Chapter 1

Halfway of my wedding, my sister Vivienne Lancaster suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me and started banging her head on the floor.

"Scarlett Lancaster, please give Thaddeus back to me. Just as you commanded, I had slept with those thirty thugs. Please, just let me go!"

My fiancé Thaddeus Blackwood completely lost it.

He canceled the wedding right there. Then Thaddeus had his guys throw me into "Velvet Nights" , the largest nightclub in New York, to "pay for what I'd done."

For two months, they forced me to service clients non-stop while beating me black and blue all over, even wrecked my legs on the bed.

After that, Thaddeus finally remembered me.

But I just kept my head down, numbly kneeling at his feet, skillfully took off my clothes...

When I limped out Velvet Nights, Thaddeus was already waiting outside.

My old enemy, Blake Morrison, stood there with his phone, livestreaming my pitiful state for everyone.

They wanted to see me humiliated, but there’s nothing left of my pride and confident.

"Scarlett, why are you just coming out now? Looks like you wanted to stay longer here. Do you want atone longer?"

Thaddeus paused, frowning with annoyance.

Hearing his familiar voice, I automatically knelt at Thaddeus's feet and began unbottoning my clothes.

During those two months, my room was filled with Thaddeus's photos. His cold voice played on repeat day and night. Meanwhile, different men took turns coming to fuck me.

Eventually, I'd start undressing when I heard Thaddeus's voice.

I was already used to it.

By the third button, Thaddeus suddenly slapped my hand away and gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him.

“Scarlett Lancaster, are you fucking insane?”

I flinched uncontrollably, remembering the thrash for disobedience. I moved closer to Thaddeus again with shaking voice.

"Please don't hit me. Please... I'll be good. You can do whatever you want... I was wrong. I shouldn't hurt anyone. I'm sorry..."

Thaddeus stared at me in shock, then something dawned on him, and disgust filled his eyes.

"What the hell do you want now?! Are you playing victim? You just work two months at Velvet Nights. Nobody could dare mess without your status. Cut the act, Scarlett!"

Blake doubled over laughing, cruelly patting my head before pointing his phone at my face again.

"Scarlett, such an amazing act! Even taking your clothes off, huh? Come on, do it for my livestream! Let’s all of New York see our little princess's nude!"

Back then, I've smashed a bottle over Blake's head.

Now, I just skillfully continued unbuttoning my clothes, forcing a mechanical smile for the camera.

The old Scarlett had been destroyed during those two months by Thaddeus.

When I first arrived at Velvet Nights, I smashed a camera that was filming me, which got me clobbered for three straight days before they dumped me in the back alley.

I'm so hungry that fighting dogs over death rats.

Lucky once. After a client fell asleep, I stole his phone and called Thaddeus, begging him to save me.

He just coldly said, "Scarlett, you were so disobedient. Compared to what you did to Vivienne, this is just a small punishment. You deserve it all."

I broke down crying, then heard a soft, sweet sob on the other end.

"Thaddeus, maybe... just forget it. I'm fine. I'm ruined anyway."

Later did I know they spent night together in hotel. Countless intimate photos were printed, thrown in my face, and plastered all over my room.

They constant reminder that Thaddeus didn't love me.

I finished unbuttoning everything. Blake's laughter grew more suggestive. He read all nasty comments from livestream.

Thaddeus slapped me hard. The hit snapped me out of it.

Thaddeus's face turned ashen. Dark fury filled his eyes.

"Scarlett! What the hell are you doing? You have completely lost your self-respect. Would you strip naked right now if I asked you to?"

"Where's that fiery you used to have? I was just trying to teach you a lesson—you don't need to put on this pathetic act! Where’s that fearless streak you used to have? "

Chapter 2

I'd heard those words countless times over two months. Already numb to them.

Thaddeus grew irritated at my silence. He threw me into McLaren, forcibly taking me home.

When we arrived, my parents and Vivienne were having dinner. They welcomed Thaddeus while completely ignoring me.

"Scarlett, you look thinner. I'm so sorry, this is all because of me. If I kept silence then, maybe you wouldn't have suffered. It’s all my fault.."

Vivienne hugged me, pressing hard against the wounds on my back. When she was close to my ear, her voice was full of malice.

"Haha, how you felt? Those men I picked for you—did they make you scream?"

My face instantly turning pale. I instinctively pushed her away, demanding why she was treating me like this.

Why frame me at the wedding? How could she treat me like this? I'm her own sister!

But next second, Vivienne deliberately fell to the floor. She scraped her arm and knee badly. Blood immediately stained the floor.

"You still hate me, Scarlett." Vivienne's face was already covered in tears.

"Enough, Scarlett! I knew you were faking it," Thaddeus shoved me aside and picked Vivienne up.

