Chapter 2

Chloe's fingers idly played with the stray hairs around my ear, her nail grazing my sweat-soaked skin.

"Skylar, I almost forgot to ask, dressed so nicely today, are you *really* just going to deliver medicine?"

Before I could protest, she pressed harder on my shoulder, her voice hissing in my ear like a snake's tongue.

"Damian thinks it's strange too. You're not using the medicine as an excuse to meet someone else, are you?"

"I'm not!"

I tried to lift my head to deny it, but she held me down tightly. My mouth hit the gravel, and I tasted blood.

Damian's whip cracked again, but this time it landed on the empty ground beside me.

Small stones flew up, leaving tiny cuts on my arm, making me flinch in terror.

"Chloe's right," his voice was as cold as ice. "If you have nothing to hide, why are you so dressed up?"

"Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson. You need to remember whose wife you are."

With that, he moved closer.

Seeing this, Chloe released me and stood up, smiling.

"Don't be scared, Skylar. This is just a game Damian and I play all the time. It's just a small punishment."

"Since you can't carry me, I won't make it hard for you."

"See that small dirt mound up ahead? Just crawl up there."

"If we're satisfied, we'll let you go deliver the medicine to your mom, okay?"

A faint spark of hope ignited in my heart, but before I could move, Chloe walked over to the car and pulled out a black cloth bag. She squatted beside me and opened it.

What was inside made my pupils shrink: several strange, unsettling-looking toys with a cold glint that made my skin crawl.

"What are these...?"

My voice trembled. I tried to pull back, but Damian stepped forward and pressed his foot down on my ankle.

His shoe heel dug into my flesh, and tears instantly welled up in my eyes from the pain.

"For your entertainment."

Damian squatted down, pinching my chin, forcing me to look at him. "Since it's a game, we might as well make it fun."

Chloe leaned in too, her fingertip tracing the whip marks on my thigh. I flinched from the pain.

"Be a good girl, Skylar, just relax. It'll be over soon."

She said, then, ignoring my desperate headshakes and struggles, she forced the device into my body.

A sharp, alien sensation coursed through me. I trembled as if struck by electricity, shame and agony overwhelming me like a tidal wave. I wanted to scream, but Damian covered my mouth with a handkerchief.

I struggled fiercely, so he bound my wrists with a rope.

Chloe held her phone, the camera focused squarely on me, the screen's light reflecting on her face as she smiled, dazzling and cruel.

"Alright, now you can crawl."

Damian removed the handkerchief from my mouth, his voice laced with mockery.

The device vibrated inside me. A strange thrill mixed with bone-deep humiliation, making me feel like I was losing my mind.

"Skylar, if you don't move, we might be stuck here all day."

I bit my lip, my knees bleeding on the gravel path as I slowly, painfully inched forward.

With every movement, the vibrations inside me intensified, tears mixing with sweat as they hit the ground.

Chloe kept snapping photos, the shutter clicks echoing like each one was tearing away a piece of my dignity.

I don't know how long I crawled before I collapsed onto the ground, utterly spent.

I was completely drenched in sweat, the device still vibrating inside me. My bruised and cut skin stuck to the scorching earth, a mix of throbbing pain and numbness.

Chloe turned off her phone and laughed.

"See? Even the 'good girl' can be tamed."

Damian finally looked satisfied. He reached down and pulled the device out of my body.

I felt all my strength drain away, collapsing to the ground, gasping for breath.

He stood above me, his voice devoid of warmth. "Don't worry, Chloe already sent someone to deliver the medicine to your mom."

Chloe squatted down and patted my face.

"Thank you, Skylar. You put on such a good show, we were thoroughly entertained."

"Next time, make sure to perform well too, okay?"

After they finished, they turned and got into the car. The car sped off, leaving me alone on the gravelly dirt mound.