushing past the pain. "I only ever loved you! How can you accuse me of something so vile? On our wedding night! When you weren't even there!"

His jaw tightened. "Don't pretend, Alina. I know exactly where I was. And I know exactly what you did." He paused, his face darkening. "The fact that I haven't touched you since that night should tell you everything."

My stomach churned. A year. A whole year of marriage, and he hadn't come near me. Not once. Because he believed Fallon's lie. Because he believed I had cheated.

"You disgust me," he spat, his voice low and full of venom. "The thought of your filthy hands on me... It makes my skin crawl."