The alcohol was already wreaking havoc on my immune system, and my vision blurred with overlapping images. I could barely move my legs, the single thought of escape echoing in my mind.
But Julian wasn’t about to let me go.
Pain shot through my arm as his grip tightened, and my strength was nothing compared to
his.
I couldn’t hold back a cry of pain. Julian hesitated for a moment before gripping me even harder.
“Do you really think I’d fall for your cheap tricks again? I’m telling you, Victoria, you’re getting on that stage tonight, whether you want to or not.”
Averil let out a smug laugh. “Well then, I’ll help Victoria change into something more appropriate.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Julian’s voice was sharp and deliberate, each word driving into my ears like nails. “She’ll dance in this dress. Let it remind her of her place. Something already tainted can never be cleaned.”
Julian’s voice carried casual cruelty, a deliberate reminder that my parents had died as disgraced criminals and that everything I had now was thanks to his charity.
If I left him, I would have nothing.
But what was the point of staying with a man who would weaponize my tragic past to threaten me?
“Let go!” I yelled, breaking free from his grip, only to lose my balance and fall to the ground in a humiliating heap.
The allergic reaction surged through my body like a storm. My strength drained away, and my throat felt as if it had been sealed shut with cement. I couldn’t breathe at all.
Averil’s voice sounded distant, almost surreal. “Julian, my performance requires bigger movements, and Victoria’s dress is way too long. If she doesn’t change, maybe… we should just tear off part of her skirt?”
Julian hesitated for only a moment. “Fine. Someone hold her down!”
A flurry of hands reached for me, grabbing and pulling at my body. Fear shot through me like a dagger. I wanted to scream, to fight back, but I was powerless–like a fish tossed onto dry land, reduced to desperate, futile thrashing, completely at their mercy.
2/0
Chapter 8
“No!” I screamed silently in despair.
