To Court

"You know he's unstable. His sickness…"

I looked away dispassionately and made a beeline for the bedroom. Once again, the stench of cologne assailed my nose and took over my world.

Underpants lay haphazardly on the tousled bed. Underpants that were not mine. The bedside cabinet had intimate photos of Yvonne and Christopher.

I swiveled around. The air around me was sharp and biting. "You slept in my bed?"

Panicked, Yvonne said, "It's not permanent! I'll make him move once he's bet—"

"Spare me," I interrupted. "I'm just here to get my stuff." I hurried to the wardrobe, but it was filled with designer clothes for Christopher. My clothes were stuffed in a suitcase and tossed into a random corner.

"Shawn, please." Yvonne held my hand. "I know you hate this, but…"

I flung her hand away and grabbed my suitcase. But before I could leave, I was hit with a push notification.

"Shocking news! Erstwhile heir of Pearson Group signed confession papers, admitting his crime of stealing Leidermann Group's top secrets."

The comment section was filled with nothing but shock.

"The Locke heir stole business secrets?"

"I can't believe he did that! And I thought he was taking the fall for Christopher!"

"He should go to prison!"

My eyes trembled, and I stared at Yvonne in disbelief. I signed the papers as she wanted me to, but she couldn't even bother to keep one simple promise. And she made that promise herself!

She noticed the news on the screen and gave me an awkward look. "I can explain. I mean, I wanted to keep it a secret, but you know how sick Christopher is. He's also a suspect, and I couldn't let this hurt him, so…"

My disappointment could go no further. All I had was calm indifference. "It's fine." I hid my emotions and tucked my phone away. "The trial is in three days."

Yvonne heaved a sigh of relief and held my hand in false solidarity. "I'm glad you can stand in my shoes. I'll take care of your parents while you're in prison."

It took me everything not to throw up. I pulled my hand away and moved to another room.

…

Night came. I called someone I'd not called in a long, long time. It went through, and I took a deep breath.

"Ms. Leidermann? I'm Shawn Pearson. We need to talk. In person."

…

The next morning, I woke up early and dressed myself, but I ran into Yvonne before I could leave.

She noticed that I was well dressed, and her forehead creased. "It's early. Where are you going?"

"Business." I changed my shoes and avoided meeting her eyes.

She held the doorknob and said darkly, "You shouldn't be running around. It's not the time. You're awaiting trial. If someone recognizes you…"

I refused to talk to her. Coldly, I said, "Move away."

Her face fell. She grabbed my wrist. "You'd better know your place, Shawn!"

She let go of me unceremoniously and clapped her hands. A pair of men in black showed up. I thrashed and struggled, but they held on to me tightly.

Yvonne said coldly, "I think I've been too kind to you."

Then she ordered, "Tie him up and lock him in the underground chamber. He's not to be released until court is in session!"

The men in black tied me up. I wanted to get away, but there was nothing I could do.

Defiantly, I shot Yvonne a glare and raised my voice.

Imprisonment

"That's illegal imprisonment, Yvonne!"

The darkness in Yvonne's eyes turned thicker. "You made me do this, Shawn."

…

The underground chamber was dark and humid. The only source of light was the lightbulb dangling overhead, spilling yellow light into the air.

Yvonne was standing at the entrance, with light shining from behind. Her face was masked in shadow. Coldly, she said, "You'll stay here until the trial."

Her men shoved me into the chamber. I staggered and crashed into the wall. A stab of pain shot up my shoulder. I inhaled sharply and gave her a withering look.

Her eyes darted as she told her men to untie me. Then she took out a diamond-encrusted watch from her pocket. "Shawn…" Her voice was filled with guilt. "I asked for a custom-made one for you. It's… compensation."

She presented the watch to me. The diamonds shone with a nearly blinding gleam under the light.

I looked at her icily, but I did not take the watch. "Is this supposed to be something to keep me from running away?"

Yvonne froze up, and she heaved a sigh. "I just want you to know I still love you."

I snickered. "You love me so much that you want me to take the fall for your lover and lock me up in an underground chamber."

She froze again. Before she could say anything, Christopher's voice tumbled down the stairs. He hurried over and snatched the box. "Oh, nice watch. Did you get this for me, Yvonne?"

That stunned Yvonne. "Christopher, it's…"

"I don't care! It's mine now!" Christopher wore the watch, grumbling. "He's going to prison anyway. A watch like this is wasted on him."

She looked at me, then at him. With all her love, she relented. "Fine, take it if you want."

