Chapter 6

"Sweetheart, you've been waiting a while, huh?" One of them snatched her glasses and ground them under his shoe. "Come here. We'll take good care of you!" "Relax. You're going to love it." Their laughter closed in around her. Their faces blurred into those of the thugs from the rainy night. Celine's mind went blank. Her eyes burned with terror as she stumbled back, her voice cracking. "No... Stay away..." The men leered, closing the distance, until one seized her arm. "Play nice, slut, and we'll make it good for you." They shoved Celine onto the table and clawed at her clothes with rough, violent hands. She thrashed wildly, knocking over a wine bottle. Shards of glass flew, slicing her skin as blood welled up. Her clothes were torn away, exposing the pale flesh beneath. The men grew even more frenzied, roaring like animals. Inside, Celine went numb. She stopped resisting, and her eyes became empty and lifeless. All she felt was the cold seeping deeper into her limbs. "If only I could die," she thought. Her eyelids fluttered closed, tears tracing down her face. "Stop!" Stellan's voice exploded with fury. He stood in the doorway, his expression dark, his eyes burning with murderous rage. The men froze at his shout, gaping at him in shock. Stellan charged forward. He threw them aside, stripped off his coat, and draped it over Celine. Scooping her shaking form into his arms, he hurried out of the private room. Celine's vision blurred. As darkness swallowed her, she barely heard Stellan's desperate cries. "Celine! Celine!" … Celine opened her eyes slowly, the familiar shapes of her bedroom blurred in her vision. The softness of the mattress beneath her did nothing to ease the searing pain spreading through her body, reminding her of what she'd endured not long ago. Horrific memories flooded her, sending an uncontrollable shiver down her spine. She remembered the men forcing her onto the table, their rough hands tearing at her clothes. And then, just when she'd lost all hope, Stellan had come. But why would he save her? After all, she knew that he hated her. Hadn't he sworn to make her life hell? A sudden ping from a phone interrupted Celine's thoughts. Blindly reaching out, she found her glasses. Its lenses were cracked. With her glasses on, she spotted Stellan's phone on the nightstand. Almost without thinking, she reached for it. The screen lit up, displaying a picture of her. She went still, momentarily transfixed by the image. Her own smiling face looked back at her, radiant with happiness. Stellan had snapped that photo, saying that he wanted to keep her smile with him wherever he went. Celine swiped the phone's surface, bringing up the password screen. She typed in Lucia's birthday. However, it didn't work. Pausing, she tried the date of Lucia's death instead. The phone unlocked. Lucia's face appeared on the home screen, looking up at her. It turned out to be true—Stellan had carefully constructed this façade just to torment her. The sheer effort he'd put into the deception was almost admirable. Another message flashed on the phone. Celine tapped it, opening Stellan's group chat with his closest friends. What she saw sent an icy numbness through her limbs.