[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603134E5B19-25":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},25,7,"Chapter 7: A Night of Scars and Sacrifice","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Reality snapped back into focus for Celine as the sounds of kissing from down the hall finally faded.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She turned, finding only Isabella left in the corridor.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just as Celine was about to slip away, Isabella strolled over, a smug look on her face.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“See that?” Isabella sneered. “How’s it feel to watch your hubby smooching another chick? If I were you, I’d have ditched that clingy act ages ago.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine, however, remained unfazed by her supposed rival’s taunts.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She whispered softly, “Just a little longer.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Isabella, not quite catching it, frowned, about to demand what she’d said. But then, a ruckus erupted from the banquet hall.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Glass shattered, bottles crashed.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Stop fighting, Dante!”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Hearing his name, both women’s expressions shifted. They bolted towards the sound.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The banquet hall was a wreck. Dante was like a man possessed, pinning Isabella’s male companion to the floor and laying into him. The sheer dark energy radiating from him kept everyone else at bay.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Terrified he’d get seriously hurt, Celine didn’t hesitate. She rushed forward, wrapping her arms around his waist.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Stop, please!”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In the fray, chairs grazed her legs and waist.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But Celine held on tight. Only then did a few other men finally pull the other guy away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Dante, are you okay?”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She frantically checked him, only to be shoved away with brutal force.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Get lost!”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante stormed out, his face a thundercloud.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Not long after, bodyguards from the Williams family escorted both him and Celine back to the family estate.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante’s grandfather had heard about the night’s fiasco and was absolutely fuming.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He’d hoped Dante would help squash the rumors, not trash the whole party.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The old man was livid, threatening to enforce family discipline.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Kneel!”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante was dragged to the family chapel. His grandfather, whip in hand, bellowed, “Today, I’ll teach you a lesson on behalf of your late parents!”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The whip cracked against the floor.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante didn’t even flinch, showing zero fear.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Enraged, the old man raised the whip to strike.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But then, he was stopped.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine had appeared from nowhere, throwing herself in front of Dante, shielding him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Grandfather, please, don’t!”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Step aside!” the old man roared. “Today, family rules will be enforced!”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But Celine, usually so compliant, stood her ground. Protecting Dante, she declared, “If you must punish someone, punish me. It’s my fault for not managing my husband. I deserve it.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Dante’s face was icy. “Celine, get lost. I don’t need you…”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She cut him off. “Whether it’s family discipline or kneeling penance, I’ll take it.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It was all she could do for Dante.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Before the ten-year mark, all the suffering should be hers.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Only then could she leave with a clear conscience.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Seeing her resolve, the old man’s fury intensified. He muttered “Fine” several times.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Then I’ll grant your wish.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He ordered the bodyguards to take Dante away and lock him in solitary.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As for Celine, she knelt on the ground, taking thirty-three lashes in his place.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">This time, the old man showed no mercy; each strike was fueled by pure rage.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine was whipped until blood covered her. Yet, she never cried out for mercy. With every lash, she repeated her plea:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Please, Grandfather, forgive Dante.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">By the time the thirty-three lashes ended, her face was completely ashen.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">“Have you thought this through? You still want to bear his punishment?”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Celine nodded weakly. “I do so willingly.”\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The old man stared at her, exasperated and furious, before finally leaving the chapel, leaving her alone to kneel.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Her body was a mess of welts, the blood soaking the prayer cushion beneath her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But Celine endured, kneeling through the entire night until her vision blurred.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She bit her lip hard, fighting to stay conscious.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just hold on a little longer, Celine. Just a few more days.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272932041]