We go to the next shop, and I gasp at the beautiful dresses. It’s the sort of place my mother must have come to get her gowns for my father’s events. “We attend the ceremonies,” says Ava, “and you need to look your best.” She picks a short black dress with a low-cut neck. It’ll show more skin than I’m comfortable with, but I remain quiet as she also picks a loose-fitted dress that will come to my knees but hang off me like the others she picked.
We move to the underwear section, and she picks plain white cotton. She then gets two nightdresses that will come to my ankles and practically cover me from head to foot. It suits me just fine—the last thing I want is her husband seeing me in anything that’ll give him the wrong idea.
When we get back to the house, dinner is ready, and I’m led into the dining room where everyone is already seated. Silas sits at the head of the table with Ava to his left, and he points to the empty chair on his right for me.
My stomach growls as Aurelia serves each of us with roast beef, and then we help ourselves to vegetables from the bowls in the centre. I’m pleased when she joins us, realising that at least Silas isn’t as cruel as my father.
We eat in silence, and once dinner is finished, Silas tells Ava to go to bed. She does so without question. Pearl and Katherine leave the table, and Aurelia begins to clear the plates. I stand to help, but Silas takes my hand in his and smiles. “Let’s go into the library,” he says, and a nervous lump forms in my throat. I trail behind as he leads me to another room, and Adam and Reginald follow.
They close the double doors, and Silas pulls me close to him. “Finally, we’re alone.”
I glance at his sons and mutter, “Well, not exactly.”
His arm wraps around my waist, holding me to him while his spare hand runs through my hair. “Pretend they’re not here.”
“That’s hard to do,” I almost whisper.
His hand moves down my arm and to my dress. He begins to gather it, pulling it up, and my heart slams harder. “Actually,” I say, forcing a smile as I press a hand to his chest, “I’m bleeding.”
He drops the dress, narrowing his eyes. “Are you trying to put me off?”
I shake my head. “No, it’s just that after earlier with the warrior—” He slaps me so hard, my ears ring. I clasp my face, fighting the tears that spring to my eyes.
“You were told not to mention that again.”
He shoves me away, and Adam catches me, smirking as his arms wrap around my waist. “We should check,” he tells Silas, who waves a dismissive hand but nods.
“I’m telling the truth,” I argue as Reginald lifts my dress. I try to push him away, but Adam grabs my hands, holding them at my sides. I begin to hyperventilate as the earlier incident seeps through my mind, stealing my breath and forcing me to relive it.
Reginald taps my cheek a few times, and I blink, inhaling sharply. “Stay with us,” he snaps.
He tugs my cotton knickers down and stares at the blood. “Does it matter if she is?” he asks, looking back at his father. Silas huffs and joins him, looking into my underwear with contempt.
“Go to bed,” he snaps, and Adam releases me. I’m so relieved, I almost fall to my knees as tears trickle down my cheeks and I rush from the room. “Aurelia,” he bellows, “come here.” I turn back just as she rushes from the kitchen. We exchange a look, and she gives a sad smile before disappearing into the room. Adam and Reginald leave, closing the doors. I turn and rush up the rest of the stairs, not wanting to risk them ignoring their father.
Ava is sitting in bed reading. She sighs heavily when I enter the room and slams the book closed before placing it on the dresser. I go to the bathroom and change into the awful nightdress she chose and then go back into the room. She watches me as I go to lift the sheets back on the opposite side of the bed. “I don’t think so,” she snaps, grabbing a thin pillow and throwing it my way. “Floor.”
I hold the pillow to my chest and stare at the spot beside the bed. “You want me to sleep on the floor?”
She smiles cruelly. “Yes.”
I sigh, dropping the pillow and lying down. I hear her moving, then the cold air begins to blow through the air conditioning, and I roll my eyes. I don’t blame her for hating me as she’s his wife, but seriously, if she thinks I want to be here, she’s delusional.
I drift off to sleep, my eyes heavy from the day’s events. I wake sometime later because the light flicks on, flooding the room in white. I blink a few times, covering my eyes until they’ve adjusted. Silas is standing over me. “Why are you on the floor?” he demands. I slowly sit and glance over at Ava, who looks away.
“Erm, I wasn’t sure where to sleep,” I whisper.
“Did Ava tell you to sleep here?” I stare at the floor, unable to lie but equally unable to speak the truth. He reaches down and takes me under the arms, pulling me to my feet. “You’re freezing,” he snaps, pulling me to him and wrapping his arms around me. For a second, I forget myself and close my eyes, enjoying his warmth.
“Ava, swap places with Wynter,” he orders.
“Silas, surely you don’t believe her over me?” she asks.
“Wynter might be pregnant,” he bellows. “She cannot sleep on the floor, especially with no blankets.”
She sighs heavily, grabbing a throw and making her way around the bed. Silas takes it from her. “I don’t think so.” She slowly drops to the floor, and he gives a satisfied smile, lifting the sheets back and patting the bed for me to slide in. I do, and he gets undressed, throwing his clothes over the chair. I try not to look, but his manhood is right there, and when he sees me staring, he smirks and climbs in beside me. “Where did you get that godawful nightdress?” he asks, pressing the boost button on the air conditioning so it blasts colder.
“Ava chose it,” I mutter.
