Chapter 188 You Will Take His Punishment
William slowly crouched down, his fingers gripping Isabella's chin, forcing her to face Donny, to take in every detail of the horror up close.
Seeing Donny's eyelids drooping, barely able to stay open, William's mouth curved into a smile steeped in malice. He reached up, grabbed her collar, and yanked hard—
The sharp rip of tearing fabric cut through the air, snapping Donny's eyes wide open despite his near-unconscious state.
A gust of cold air bit at her exposed shoulders, shame and chill flooding her all at once.
She didn't want Donny to see her like this.
Instinctively, she raised her hands to cover herself, but William pinned her wrists down.
He leaned in close, his voice cold and deliberately loud, making sure Donny heard every word. "Isabella, tell me—just how brazen are you? First Ambrose, then Thomas, now Donny. Who's next? What tricks did you use to make all these men throw themselves at you? That cheap little act of yours—you were born to lure men in, weren't you?"
His humiliation was merciless, grinding her dignity into dust.
"William, you bastard!" Donny roared with what little strength he had left, struggling against the ropes despite the agony tearing through his body. "Don't touch her! Isabella has severe depression. She can't take any more trauma. You're going to kill her!"
The words made William pause briefly, then he let out a cold, mocking laugh. He released Isabella's wrists, grabbed her face instead, shaking it, his eyes full of contempt and cruelty.
"Depression? Don't make me laugh. She's acting. I've seen her laughing and smiling—she can't even fake it properly."
Donny's brow furrowed. He hadn't expected William to refuse to believe it, even after investigating, even when faced with the truth.
"I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, take her to a hospital. Get her checked. Her condition is serious. Stop hurting her."
William raised an eyebrow, his smile black as tar. "You're about to die and you're still worried about her? Your relationship is truly touching."
His tone shifted. He stood up, planted his foot on Isabella's back, forcing her flat against the frozen ground, then looked up at Donny with a smile as dark as midnight.
"Even if she is sick, so what? A vicious woman like her deserves to rot in hell."
She'd killed the woman he loved most, yet here she was, still alive, still having men willing to die for her.
What enraged William most was Isabella's attitude this time.
In the past, she never pleaded for anyone else. She'd even attack people who displeased him, trying to deflect his anger.
But this time, she was clearly protecting Donny. Openly protecting him.
Their closeness was so obvious that even the old folks in town were trying to set them up.
William had uncovered plenty during his investigation—not just the photos, but her situation in town. No one knew she was married. When asked, she'd actually said she wasn't.
Who the hell gave her the nerve to deny being married in front of everyone in that town?
William couldn't understand it. Couldn't tolerate it. Especially when he found out people were trying to match her with Donny—that's when his rage ignited completely.
He'd had Donny dragged here to teach him what happens when you covet another man's wife.
And of course, he was going to deal with Isabella too. Make her remember exactly whose woman she was. Make her understand the price of provoking him.
Isabella had always understood that. But right now, she didn't know what to do to make William let Donny go.
Watching Donny beaten bloody, she finally broke.
She dropped to her knees, driving her forehead into the frozen, unyielding ground.
"William, please let him go. I was wrong. Just stop, and I'll do anything you want. Please, stop hitting him. If you keep going, he'll die."
Donny forced his eyes open, shaking his head in anguish. "Don't… Isabella, don't kneel. Don't listen to him."
William stared down at her coldly, curious to see how far she'd go for this man.
Donny watched Isabella kowtow for him, and the pain in his chest cut deeper than any wound on his body.
Tears slid from the corners of his eyes as he whispered brokenly, "Isabella… don't kneel…"
Isabella couldn't hear him. All she wanted was for William to stop.
Her forehead struck the frozen ground again and again, the dull thuds echoing, her skin quickly swelling and turning red.
She didn't care about the pain in her knees, or William's foot pressing down on her back, making every kowtow excruciating.
She had only one thought—beg him to stop, beg him to let Donny go.
She deserved to suffer. Donny didn't.
"William, I really know I was wrong." Her voice was nearly hoarse, barely audible, the metallic taste of blood spreading across her tongue. "I'll never see him again. I'll do anything you want. Please, let him go."
William watched her debase herself for Donny, and instead of easing the pressure of his foot, he pressed down harder, the darkness in his eyes deepening.
This wasn't the kind of obedience he wanted. He hated that Isabella gave her concern and care to another man.
He hated that she didn't recognize her place—a married woman, hiding her marriage, letting people set her up with someone else. That was betrayal.
He hated that she kept crossing his lines.
"Anything?" He bent down, his fingers tangling in her bloodied hair, yanking her head up, forcing her to look at him. "You said it. Don't regret it."
The iron whip kept falling. Donny endured the agony, using his last bit of strength to roar, "Isabella, don't agree! You'll die! I'll be fine—please, don't agree!"
Donny truly regretted it now. Regretted underestimating William's reach, thinking he could help her without any protection.
Now not only was he caught, but he'd dragged her down with him.
He hated his own helplessness.
Isabella looked at the wounds covering his body, saw his breathing growing weaker, and she nodded hard, the blood from her forehead smearing onto William's fingers, burning hot against his skin.
"I won't regret it. Just let him go, and I'll do whatever you say."
Donny tried to refuse, but she wouldn't look at him anymore.
William stared at her, at those eyes filled with desperation and pleading—all for another man—and the fire inside him flared higher.
"Since you love begging for other people so much, you can take his punishment." William waved his hand, signaling Alvin to bring him the iron whip.