CHAPTER 40

Two days? Three or four? I can't remember how many days I've been here, locked up in one of Perses' torture chambers. My throat is parched, and I can feel my lips cracking from dehydration.

"Mrs. Collazo?"

I remained lying on the dirty floor, emotionlessly staring at the rusty bars. I waited for them to peek through because I knew they would bring me some food again.

There was very little food and water. Right now, I just needed water because my throat was so dry. I tried to sit up even though I felt weak. My body was heavy, and my vision was a bit blurry, even as I moved slowly.

"Get her. Hurry up," I heard his companion order as they peered through the bars to check on me. They see my tangled hair, dirty gown, dirty face, pale lips, and the noticeable weakness of my body.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked them, frowning.

They didn't answer me. Instead, he just laughed at me when he entered the cell. He grabbed my jaw roughly and brought his face close to mine. I couldn't help but feel disgusted by his smell. He was so stinky, especially with the strong smell of gunpowder on his body.

"You've been in our territory for several days, but you still won't tell us your husband's real name?" he whispered fiercely to me. "We'll make you pay if you don't confess."

I looked at him sharply. "You're the ones who will pay when I get out of here," I coldly replied.

The man laughed slightly at me. "You're still brave even though you're here, huh?"

I cried out in pain when I felt his fist in my stomach. I coughed several times and held my stomach where he punched me. It felt like his fist was still there, and the pain wouldn't go away.

He quickly and roughly removed the chains from my right foot. A weak groan escaped my lips as he gathered my hair in his hand and dragged me out of the cell.

"L-let me go!" I shouted at him, even though my body was weak. "Let m-me go, I said—"

I couldn't move immediately when he just pushed me to the floor. I fell face-first and gasped for breath from my shouting. I glared at the man who did that to me and slowly got up from falling on the floor, but I couldn't because he grabbed my hair and pushed my face down harder.

I groaned on the floor while he forcefully pushed my head against it as if he wanted to bury my face in the floor. He banged my head on the floor several times. Pain spread through my head, and it didn't go away immediately. It lasted for a few seconds until it wouldn't go away because he kept doing it until I couldn't groan anymore from the pain.

My vision blurred for a moment, and I felt something liquid running down my nose. My trembling hand raised it to touch the liquid that came out of my nose and I closed my eyes tightly when I realized it was blood. My nose bled from the several times he banged my face on the cold floor.

"That's what happens to those who fight back," he said to me, laughing. He lifted my head by pulling my hair. "Do you think you can still fight back in your situation now? You'll never escape our territory, Mrs. Collazo. There are many of Perses' men patrolling outside this mansion. We know you can't escape anything, if you try to slip through."

Weakly, I glared at him sharply. "F-fuck you!" I cursed at him, even though I was having trouble speaking.

He just grinned at me. "I won't decline that if that's what you want," he jokingly replied and laughed slightly.

"Get that out of the box so we can start doing what we should do. I've been patient with Atlas' wife for too long. She won't tell everything," the man impatiently said to his companion, who was casually sitting on a black monoblock chair.

"W-what are you going to do?" I asked them weakly.

I followed the man's gaze as he walked towards the old, large box. My eyebrows furrowed, and I didn't hide the fear I felt as I saw what he took from it. A black, long whip. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as various scenarios came to my mind.

They're going to use it on me, and I know there's no escape. Too weak to fight back, I can only accept my fate. I won't reveal Atlas' true name, not even if it kills me.

A deafening crack filled the room as the man swung the whip through the air. His grip tightened around my arm as he dragged me to the center of the room. The gown ripped, exposing my bare back.

"Give me the whip," he commanded.

My heart pounded as a cold dread washed over me. Every nerve in my body tensed.

"We'll start thinking that you're not important to your husband, Mrs. Collazo. And why? Because he isn't here yet to save you? Why is he letting us hurt you?" he sneered.

With a sharp intake of breath, I braced myself. The sting of the whip tore through my skin, a searing pain that echoed through my body. The rhythmic crack of the whip was all I could hear. I fought to suppress my cries, my body trembling uncontrollably.

"We thought he'd be here to save you, but what happened? It seems your beloved husband abandoned you."

I remained silent as he lashed my back again. I couldn't react as blow after blow landed, forcing me to collapse onto the cold floor. I gasped for breath, my lungs burning.

A searing pain seared across my back, feeling more like a thousand cuts than a few lashes. A warm, sticky liquid trickled down my spine—my blood.

"You still won't tell us your husband's real name, will you?!" he roared, his patience clearly snapped.

"I-I'll never tell you what Atlas' real name is," I wheezed, my voice weak and trembling.

I refused to show them my weakness, even though I wanted nothing more than to cry out in pain. Every movement sent a jolt of agony through my body.

"We've been patient with you, woman! Are you going to talk or not!? I'm running out of patience!" he bellowed.

