Chapter 3Heartless: The Devil's Bargain

Dad locked me in the utility room to "reflect," afraid I’d ruin the wedding planning.

I curled up in the dark corner, listening to their laughter and the clinking of wine glasses.

I wrote their names on the dusty floor, over and over.

The slap hurt. The last twenty years hurt.

Killing them quickly would be too easy. How do I make them pay back everything I suffered?

I drifted into a light sleep, only to be woken by hands roaming over my body.

It felt like the asylum. The predatory touch.

I snapped my eyes open to see Julian staring at me.

His breath was hot, reeking of whiskey.

I slapped him hard. "Julian, what the hell are you doing?"

The slap seemed to sober him up slightly. His eyes, filled with lust a moment ago, shifted to disdain.

"What am I doing? Quinn, you're trying to seduce me again. You really are shameless."

"Looks like the last lesson wasn't enough."

Three years, and nothing had changed.

Back then, he slept with me while sober, but claimed I drugged him to save his reputation. Now, he was drunk and molesting me, but wanted to pin the blame on me again.

But I wasn't the same Quinn.

I stared at him calmly, my hand creeping toward a heavy glass vase on the shelf.

Before this moment, I had considered letting Julian live. After all, he had saved me once, years ago, when Bella’s friends were beating me up.

He had given me his jacket and told me, "If anyone bullies you, come find me. I'll protect you."

That one sentence made me fall in love with him. It was why I forgave him for taking my virginity and discarding me. It was why I held onto hope in the asylum.

But now? That feeling was dead.

I just wanted to rip his chest open and see if he had a heart at all.

Suddenly, Julian grabbed my wrist. His gaze fell on my chest, where my shirt had been torn.

"Why... why do you have so many scars?"

In the moonlight, the jagged, raised scars were horrifying.

Julian looked shocked. "I told the director to just teach you discipline. I told them not to hurt you too badly..."

They taught me discipline, alright. They just enjoyed doing it with branding irons.

I was about to smash the vase over his head when the door burst open.

Bella stood there, eyes red.

"It's the middle of the night. What are you two doing?"

Julian let go of me like I was on fire. The concern vanished.

"Quinn, I can't believe you. Three years away and you're still a slut."

"I'm marrying Bella. No matter how much you throw yourself at me, I will never want you!"

Dad rushed in, trembling with rage. He grabbed a wooden plank and smashed it over my back.

"I should beat you to death!"

Bella glanced at Julian and feigned kindness. "Dad, stop. She's always been like this. Don't hurt your hand."

"But we should send her back to the hospital. The wedding is coming up. If she ruins it, we'll be the laughingstock of the city."

Dad agreed immediately. He dragged Julian out to "calm him down."

Watching their retreating backs, I laughed.

Julian just missed his only chance to find out the truth. His only chance for mercy.

I dug through the clutter and found an old, rusty claw hammer.

I walked out of the room.

Time to get started.