Chapter 3
Selene’s POV
By evening, Lucien finally showed up at my hospital room. The first thing out of his mouth was:
“Lorelei wants some of your soup. Get your ass back to the house.”
I let out a bitter laugh. “What, she’s not worried I’ll poison her anymore?”
“Selene, drop the smart–ass attitude when you talk to me. Besides, you already got what was coming to you–you really gonna try some other shit?”
Lucien snapped, his face dark with irritation.
“I’m exhausted. I don’t want to go.” I closed my eyes and refused flat out.
“Selene, don’t forget you’re nothing but a servant I pay to do what I tell you. What makes you think
you can refuse me?”
With that, he roughly yanked me out of bed again. “Don’t make me drag your pathetic ass back there
myself.”
His cold, threatening glare sent chills down my spine, like if I refused again, he’d make me regret it.
Left with no choice, I dragged my weak legs back to the Castellan estate.
Walking past the garden, I saw the remaining bluebells scattered and trampled on the ground.
The petals were wilted and covered in mud, just like me in this house.
But Lucien had promised yesterday to leave those bluebells for me. Why was I seeing this now?
Heartbreak and helplessness twisted inside me, and I couldn’t stop the tears.
“Selene, Miss Arceline got hurt in the garden yesterday. To make her feel better, Mr. Castellan had all the flowers destroyed.”
Harold saw my state and sighed heavily as he explained, his voice full of regret.
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“Of course he did,” I said bitterly.
Naturally it was because of Lorelei.
Someone like Lucien could easily find out the truth, but he chose to believe Lorelei’s lies.
Wiping away my tears, I felt completely hopeless as I numbly walked into the kitchen to make soup.
“Harold, after I deliver this soup, I’m coming back to pack and leave. Please tell Lucien I’m just taking a day off. When he asks later, then tell him about me not renewing.”
An hour later, I handed Harold the thermos with my instructions.
I was afraid Lucien would use the contract against me again. To get out early, this was my only
option.
Harold’s face was pained, but he agreed for old times‘ sake.
At the hospital, I respectfully placed the soup by Lorelei’s bedside and immediately stepped back.
“Lucien, what’s she doing? Does she think I have some contagious disease?” Lorelei complained
immediately.
“I’m terrified Miss Arceline might honor me with another soup bath. If that happens, there truly
won’t be a single unmarked spot left on my humble body. I do hope you’ll find it in your generous
heart to forgive my caution.”
Hearing this, Lucien actually looked at me with something that might have been sympathy.
Seeing his expression, Lorelei’s eyes filled with tears. “Lucien, do’people really think I’m some kind of monster? Selene was the one who screwed up before–why am I the villain here?”
Seeing her tears, Lucien’s brief sympathy immediately shifted from me to Lorelei.
He stepped forward and backhanded me across the face, snarling, “Selene, know your fucking place. If you can’t serve my wife right, whatever she does to you is what you deserve, you worthless bitch!”
The slap sent me crashing to the floor, my head slamming hard against the wall, triggering another
wave of dizziness.
“Lorelei, don’t cry. It kills me to see you upset. Let me handle this piece of trash for you, okay?” Lucien gently comforted Lorelei, then kicked me viciously in the stomach, making me vomit up
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acidic bile.
He looked at me with pure disgust. “Get the fuck out of here.”
But Lorelei said through her tears, “Lucien, what she threw up is so disgusting. The whole room reeks now. Is she doing this to spite us?”
Lucien stared at the puddle of yellow bile on the floor with revulsion. “Lick that shit up and then
crawl out of here.”
lay on the floor, not moving, drowning in humiliation. But my stomach and head hurt so badly I couldn’t even speak.
.ucien thought I was defying him again. He grabbed my hair and shoved my face toward the
uddle. “I said lick it clean–are you too stupid to understand English?”
‘he acidic vomit covered my mouth and face. Only then did Lorelei pout and say sweetly, “Okay ucien, that’s enough. Let her go. I’m not upset anymore.”
learing this, Lucien threw me outside the door like a bag of trash.
couldn’t get up. I could only cry as I slowly crawled toward the hospital exit, until I heard a nurse’s
orrified voice behind me:
Miss! Oh my God, what happened to you?”
nd then I lost consciousness again.
his time, I cursed my own weakness for losing my chance to escape.
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