The first lash tore through my back, and pain exploded across every nerve in my body. I screamed, but the tape over my mouth swallowed the sound, turning it into nothing more than desperate muffled cries.
The second strike landed before I had a chance to recover.
My vision blurred instantly. It felt as though molten steel had been pressed into my skin, scorching everything it touched while ripping flesh apart.
I couldn't tell whether I wasn't getting enough air or if I was breathing too fast.
All I knew was that I couldn't breathe.
The third blow drove every ounce of strength from my body. I bit down so hard that blood filled my mouth, while violent tremors shook me from head to toe. The agony burrowed deep into my bones until it felt impossible to escape.
Then came another strike.
And another.
Then another.
He never stopped.
By the time the whip fell for the ninety-ninth time, I had long since stopped struggling.
My clothes were soaked with blood.
My body twitched uncontrollably, no longer feeling like it belonged to me.
Somewhere between consciousness and darkness, an old memory surfaced.
Luca had once sworn he would make Celeste pay.
He said he'd tie her up.
Whip her.
Make her suffer for everything she'd done to me.
He had promised.
So why...
Why was I the one kneeling here?
Why was I the one bleeding beneath his hands?
Through the haze, I heard his voice.
"Celeste," he asked evenly, as though nothing extraordinary had just happened, "how many men did she bring to violate you?"
"...Ten," Celeste answered in a trembling whisper.
Luca nodded.
"Fine."
His voice was frighteningly calm.
"Bring me a hundred of the filthiest bastards you can find."
After a brief pause, he added coldly,
"And give her something that'll make the whole thing even more entertaining."
My heart dropped into my stomach.
He stepped forward and drove the toe of his shoe into my chin, forcing my head upward.
"You thought you could lay a hand on my wife and get away with it?" he snarled. "I'm going to destroy you."
The kick knocked my mask loose.
It slid onto the floor.
"Luca..."
I forced the name past the tape, every part of me breaking apart.
"If you knew it was me..."
My voice dissolved into muffled sobs.
"...would you regret this?"
The words never reached him.
Only broken sounds escaped my mouth.
He never even glanced in my direction.
Instead, he reached for Celeste's hand.
"Don't look," he told her gently. "It's disgusting."
His voice softened.
"I'll stay with you for the next few days."
The sound of their footsteps slowly faded.
The door closed behind them.
A few moments later, someone else entered the room.
They loosened the ropes just enough to force a pill into my mouth.
I tried to spit it out.
I couldn't.
Within minutes, my entire body began burning.
The heat spread unnaturally fast, racing through my veins until every inch of my skin felt as though it had caught fire.
My heartbeat became erratic.
Breathing grew harder.
Then the men arrived.
One after another.
Filthy.
Reeking of alcohol and sweat.
They looked at me as though I weren't even human.
Hands reached for me.
Rough.
Greedy.
Disgusting.
Nausea rose violently inside me.
Then something even more horrifying happened.
The drug began taking effect.
My body reacted against my will, the unnatural heat mixing with unbearable pain until I could no longer separate one from the other.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.
What...
What is happening to me?
My hand searched blindly until it found the nearest object.
A porcelain vase.
I smashed it against the floor.
Without hesitating, I grabbed one of the broken shards and drove it deep into my thigh.
Fresh pain exploded through my leg.
Sharp.
Pure.
It cut through the haze just enough to clear my mind.
When I looked up again, the men were still closing in.
There was nowhere to run.
Except...
The window behind me.
I didn't stop to think.
I sprinted toward it and threw myself through the glass.
For one terrifying moment, I thought I was dead.
Instead, I crashed onto the grass outside.
Every bone in my body screamed in protest, but I was alive.
The nightclub's back entrance stood open only a short distance away.
I forced myself to my feet and ran.
I never looked back.
Blood soaked my clothes.
My wounds burned with every step.
My body begged me to stop.
I kept running anyway.
My phone vibrated over and over inside my pocket.
Eventually, I pulled it out.
A message from Luca filled the screen.
[Camille, this project will take a few more days. Be good and wait for me at home. Love you.]
I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because there was nothing else left to do.
Another notification appeared almost immediately.
Your identity cancellation has been completed. All official records associated with this name are now invalid.
I stared at those words for a long time.
Then, for the first time in what felt like forever...
I smiled.
A real smile.
Camille Hart no longer existed.
...
When I returned to the villa, I packed as quickly as I could.
Years ago, Luca had taken possession of most of my important documents, believing it would keep me from ever leaving him.
Now none of that mattered.
The woman those papers belonged to was already gone.
I packed only the essentials.
Before leaving, I slipped the ring from my finger.
Dried blood still stained its surface.
I placed it carefully on the desk where I knew Luca would find it.
For a long time, I'd imagined taking revenge with my own hands.
Now I realized I didn't need to.
That ring would tell him everything.
When the truth finally reached him, it would destroy him far more completely than I ever could.
By the time I walked out of the villa, night had already fallen.
The sky stretched overhead in deep shades of blue, while the stars struggled against the glow of the city below.
Even so...
They were still there.
Stars always find a way to shine eventually.
At the airport, I purchased a one-way ticket under my new identity.
No return.
As the plane lifted off the runway and climbed into the night sky, I leaned back against my seat and slowly closed my eyes.
For the first time in years, I wasn't moving toward Luca.
I was moving toward a future that belonged only to me.
Goodbye, Luca.
I could only hope our paths would never cross again.
