The Scorned Bride: His Cruel Vows

Chapter 7- Back Again

Thalia's Pov

“How dare you?” Corinne said, glaring at me. I only stopped, but didn't turn back to face her.

“Thalia, I think you're misunderstanding your position inside this house. You're not Adrian's wife, you're a prisoner. Someone who is getting punished for what she had done, what sort of attitude do you have now?”

I didn't say a word. No matter what I said, they all didn't care anyways.

“You should have the proper attitude and approach to things, Thalia. After killing Aria, don't expect to just go scot-free.” Dory cut in, “Adrian married you to punish you, so act like you're being punished.” Dory also stood up from where she was seated. I could hear her walk towards me.

When she reached me, I raised my head up to meet her eyes. The hate I saw in her eyes wasn't as much as Adrian's, but it wasn't less either.

She leaned forward, our noses almost touching, “If you know what's good for you, then you better behave yourself.” She whispered, bringing her hands up to my shoulders. The moment her palms touched me, she pinched me hard.

Out of surprise, I jumped and pushed her away, bringing my hands up to cover my shoulders. Her fingers left two nail prints on me. Dory liked to have stiletto nails so I almost bled from how hard she pinched me.

Dory stumbled, falling to the ground.

“Dory!” Seth and Corinne instantly rushed towards her to help her up. The moment she was up on her feet, a sharp, deafening sound rang through the quiet dining room. Corinne's hands were raised, fire in her eyes as she glared at me.

My head snapped to the side from the force of the slap. My hand immediately flew to my burning cheek, my skin instantly throbbing with a stinging pain. I stood there, frozen, holding my cheek and desperately trying to keep the tears from falling out of my eyes. My vision blurred, but I forced myself to stare straight ahead at them, refusing to let them see me cry.

“How dare you lay your hands on my daughter!” Corinne screamed, her face flushed red with absolute fury as she pulled Dory behind her. “You ungrateful, evil little brat! First you kill Aria, and now you attack Dory right in front of my eyes?”

I couldn't even form the words to defend myself. Dory was standing behind her mother, smirking quietly while pressing a hand to her hip as if she was injured from the light push.

I swallowed hard, the taste of blood faint on the inside of my mouth where my teeth had scraped against my cheek. Holding my stinging face, I looked at the three of them, Corinne, Seth, and Dory.

A cold realization washed over me. So this was the family I had been wanting to fit in with all these years.

My mind briefly drifted back to when I was first brought into this family years ago. Back then, after my parents died in a car accident and because they were friends to my parents, they had opened their doors to me. Corinne used to smile at me, Seth used to talk to me nicely, and they actually acted like they loved me. I had genuinely believed I had found a real home again. But then Aria came around.

The moment Aria entered their lives, everything changed in a heartbeat. All the warmth vanished, replaced by cold shoulders and sharp glares. And after the accident that made Aria run away, their subtle dislike turned into outright hatred. Till now, they had never stopped hating me, blaming me for every single tragedy in their lives.

Seth took a step toward me, his face twisted in disgust. Before I could back away, he reached out and jabbed his thumb directly into the exact same spot on my shoulder that Dory had just pinched.

A sharp pain shot through my body, making me gasp out loud. His heavy nail dug straight into the fresh wound Dory had left behind.

“Listen to me very carefully, Thalia,” Seth growled, leaning in so close I could smell the coffee on his breath. “You are going to regret ever marrying Adrian. You think signing that marriage certificate gave you a safety net? It didn't. And if you dare tell Adrian a single word about what happens in this house, I swear to God you’re going to regret it even more.”

I stared at him through my blurred eyes, holding back a painful laugh. Tell Adrian? Seth was actually worried I would run to Adrian and complain? Did he really think Adrian cared about me?

Adrian hated me so much that he couldn't even stand to breathe the same air as me for more than a few minutes. He wouldn't even listen to a single word coming out of my mouth. He would probably applaud them if he found out they were tormenting me. Why on earth would I bother telling him in the first place? It was completely pointless.

When I didn't say anything and just kept staring at the floor in silence, Corinne seemed to get even more irritated by my lack of response.

“You think playing mute is going to save you?” Corinne sneered coldly. She turned her head toward the hallway and yelled, “Someone! Come here!” Two housemaids quickly ran into the dining room, bowing their heads nervously.

“Take this girl up to her room,” Corinne commanded, her voice cold and merciless. “Lock her inside and do not give her anything to eat or drink today. Let her stay in the dark and think about what she has done as punishment. If I catch anyone sneaking food to her, you will be fired on the spot.”

“Yes, Madam,” the maids whispered softly.

The two maids stepped up to me. They didn't show any hesitation or sympathy. They grabbed my arms roughly, manhandling me as they dragged me out of the dining room and forced me up the long flight of stairs. My body was already so weak from lack of food and sleep that I couldn't even fight back, even if I wanted to. My feet dragged against the steps, every movement pulling at the painful wound on my shoulder.

They shoved me inside my bedroom, and before I could even turn around, the heavy wooden door slammed shut. A second later, I heard the sharp, distinct sound of the key turning in the lock from the outside.

It was completely quiet again. I didn't try to scream or beg them to let me out. I knew no one in this house would listen to me anyway.

Instead, I dragged my feet over to the edge of the bed and sat down quietly. I reached up with my shaking hand, gently touching my left shoulder. When I pulled my fingers away, they were slick with fresh, red blood. Dory’s sharp nails had actually cut deep into my skin, and Seth pushing against it had only made the tear worse.

Not only was I starving, but I was also injured. “I need to clean this up,” I whispered to no one in particular.

I slowly stood up and walked over to the closet. With trembling fingers, I unbuttoned my top and took off my clothes, letting them fall to the floor. I grabbed a clean towel and walked into the cold bathroom, turning on the shower so I could wash away the blood from my skin.

The warm water stung badly when it hit the open cuts on my shoulder, making me squeeze my eyes shut and bite my lip to keep from crying out loud. I washed myself as quickly as I could, feeling the water drain the last bit of energy out of my body.

After stepping out of the shower, I wrapped a soft robe around myself, drying my hair with the towel. Just as I walked back into the bedroom, a sudden sound made me freeze in my tracks.

The soft click of the bedroom door turning echoed through the room. My heart instantly slammed against my ribs. I pulled the robe tighter around my neck, staring at the door in terror, expecting Seth or Corinne to walk back in to hurt me again.

The door slowly swung open and a woman walked into the room, holding a silver tray. I blinked in shock, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Marge?” I gasped out, my voice cracking with disbelief.