Chapter 13: Do You Know What You Did Wrong?
Caroline’s voice was filled with defiance as she confronted David.
“I’m not the kind of woman you think I am. Do you even realize what your situation was when I married you? If marrying you was such a great honor, would it have been my turn?”
David’s expression grew darker with every word she spoke. No one dared to speak to him like this. Her boldness only seemed to provoke him more.
“Go on, keep talking,” David said, crossing his arms. His gaze was sharp, cold, and calculating. “Let me hear your honest thoughts.”
Caroline pressed on, her words sharp with frustration.
“David, you’re powerful and untouchable now, but back then, you couldn’t find a single person in the entire city willing to be your wife. You know that better than anyone.”
David’s eyebrow quirked in mockery.
“Should I be thanking you for your kindness?” he replied sarcastically. “Hmm?”
“No, that’s not necessary. We…” Caroline began, but before she could finish, David interrupted her with a cruel smirk.
“It is necessary,” he said with chilling calmness.
David leaned in slightly, his voice turning even colder.
“Do you need me to remind you what happens to those who oppose me?”
Caroline’s heart sank. The weight of his words hit her like a cold wave.
Her adoptive siblings, Marilyn and Andrew, were still locked away in prison, their lives in David’s hands. She knew better than anyone how ruthless David could be when it came to maintaining control. Anyone who had ever doubted or underestimated him had disappeared, erased from his world.
And now here she was, foolishly provoking him with her outburst.
“You should spend some time reflecting,” David said coldly, his voice deliberate and unyielding. “My wife.”
Who had given her the courage to confront him like this?
She had angered him, and now David was determined to break her. Her sharp edges needed to be dulled, and her defiance crushed.
“Someone come here,” David ordered without a hint of emotion.
The door opened, and a servant entered.
“Yes, Sir?” the servant asked.
“Lock her in the dark room,” David ordered, his voice hard. “She can come out when she knows what she did wrong.”
The servant nodded and complied immediately.
Caroline was quickly dragged away and thrown into a pitch-black room. The heavy door slammed shut, locking her in complete darkness.
Reflect? Apologize?
Caroline sat on the cold, unforgiving floor, confusion and frustration swirling inside her. What was she supposed to apologize for?
Her biggest mistake, she thought bitterly, had been marrying him in the first place.
Days passed. The oppressive darkness and silence gnawed at her, wearing down her will. Her body ached from hunger and thirst, but her spirit remained defiant.
Paul came by every day, his voice trying to coax her into submission.
“Ma’am, just apologize. Admit your mistake. Maybe Mr. David will let you out.”
But Caroline refused to lower her head. She would not give in.
David, in turn, cut off all access to food and water. The hunger gnawed at her, the thirst searing her throat, but her resolve remained unbroken. She had made up her mind: She would not bow to him.
Every day, Paul visited her, asking the same question:
“Ma’am, Mr. David wants to know. Do you realize what you did wrong?”
Exhausted, weak, and lying on the cold floor, Caroline could barely lift her head. Her lips, cracked and dry, whispered faintly.
“My mistake… was marrying him.”
Paul sighed heavily, locking the door behind him as he left. Caroline knew exactly what David wanted to hear.
He wanted her to surrender, to acknowledge his dominance. To admit that everything—her life, her choices, her very existence—was under his control. But Caroline couldn’t do it.
The Brooks family had humiliated, betrayed, and exploited her, but she had endured it all because she owed them a debt for raising her. But that debt had been repaid long ago, and she would not allow them—or anyone else—to control her anymore.
As for David, she owed him nothing. They were on the verge of divorce, and once that was final, she would reclaim her freedom. She would walk away, free in both body and soul.
Her parched lips parted, a flicker of determination in her eyes. She would survive this. She had to.
At the Ellison residence, Paul returned from his daily visit to the dark room, surprised to find Harper sitting on the sofa in the living room.
“Madam Harper, if we had known you were coming, we would’ve prepared to welcome you properly,” Paul said, hurrying to greet her. “Please forgive us for any oversight.”
Harper waved a hand dismissively.
“It’s fine,” she replied casually. “I decided to visit on a whim.”
“It’s truly unfortunate. Mr. David has gone to the office and isn’t home,” Paul said apologetically.
Harper smiled, an expression that held both charm and intent.
“I’m not here to see him,” she said with a light laugh. “I came to meet his new wife.”
Her words hung in the air, pregnant with meaning.
