2. Trapped in the Nightmare

"What a small world! This is the fate between us, Sophia" Elijah murmured to himself.

He never expected that the woman he had been searching for had just slept right beside him the night before.

"Sophia, you saved me ten years ago. Now, it's my turn to save you!" Thinking of her difficult situation, Elijah resolved in his heart to make her the happiest woman in the world.

"Doug, head to the Donald family!"

"Yes, Dragon Marshal!"

 ... ...

 Sophia walked up the steps to the Donald family mansion, her legs feeling like lead.

Her heart pounded in her chest, dread settling in her stomach like a stone. 

She pushed open the door and stepped inside, only to be met with a room full of angry faces.

Her fiancé, Alan Shaw, stood at the front, his arms crossed, staring at her, like a predator sizing up its prey.

The rest of the family members filled the room, their eyes like daggers, full of judgment and contempt.

At the head of the table was Ethan Donald, who's the family patriarch and Sophia's grandfather, his face set in a deep scowl.

"Sophia," Ethan’s voice boomed, his tone harsh and unforgiving. 

"Where were you last night?"

Sophia’s breath caught in her throat.

She hesitated, her eyes darting around the room. feeling the pressure of their stares.

"I… I went to a bar," she said timidly, her voice trembling.

Alan snorted, a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"She's Alan's fiancée. How dare she go to a bar and stay out all night?"

"Her behaviors will implicate us and offend the Shaw family."

"That's it. She's really a disgrace of the Donalds."

"......"

The room filled with murmurs of disapproval and contempt.

Those whispers were like daggers piercing her heart.

Sophia’s mother, May, stepped forward, her face twisted with anger, her eyes filled with disappointment.

"Sophia, why did you stay out all night?" she snapped.

"We’ve told you before, your only job is to marry Alan. But you cannot even do this right!"

Sophia’s eyes watered, her body trembling under the pressure of those accusations.

"So—sorry mum, I got drunk," she stammered.

"I ended up staying at a hotel."

"Just staying at a hotel? Is that all?" Alan's mouth twisted into a cruel smile.

He immediately pulled out several photos and tossed them onto the table.

Sophia's heart sank as she saw those pictures. She saw herself in the photos, leaning intimately on a man at the bar.

Her face went pale, and her heart was full of dread.

"Can you explain it?" Alan asked, his voice dripping with mockery, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"I... I don't know him..." Sophia stuttered, her hands trembling, her mind a blur of panic and confusion.

"Enough!" Ethan’s voice thundered, slamming his hand on the table angrily.

"Sophia, kneel down!"

Sophia fell to her knees, her body shaking with fear.

"Who is this man?" Ethan demanded, pointing to the photos, his voice cold and unforgiving.

Tears streamed down Sophia's face, her vision blurring.

"I swear, I don’t know!" she cried, her voice desperate.

"I was drugged—I don’t really know what happened."

"Shame on you! You’re nothing but a disgrace to this family!" May cursed and slapped Sophia's face.

The sound echoed in the hall, a sharp crack that left Sophia’s cheek stinging, tasting blood.

Sophia bit her lip, trying to hold back her sobs.

Bob, Sophia’s father, looked at her with disappointment in his eyes.

"My daughter, you're ruining the reputation of the Donalds." He muttered, his voice low and pained.

"You’ve embarrassed us all. You freak! Who would drug an ugly person like you?" Reno, her cousin, taunted her loudly.

The room buzzed with mocks, which hurt Sophia repeatedly.

When Alan heard that the Donald family didn't believe Sophia, he felt a sense of satisfaction within himself.

He was the mastermind behind drugging Sophia!

Unwilling to fulfill his engagement to her, he had devised this plan to frame her, forcing the Donald family to terminate the engagement.

"Grandpa Ethan, I want to terminate the engagement to this shameless woman," Alan said indifferently.

Ethan Donald's face turned red with rage.

 

He hadn't expected Alan to demand this for real. His mind raced, thinking of the consequences.

 

"Alan, there must be some other way," he pleaded, his tone turning desperate.

 

The engagement is crucial the Donald family.

 

The old man’s voice quivered with a hint of fear—fear of losing their alliance with the Shaw family.

Alan scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest, his expression smug.

  

"I won’t marry such a shameless woman. She's a disgrace!"

Sophia trembled on the floor, her eyes red and swollen from crying.

  

"I didn't…”

 

"Shut up!" Alan snapped, not even glancing at her, his voice laced with irritation.

 

"You guys should feel lucky that I haven’t exposed it to the public."

 

His words stung, and Sophia felt the weight of her shame pressing down on her.

Ethan gritted his teeth, trying to maintain his composure. His face was flushed with a mix of anger and desperation.

 

"This engagement is important for our relationship with the Shaw family. Are you sure about this?" he asked, his voice tight, almost trembling with the weight of their family's future hanging in the balance.

Alan smirked, enjoying the power he held over the Donald family.

 

"Very sure. If you want to salvage your reputation, end this now."

 

He turned away, his lips curling into a sneer.

 

"And keep her out of my sight."

Ethan's shoulders slumped. His eyes darted around the room, searching for another way out, but he found none. He had no choice.

 

"Fine," he muttered, his voice barely audible, weighed down by defeat.

 

"The engagement is off."

Alan didn't bother to look back. He left the room with a triumphant smile on his face.

 

"Good luck with your granddaughter," he said over his shoulder, his tone mocking, dripping with false sympathy.

 

"She's all yours now."

Sophia's heart sank further, her whole body going numb.

 

She knew what was coming next.

 

Ethan's eyes bore into her, filled with fury and betrayal.

 

"You've humiliated this family, Sophia!" he shouted, his voice cracking with anger.

 

"You brought shame on us!"

Sophia bowed her head, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

 

She tried to speak, but her voice was weak and faltering.

 

"Grandfather, I swear—"

"Silence!"

 

Ethan roared, his voice booming through the room.

 

"You broke our trust. And now, you will face the consequences."

 

His words were like a death sentence, final and unyielding.

May stepped forward, her face twisted with anger, her eyes blazing with fury.

 

"She deserves to be punished, Father! She has ruined everything!" she cried out, her voice shaking with frustration.

 

She had always been hard on Sophia, but now her resentment had turned into a seething rage.

Ethan nodded, his expression hardening into a cold mask.

 

"By the family rules, you'll pay for this disgrace, Sophia. Guards, bring the whip!"

 

His voice was stern and commanding, with no room for argument.

Sophia's face went pale. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. Her heart pounded in her chest like a trapped bird.

 

The guards moved closer, and one of them handed the whip to Ethan, who grabbed it with a cruel glint in his eyes.

 

His hand shook slightly with anticipation as he raised the whip high, the leather curling in the air.

The whip cracked with a sharp "Snap!", sending a wave of dread through her.

 

The leather lashed against her back, and the pain shot through her like a thousand needles.

 

"Ahh!" Sophia cried out, collapsing to her knees, her groan filled with pain and despair.

 

She knew there was no escape. 

And the torture seemed endless. Her whole body ached with every lash, each strike a reminder of her isolation.

 

She was seeking mercy, but she knew none would come.

Suddenly, the front door burst open with a loud crash.

 

Elijah strode in, his eyes cold and unyielding. His presence was like a storm entering a calm room, instantly shifting the atmosphere.

 

Behind him, the Donald family's guards lay scattered on the ground, groaning in pain.