I squeezed my eyes shut again as another searing lash connected with my back. I couldn't suppress a gasp and tried to crawl away, but he stomped on my wound. I cried out in pain, clenching my fists. My breathing was ragged as I glared at the floor, determined to endure the agony silently.

I wouldn't let them see me weak, no matter how much it hurt.

The pain was excruciating, as if my back was being sliced open repeatedly. With each stomp, it felt like my back was being impaled. I struggled to remain still, my body trembling.

"Do you think torturing his wife like this is right?" I heard one man ask the other. "Maybe we should just kill her? Her husband is sure to show up then. We're wasting our time on her."

"Let's wait. Perses hasn't said anything about killing her yet. She'll break eventually."

My hearing began to fade as if they were miles away, even though they were right beside me. I reached out to strike the man who'd whipped me but couldn't. His companion had placed his boot on my head, pressing down. They took turns stepping on me, their weight crushing my body.

Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision. I'd vowed not to cry, but the pain was too much. As my vision faded, I slipped into unconsciousness, overwhelmed by pain and exhaustion.

-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

One week later...

A splash of cold water jolted me awake. I couldn't move immediately, and my body arched as I felt the sharp sting of a whip striking my back. That's when I realized I had lost consciousness because of the torture they did to me.

They lashed my back repeatedly—so many times I couldn't even count. The pain became so unbearable that I eventually blacked out. Throughout the entire day I spent in this place, I didn't utter a single word, and I think that's what infuriated them the most.

The only sounds they heard from me were faint groans and gasps whenever the whip struck my back. Another wound had been added to my already injured back, even though the previous ones hadn't healed yet.

"You're still not going to talk, huh?!" the man shouted angrily at me.

Even though my eyelids felt heavy, I forced them open despite the effort it took. There were days they didn't give me food, only water. So, what strength could I possibly have left? I was utterly drained.

No food and barely any water. I could hardly speak or move properly because of how weak I was. That's exactly what they wanted—to weaken me, hoping it would make me confess.

Idiots. As if I would ever reveal Atlas' real name. I'd rather die gasping for breath before that happens, and even if it did, I'd take that secret with me to the grave.

"You've got such a s-stubborn head, huh? No matter how much you try, I won't give you the answer you're a-asking for," I said weakly, struggling to endure the pain in my back.

I was slumped on the floor, my hands bound tightly in front of me. The restraints were so tight that my hands were nearly numb. My gown was in shambles—the back completely torn apart—and I had to adjust the fabric in front just to keep my breast covered.

"You're still answering us rudely, even in your weakened state," the man said with a mocking laugh. "If only you could see yourself in a mirror, Mrs. Collazo. You're barely hanging on, and it looks like you only have a few days left here. Seems like your husband doesn't care anymore and has completely abandoned you."

"Y-you're stupid. What do you want me to say? W-would you prefer if I spoke to you in a sweet tone?" I replied sarcastically, my voice trembling from exhaustion. It felt like the little energy I had left was wasted just by talking to him.

I saw his eyes darken at my words. He grabbed my hair and yanked me to my feet. His strength made it easy for him to lift me up using just my hair, leaving my limp body swaying in front of him while he still held onto it.

The sharp pain from my scalp was unbearable. I shut my eyes tightly as his heavy hand struck my cheek. The impact left my cheek numb and my ear ringing. The corner of my lip split open, and I could taste the metallic tang of my own blood.

"Will you keep talking back?!" he shouted at me. My head snapped to the side again as his heavy hand struck my cheek once more.

"You're barely holding on, yet you still manage to mock me when you answer me! If you'd just tell me your husband's real name, you wouldn't have to go through all this!"

I couldn't muster a response to his words, too weak to speak. My body crumpled to the floor as he finally released my hair. I landed on my stomach, choosing not to lie fully on my back—it would only worsen the pain from the wounds there. Even the slightest brush against them sent electric waves of agony coursing through me, the kind that lingered and pulsed with unbearable intensity.

My entire body trembled from the pain of the countless wounds I had endured. I knew my back was a horrifying mess of injuries, and I had no desire to see it. I could already imagine how grotesque it must look.

"Why are you taking so long to get down here, huh?" I heard the man yell toward the open door of the torture chamber.

I turned my head slightly to see who he was talking to. My brow furrowed as I noticed someone entering, something—or someone—in their right hand. I couldn't quite make them out at first since they hadn't fully stepped inside.

"Some fool broke in. Came into the mansion alone, as if that's a smart move. Who charges in solo like that? What an idiot," the man muttered.

I shut my eyes tightly as a fresh wave of pain flared from my back. When I opened them again, the second man had fully entered the room. My eyes widened as I finally saw who he was dragging along.

The person's hands were bound in front of them, His golden hair disheveled and dirtied, his once-white shirt stained with mud. His lip had a cut and the same goes for his eyebrows; I could see the blood coming out from there. When his gaze landed on me, particularly on my bloodied, wounded back, his eyes widened in horror.

"Hexia," I heard Oceanus said.

"Oceanus..."

SHANGPU