Chapter 22 Chapter Two
Kamari’s POV
I didn’t fight at first. I couldn’t—not with the way they dragged me down the hallway like I weighed nothing. Fear had already drained the strength out of my legs. The corridor leading to the dungeon was colder than the rest of the house, like it didn’t belong to the same world. Each step echoed against the walls, bouncing back at me in a way that made my heartbeat louder.
I kept trying to twist my wrists out of their grip, but the guards didn’t budge. They didn’t speak. They didn’t even look at me. They acted like dragging girls to dark places was normal… familiar.
When we reached the bottom of the stairs, the dungeon opened up in front of me. It wasn’t large, but it felt suffocating. The walls were covered in damp patches, the stones dark from years of moisture. Something inside the room smelled like cold metal and old blood. A flickering light hung from the ceiling, doing a terrible job of lighting anything properly. Every shadow looked like something waiting to grab me.
My chest tightened when I saw the pole, thick, dark wood scarred with marks left by other people who hadn’t escaped punishment. The floor around it was stained, and I didn’t want to imagine with what.
“No—no, please, stop!” I tried again, my voice shaking as they pulled me toward it. “Please! I didn’t do anything!”
They didn’t care. My wrists were yanked behind the pole. Rough rope wrapped around them, pulling tighter and tighter until the pain stung. My skin burned under the tension. My breathing became faster—too fast.
The moment they finished tying me, panic exploded in my chest. I didn’t know what Joselyn planned. I didn’t know what she was capable of.
I only knew I didn’t want to be alone in that room with her. “Luciano!” I screamed before I could stop myself. “Luciano! Please—please help me!”
My voice cracked, bouncing off the stone walls.
The footsteps came next.
Joselyn stepped into the dungeon like she’d been waiting for this moment. Her arms were crossed, a cruel smile already stretching across her lips.
“Calling his name?” she scoffed. “You really think he’s coming for you?” Her voice made something cold crawl down my spine.
“Please—Joselyn, just let me go,” I whispered. My voice trembled against my will. “I won’t say anything. I won’t talk to him. I’ll stay out of your way—just please don’t—”
Her hand flew across my face before I even finished speaking.
The slap was so harsh my head snapped sideways. A burst of pain spread across my nose, and I felt the warm trickle of blood almost instantly. My knees weakened even though the ropes held me up.
Joselyn clicked her tongue in disgust. “You’re pathetic.”
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to cry.
“You think screaming his name is going to save you? You think you matter to him?” She leaned close, her perfume too heavy. “Do you want to know the truth?
“He knows,” she whispered. “He knows exactly what I plan to do. And he gave me permission.”
My heart dropped so fast it hurt.
“No,” I breathed. “You’re lying. He would never—”
“Oh, but he did.” She stepped back, smiling like she’d won. “Why would he save you? You’re a nuisance, Kamari. A distraction. An annoying little thing he wishes he never took in.”
Every word hit harder than the slap. “He wouldn’t let you do this,” I whispered. “He wouldn’t let you—”
Her laughter cut me off. “Please. That man is mine. And anything I want to do to you…” She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers at the guards. “He said I could.”
The world tilted for a second. My throat tightened until I couldn’t breathe properly. I didn’t know if she was lying or not anymore. Luciano was unpredictable, he might have ordered her to do it.
And I’d been stupid enough to hope for something different. “Please…” I tried again, my voice barely a sound. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Begging already?” Joselyn smirked. “Good. But it won’t help.” She looked at the guards.
“Whip her. Until I feel better.” My heart stopped.
“No! No, please, don’t—stop! Please!” I pulled against the ropes until my wrists burned. “Please don’t! Luciano! Luciano, please—”
The first whip cracked through the air, hitting my back with terrifying force.
CRACK! Pain shot through me so violently I screamed. The sound left my throat before I could hold it back. Fire ripped across my skin, and I felt the fabric of my clothes tear.
The second came almost immediately.
CRACK! I cried out again, louder, my voice shaking. Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Again,” Joselyn said.
CRACK!
My legs trembled uncontrollably. My body jerked with every strike, the ropes cutting deeper into my skin. The room blurred as pain took over everything…my thoughts, my breath, my senses.
“Stop—please—stop!” I sobbed. “I’m begging you! PLEASE!”
Joselyn just folded her arms and watched. Her eyes were bright….Enjoying it.
The whip tore into my back again and again. Each strike felt like it was splitting me open. Blood slid down my skin, warm at first, then cold as the air hit it.
My voice grew hoarse. My breaths came in short, sharp gasps.
My vision dimmed slowly—edges first, then the center and the last thing I heard was Joselyn laughing before everything went black.
A sudden splash of freezing water dragged me back.
I gasped sharply, choking as the water ran down my face, my hair, my chest. My back screamed with pain, and I tried to twist away on instinct—but the ropes held me in place.
“Oh good,” Joselyn said lightly. “She’s awake.” I blinked, trying to focus, but everything was blurry. The room spun.
Joselyn stepped forward again, holding the whip herself this time. “You pass out too easily,” she said with a pout. “Let’s fix that.”
“No—please…” My voice was barely audible. “Please don’t…”
She didn’t wait.
The whip cracked through the air and slashed across my skin. I screamed again, my voice raw and broken. The pain was sharper this time, cleaner, because she hit with more precision.
“You’re such a weak little thing,” she said, striking me again. “I don’t know what Luciano ever saw in you.”
Another strike….And another.
I sobbed uncontrollably, my whole body shaking. I couldn’t hold myself up anymore. I felt like I was floating away from the pain, separating from my own body, like my mind was trying to protect me from what was happening.
“Please…” I cried softly. “Please stop… it hurts… please…”
“Oh, I’m counting on it slut,” Joselyn whispered.
The last thing I felt was another lash cutting through my skin and another wave of heat and agony crashing over me. My vision wen
t white, then gray… then nothing at all.
I passed out again.
This time, I didn’t know if I would wake up.