CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-THREE THE EXCRUCIATING PAIN 2

DAPHNE'S POV His gaze shifted to me, and the smile on his face widened. It was as if my own torment was a source of joy for him. “Daphne,” he called out, his voice mocking. “Do you see now? This is what happens when you defy me.” I glared at him, my heart pounding with a mixture of rage and despair. “You’re a monster,” I managed to choke out, my voice barely more than a whisper. “This isn’t justice. It’s cruelty.” Xander’s laugh was cold and unfeeling. “It’s what he deserves,” he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “For everything he’s done and for rejecting me.” Each lash that struck Javion felt like a physical blow to my own heart. The pain was relentless, both physical and emotional, as I watched the scene unfold before me. Each crack of the whip sliced through the air, through Javion’s skin, and through my heart. It was unbearable, the way his body jerked and trembled with every lash. His screams of pain were like daggers, tearing through my soul. I c