"You act pitiful around me, but bully Vivienne the second you see her! If you think the punishment wasn't enough, fine! Just go back to Velvet Nights! Look what you've done, how could you still show no remorse?!"

I caught the victorious gleam in Vivienne's eyes but felt nothing. At the sound of shouting, my body automatically dropped to my knees.

My parents' expressions were extremely displeased, their voices cold and distant, unlike my real family.

"Scarlett! You’ve completely disgraced Lancaster family! Stripping on a livestream in front of all those people—this is how we taught you! Who gave you the nerve to keep bullying Vivienne over and over?!"

I numbly raised my head. Seeing my parents' disgusted looks, my heart completely sank.

My dignity had been worn away through days of torment and humiliation. All I only knew was disobedience meant pummeling and starvation. I’m terrified of the pain from getting my leg reattached.

"Mom, Dad, don't blame Scarlett. She's just adjusting. I shouldn’t have said anything. Making her work as a server at Velvet Nights maybe too harsh."

My father's face turned red with anger. He walked up and slapped me hard. I tasted blood in my mouth.

"Ungrateful brat! You ruined your sister's life and you still throw tantrums! You'll kneel right here until you apologize to your sister!"

I trembled all over, my face turning paler.

Many clients I’ve taken had… particular tastes. They liked making me kneel. And now, those memories come rushing back.

I clench my teeth hard, my whole body on edge, trying desperately not to make any sound.

My father thought I was being defiant. He crouched down to look at me, about to shout, before my actions stopped him.

I trembled, crying with a vacant stare, quickly reaching for the buttons Thaddeus had redone.

"I'm sorry. I'll behave. I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me. I'll undress faster, you can do whatever you want, I beg you..."

Chapter 3

The living room went dead silent. My parents stared at me in shock.

Thaddeus recovered first. His expression hardened as he took off his jacket and wrapped it around me.

"Scarlett! What's wrong with you? This is your own house—why are you acting insane here? Nobody gonna hurt you. Just stop pretending! Weren't you pushed Vivienne just now?"

I didn't even hear him. I fought to get out of the jacket, kneeling and frantically trying to unbutton my clothes.

"Please, I'll take it off. Don't hit me. I'm begging you...please no..."

The day I was most helpless, the client became excited suddenly. He had my clothes sewn onto my skin, forcing me to tear them off as fast as I could.

If I took too slowly, he’d punish me with barbed whips, burning cigarettes or a fire-blackened blade.

I was always hungry, barely slept, and had no strength to take it off.I had no choice, I used teeth. By the time I got everything off, my body was covered in blood.

Even now, the scars never heal. They break open again and again.

When I kept struggling, my parents called Dr. Maxwell Hayes, the Blackwood family doctor. He gave me a sedative to calm me down.

"Miss Lancaster is experiencing severe psychological trauma. She needs to see a psychiatrist immediately."

Dr. Hayes paused with genuine concern in his eyes. "Her condition is critical. She needs to be hospitalized right now."

Mom looked worried for a second, but when she noticed Vivienne tearing up, her face hardened again.

Thaddeus looked down at me, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Psychological trauma? Scarlett? It's impossible. Look at her—does she seem like someone who'd crack up? She openly pushed Vivienne right in front of us. How could she possibly be psychological trauma?"

"When are you gonna drop this act?You worked as a waitress for two months and now you're suddenly crazy? You waste all your dignity just for acting like a fool? "

"Or this is your new strategy. Playing the mental patient for sympathy. It won't make us forget what you'v done to Vivienne. You still need apolagize to her."

I just stared at the ceiling blankly. Nothing he said registered with me.

Then Vivienne leaned in close with a nasty look in her eyes.

"Scarlett, what's on your neck?" She yanked my collar down, exposing the hickeys.

"Wait... did you get a boyfriend? What about Thaddeus? You're going to be married! How could you do that?"

I curled up into a ball, tears streaming down my face.

Thaddeus stared at my neck in shock.

After he swallowed his rage, he grabbed me off the bed and dragged me downstairs. He shoved me into his car before finally exploding.

"Scarlett, who is he? Who told you could date someone else? I punish you a little and you do THIS to get back at me? You’re heartless. Tell me who he is! Are you faking crazy so you can stay with him? What am I to you? A joke?"

I can't take this anymore. I clutched at my ears, body curling inward, desperate to shrink away from his grasp.

Sobs racked through me, knees slamming to the floor. Forehead hit the ground again and again in frantic, mindless desperation.

"Please… please, let me go! It hurts! I’ll be good, I don’t want money, just stop! I’ll do anything—you can record whatever you want. Just don’t hit me. Please… don’t hit me…"