Chapter 5
Aurora never imagined that Sterling-who couldn’t recognize her face-would still recognize the bracelet on her wrist.
A swirl of conflicting emotions churned in her chest. She parted her lips, about to speak, when Scarlet abruptly cut her
off.
“Aurora,” Scarlet snapped, “you took my bracelet without permission. What gives you the right?”
She stormed forward, trying to yank the bracelet off Aurora’s wrist. Scarlet’s sharpened nails raked across Aurora’s skin, leaving bloody scratches in their wake.
Aurora gasped in pain and tried to pull away, but Scarlet suddenly stumbled backward and let herself fall dramatically to
the floor.
Sterling’s face darkened.
He immediately rushed to her side, shielding her in his arms. Then he turned to Aurora with icy fury in his eyes.
“So that’s what this is,” he said coldly. “I thought—”
“I thought you had changed. So you stole Scarlet’s bracelet, and when you got caught, you lashed out at her in a rage? Aurora, you’re truly disgusting!.”
Aurora stood frozen, the blood from her hand dripping onto the floor.
There was no explanation. No chance to speak. He had believed Scarlet without hesitation-again.
A wave of cold swept through her chest.
She lifted her injured hand slowly, her voice raw and trembling.
“If you recognize this bracelet… then surely you remember that after you regained your sight, Scarlet never wore it. Not even once. Because she didn’t even know it existed.”
“She’s not the girl you think she is-she never was-”
Before Aurora could finish, a loud smack silenced her.
Her father’s hand landed across her cheek, hard enough to make her vision go black. Her body staggered backward-and
crashed straight into the champagne tower behind her.
Hundreds of glasses toppled and shattered around her, dousing her in wine and shards.
She hit the floor hard, her body soaked, her skin sliced open by falling glass. Blood mixed with tears as she lay there trembling, pain wracking every inch of her.
Her mother walked over calmly, holding a glass of red wine.
Without a word, she tipped it onto Aurora’s face.
“Scarlet’s bracelet was just repaired-yet you stole it and wore it like it was yours?” she said coldly.
Chapter 5
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“Today’s her birthday, and you caused a scene in public. That bracelet was your grandmother’s gift to Scarlet. It was never
meant for you.”
Her father immediately chimed in, seamlessly backing up the lie. Their performance was so smooth, so practiced, that even Sterling’s doubt vanished.
He gently soothed Scarlet as she sobbed uncontrollably, wiping the tears from her face.
Then he turned, walked over to Aurora, and crouched down beside her broken body.
He took her wrist-the one still covered in scratches-and unfastened the bracelet with methodical care.
He wiped away the blood with a handkerchief… and placed the bracelet onto Scarlet’s wrist, his expression tender and
reverent.
“This bracelet holds your grandmother’s love,” he said softly to Scarlet. “And it carries five years of our memories. I won’t let anyone defile it.”
Then he turned to Mr. Wyndham, his voice frigid.
“Unlawful theft. Deceit. Violence. If your daughter has no respect for your family’s name, isn’t it time you enforced
discipline?”
Mr. Wyndham nodded grimly.
“Of course. She has disgraced us all. It’s time we remind her what our house stands for.”
He called for the guards to bring a whip.
With his own hands, he took it.
“By the rules of our family, Aurora’s transgressions today demand punishment. Fifty lashes. I may have failed as a father,
but I won’t allow this family’s name to be dragged through the mud.”
The whip cracked through the air-and struck her back with a sickening snap.
Aurora’s body convulsed.
A scream tore from her throat, raw and ragged, echoing through the grand hall.
Blood poured from the open wound, soaking through her dress, staining the floor beneath her.
Each lash drew another cry, another crimson stripe of agony.
Her vision blurred with tears. Her consciousness began to slip away. And still, she whispered through clenched teeth, “l didn’t steal it… That bracelet… was mine… Grandma gave it… to me…”
But no one listened.
No one cared.
Sterling didn’t look back. He merely shielded Scarlet’s eyes from the scene and led her away.
Aurora watched them disappear, their backs receding into the distance.
She closed her eyes, lips pressed together so tightly they bled.
She wouldn’t scream anymore.
She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.
When the last lash fell, her parents walked away without even glancing at her.
The guests and staff trickled out, whispering and scoffing as they left.
No one stopped. No one helped.
She lay on the cold marble floor, beaten and bloodied, the light above her fading.
Until even the chandeliers were turned off.
And the darkness swallowed her whole.
