Chapter 16
Just one look was enough to make your skin crawl.
But the bodyguards didn’t even flinch. With blank faces, they shoved Sarah and the others inside, like it was just another day at work. The heavy door slammed shut behind them, the lock clicking with a finality that sent panic surging through the room.
“Let us out! Please, let us out!” The women screamed until their voices went raw, but no one came.
All around them, cold, slippery snakes slithered up their legs and arms. Forked tongues flickered, and sharp fangs flashed in the dim light, leaving bite after bite on their skin. The pain and fear pushed them to the edge of madness.
Whenever someone stepped on a snake by accident, it sank its teeth in hard. The women shrieked, scrambling away–only to step on even more snakes. The nightmare just kept repeating, on and on, until they didn’t have the strength to fight back anymore. One by one, they collapsed, limp and helpless, letting the snakes bite and crawl over them.
As the ordeal dragged on, their fear twisted into anger–anger aimed squarely at Sarah. The resentment grew until it was all they could feel, and slowly, they moved closer to her.
No one knew who struck first, but suddenly the room exploded into chaos. Hair was yanked, slaps landed, nails scratched, and teeth bit. They unleashed every ounce of fury on Sarah, desperate to blame someone for their suffering.}
“Sarah, none of this would’ve happened if it weren’t for you!“}]
You keep saying Mr. Haskins loves you, that you’re the one he cares about, but he only ever loved Julia! If you hadn’t guilt–tripped him after he saved you, he wouldn’t have given you a second thought!“}
“You’re vicious, sure, but why drag the rest of us into it? This is all on you!”
No one knew how long it lasted. By the end, Sarah was a mess–her face swollen and bruised, her body aching all over, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Barely able to speak, she sobbed, “You’re all just as bad… You’re greedy and cruel too. Don’t blame me…“}
But now everyone was blaming everyone, hurling accusations back and forth, tearing each other down until there was nothing left but bitterness and exhaustion.
t
Nathan watched it all with icy detachment. There was no satisfaction, no relief–just
The only thing he wanted was to find Julia and beg her to forgive him.
a headache that kept getting worse.
room. Sarah’s misery didn’t matter to him at all.
When he decided they’d suffered enough, Nathan gave a signal. The bodyguards dragged the women out, tossing them onto the floor like discarded rags. They were drenched in cold sweat, their expensive clothes ruined, hair tangled and wild, looking nothing like the glamorous women they’d been a few hours ago.
Nathan sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers against the table. “Do you know what you
Everyone except Sarah nodded frantically.
did wrong?”
*Mr. Haskins, we’re sorry! We never should’ve touched Julia. Please, just let us go. We’ll never do it again!” they pleaded.§ Nathan raised an eyebrow, then nodded to the bodyguards.
The women were marched to the lake. One by one, the bodyguards shoved their heads into the ice–cold water. One second, two seconds… thirty seconds. Then they yanked them up, gasping and coughing, muddy water burning their throats and plastering their hair to their faces.
But it wasn’t over. The bodyguards dunked them again. And again. Over and over, until a cold, hopeless fear took over.
In that moment, every one of them had the same thought–Nathan Haskins was completely insane.
For the first time, they found themselves wishing he would find Julia soon. Because until then, there was no telling just how far his madness would go.
