The Wife He Treated Like a Dog

Chapter 4 Ten Days at Most

Jade didn't die. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed. The wounds on her body had been carefully treated, every bandage neat and precise.

For a brief moment, she thought she had been saved. Five minutes later, Jade wished she had died in that private room at the club.

Several men wearing masks suddenly burst into her hospital room. Before she could react, one of them injected something into her arm.

Her muscles locked. Even her fingertips refused to move. She could only lie there, fully conscious, completely helpless, as they stripped the clothes from her body. Black camera lenses surrounded her. As a puppet with its strings pulled tight, Jade was forced into one degrading pose after another while the men shouted crude instructions and laughed excitedly.

She wanted to scream, vomit. But her body wouldn't respond. It felt like being trapped inside a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. Tears streamed silently down her temples as she stared at the ceiling.

She didn't understand what she had done to deserve this. She kept repeating the same desperate prayer. 'Please... Anyone... Please save me!'

She didn't know how long it lasted. When Jade finally jolted awake, she was drenched in sweat. Her chest heaved violently as she struggled to breathe. Felix stood at the foot of her hospital bed, looking down at her.

"What's wrong? Bad dream?" The gentleness in his voice was something Jade rarely heard.

She nodded slowly, still dazed. She wasn't even sure anymore whether what had happened earlier was real or just part of the nightmare.

Felix extended his hand. Jade hesitated before placing her hand in his. The next second, he pulled her up by the waist and dragged her toward the floor-to-ceiling window.

"I prepared a little surprise for you. Let's count down together. Three... Two... One. So? Do you like it?" Felix whispered with a smile in Jade's ear.

Jade followed his gaze toward the giant outdoor screen across the street. The advertisement that usually played there had disappeared. In its place was a photograph of a naked woman.

Her face wasn't visible, but Jade recognized the red mole near her collarbone. And the patches of frostbitten skin on her body. The woman in the photo was her!

The world seemed to drop out from beneath her feet. Cold spread through her limbs as if someone had pulled every bone from her body. She collapsed weakly against Felix.

Felix pushed her back onto the hospital bed. Then he bent down and bit hard into her collarbone. Hearing her choked gasp, Felix smiled in satisfaction.

"Remember. This is just a small warning. I don't want there to be a next time."

He leaned down again, ready to continue. But the always obedient Jade suddenly began struggling violently beneath him.

"Mr. Garza... Aren't you worried Naomi might get angry?"

Felix's expression instantly turned cold. He grabbed Jade's chin and forced her to look at him. There was something in her eyes, emptiness, despair, that irritated him for reasons he couldn't explain.

Felix released her abruptly and stood up, turning away to straighten his suit. "You're right. While Naomi is hospitalized, you'll take care of her. Remember... Only a well-behaved pet deserves to stay by my side. Understood?"

Without waiting for an answer, Felix left.

Jade sat quietly for a long time, forcing her breathing to slow. Finally, she picked up her phone and called Asher Pearson.

"Jade, with your beauty and talent, why stay somewhere you're treated so badly? Even birds choose their trees carefully. You should come work for me. I promise you won't regret it."

Asher Pearson was Felix's biggest rival in business. Jade had stolen several billion-dollar contracts from Asher for Felix. Strangely enough, Asher never seemed to hate her for it. If anything, he seemed fascinated.

Asher had said things like this to Jade more than once, and once he even did it deliberately in front of Felix.

At the time, Felix was drunkenly hugging a petite, gorgeous girl. When Asher said those words, Felix had turned toward Jade. Jade immediately looked down and said submissively, "Being allowed to stay by Mr. Garza's side is already the greatest honor for me."

Even so, Felix had still exploded afterward. He put a pet collar around her neck. And kept her in bed for three days straight. Over and over, he whispered the same sentence in her ear. "If you're going to be my pet, then be loyal. Understand?"

"Jade... You calling me first is a real surprise."

"I want to leave Felix. Can you help me?" Jade got straight to the point.

She knew Felix would never agree to a divorce. Even if she somehow managed to get one, finding her again would be effortless for him. What she needed was to disappear completely.

"Of course, I'd be happy to. But Jade... I'm a businessman." Asher paused, then continued. "I don't make losing deals."

"What do you want?"

"You. I fell for you the first time I saw you. Don't tell me you doubt my sincerity?"

Asher's tone was extremely frivolous. Jade couldn't help but sneer. She didn't believe a word he said.

But it didn't matter. Right now, whatever Asher wanted, she would give.

"Fine, I'm yours... How long do you need to prepare?"

"Ten days at most," Asher said firmly.

"Good. Then it's a deal. See you then."