Even though Christopher had already gotten what he wanted, he wasn't going to let it go that easily. He frowned. "But if I get his present, what about him? Maybe…" He stopped and let a smile curl his lips. Then, he took off his old watch and presented it to me.

"How about you take this instead?"

Yvonne ignored the blatant and obviously malicious gesture and treated it like an act of goodwill. "He thinks about you so much, Shawn. I know you two can get along."

I stared at the watch. It was cheap and did not even gleam under the light. A sneer pulled at my lips.

Yvonne continued, "Oh, Christopher's not feeling too good, and…" She paused. "And the doctor did say it's going to be hard for you to get anyone pregnant, so I'm canceling our marriage."

I was prepared for this, but that statement still pierced my heart anyway.

"But don't worry. I'm not heartless. When you come out of prison, I'll get you a job and a place to stay. After all, we were…"

I interrupted coldly, "And what makes you think I'd trust a single word you say, Yvonne?"

Christopher wrapped an arm around Yvonne's waist and shot me a look of scorn. "Know your place. Yvonne's kind enough to pity you. No one's going to marry a useless man."

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. The pain kept me awake. It told me not to do anything rash. Not yet. It was not the time to retaliate.

…

It was the dead of the night, but the dungeon's door creaked open. I raised my head, a frown creasing my brows.

Christopher came in. He looked at me like I was beneath him, and a smug smile dangled on his lips.

Cruel Woman

He clicked his tongue. "I envy useless guys like you. You can survive anywhere. I can't, though. I can't even sleep if my bed's not made of velvet."

I had nothing but a freezing glare for him. "Get out."

That only made his smile bigger. However, the dark cruelty in his eyes shone in contrast against his grin. "It's not your fault you couldn't get Yvonne pregnant."

My heart sank. "What do you mean?"

"She's been lacing your food with spermicide. It's enough to make you sterile forever." He leaned closer and whispered into my ear, "She had it all planned out. Once you become sterile, she'll have enough reason to divorce you and take your money. Then, she'll marry me."

So that was it. That was why we could never have our own children! Fury pulsed through my veins, filling my body with enough strength to stand back up. I slammed my palm right into Christopher's cheek. "You bastards!"

He staggered backward, but then a smirk curled his lips. He fell to the ground and let out a screeching scream. "What are you doing?"

Someone kicked the door open, and in came Yvonne with men in black.

"Christopher!" She held up Shawn, but when she noticed the mark on his face, she flew into a rage. "What did you do to him, Shawn?"

Christopher accused me through tears, "H-He's trying to kill me!"

I snapped, "Bullshit! You tripped and fell over yourself!"

Yvonne did not want to listen to my explanation. She was staring at me darkly. "Men, tie him up!"

The men in black came and pinned me down against the ground, then they tied up my hands. "Yvonne, you scheming bitch! You've been spiking my food to make me sterile?"

That startled her, but she regained her cool cruelty easily. "Yes, and what are you going to do about it? Men like you don't deserve to give me a baby."

She took a whip from the wall. "I'll make you pay for hurting Shawn." Sneering, she swung that whip down on my back.

The pain made me shout. A bloody wound cracked open on my back.

"This is for Shawn!" And the second whip came.

They fell on me like boulders crashing through the sky. The pain knocked me out eventually, but she splashed ice-cold water on my face to make me wake up.

The flogging did not stop until she'd lashed me ninety-nine times. By then, I was covered in a thick crimson blanket. I crumpled to the ground, barely hanging on to life.

Yvonne tossed her bloodstained whip away. "Take him to the courthouse. Drag him all the way there if you must. He will confess to his crimes today."

As she ordered, I was dragged through the ground like some sort of sack, and they stuffed me into the car.

The seat was not comfortable at all. It was rough, harsh, and rubbed against my wounds. I nearly fainted again.

…

Morning had arrived by the time we got to the courthouse.

Yvonne used her money to have the trial started sooner than scheduled. The moment I was taken into the room, Yvonne's lawyer stood up immediately like they'd been waiting for this.

"Your Honor, my client confesses to his crimes. Please announce your verdict as soon as possible."

The judge was going to make the announcement, but then the room's doors flung open.

Everyone turned around. Rachel came in with her lawyers and medical staff. She was dressed in custom-made clothes and radiated the air of a ruler, but when she looked at me, she was heartbroken.

"As the plaintiff, I now announce that all charges are dropped. Also, I request medical aid on behalf of my fiance, Shawn Pearson."