[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-26032258F3A3-524":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},524,10,"Chapter 10: One Hundred Lashes of Freedom","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Inside the Memorial Chapel, the air was stagnant and oppressive.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Theft of the family signet ring. Sabotage of corporate interests. Per the Spencer Code, you are to receive one hundred lashes.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Derrick Shaw’s voice was as cold as the stone floor Elaine Miller was forced onto. Before she could steady herself, the whip sang through the air. It cracked against her back—a blinding, blistering agony that felt like fire carving through bone. A deep, jagged welt tore open, revealing the raw, red meat beneath.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Elaine collapsed, her teeth sinking into her lower lip until the metallic tang of blood flooded her mouth.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">It hurt. God, it hurt so much.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They weren't holding back. They weren't just punishing her; they were trying to put her in the ground.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Another lash descended. Blood mingled with her tears, pooling on the floor as she convulsed, her body a map of ruin.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*No. I can’t die here.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She had to escape. The final pieces were in place; she couldn’t let a hundred lashes be the end of her story.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The pain was a serrated blade in her lungs, making every ragged breath an exercise in torture. Driven by raw, animal instinct, Elaine clawed at the floor, her bloodied fingertips digging into the grout between the tiles. She dragged herself forward, a desperate, broken thing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A heavy boot slammed into her ribs, kicking her back into the dust.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She lost track of time. Whether it was minutes or hours, the world had shrunk to the rhythm of the whip and the sound of her own breaking.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When it finally stopped, Elaine lay in a pool of her own life, her pulse a fading echo.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Derrick Shaw frowned, leaning down to check her breathing. His eyes widened, and he stumbled back, tripping over his own feet. \"Oh god... we have to call Mr. Spencer. She's—\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Just then, the heavy oak doors swung open. Greta Spencer rushed in, her expression unreadable but sharp with intent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Elaine, stay with me! The doctor is almost here!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Elaine mustered the last scrap of her failing strength, her voice a brittle, shredded whisper. \"No... don't... just get me to the airfield. I have to leave...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She gripped Greta’s wrist with a trembling hand, her eyes locking onto the older woman's. \"Tell Marcellus... tell him I didn't survive the lashes.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Greta’s eyes glimmered with a rare, stinging sorrow. She squeezed Elaine's hand. \"Rest now, child. I promise you—I will make sure you are gone.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">By the time Elaine was stabilized at the hospital, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in violent streaks of bruised purple and gold. She was bundled onto a private plane before the city lights could even flicker to life.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She turned her head, casting one final look at the sprawling estate that had been her cage for seven years. The storm that had raged for days had finally broken, leaving the air washed clean and crisp.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The prison walls were shattered. For the first time, Elaine Miller was finally free.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272928474]