“Do you know where you went wrong?” she asked, looking down at me like I was something dirty.
I lowered my eyes and stayed quiet.
A loud bang hit the table. “You stupid girl!” she snapped, her voice sharp and cold. “Hudson said he’s not in a hurry to have a child and you just sat there? You didn’t even try to change his mind?”
My fingers curled slightly. Was I supposed to beg him? Force him? Didn’t he already make it clear… I meant nothing?
She opened a drawer and took out a small bottle, then slammed it in front of me. “Drink this. It’s a fertility tonic. Starting today, you take it every day and you sleep with him until you get pregnant. I don’t care what it takes.”
I stared at the bottle. In the past, I would’ve taken it without a word. But now… “I won’t take it,” I said quietly.
The room went still.
“What did you just say?” her voice dropped, dangerous.
“I won’t take it,” I repeated, lifting my head slightly. “He doesn’t want a child right now. I’m respecting that.” That was the truth. Every time we were together, he made sure there were precautions, and if something slipped, he’d make me take pills right after. I used to think that maybe he just wasn’t ready yet. Now I knew. He just didn’t want one with me. And if I was leaving, why would I tie myself to him forever?
“You’ve got some nerve?!" she said slowly, eyes narrowing. “Say that again.”
“I won’t take it.”
Her expression twisted. “You’ve gone too far!” she shouted. “As his wife, you can’t even do your duty? You can’t even give him a child? And you let him waste himself on that woman. All that effort, all that time, all for her and her damn family. You didn’t stop him once.”
My chest tightened. Stop him? When had I ever had that power?
She turned her head slightly. “Bring it.”
A servant stepped forward and handed her a thick leather strap. Dark. Heavy. The kind they used for punishment. My body tensed.
“I’ll ask you one last time,” she said, gripping it tightly. “Are you going to take the medicine or not?”
I shook my head.
The sound came before the pain.
CRACK!
A sharp crack filled the room, then it hit. My back arched as the pain exploded across my skin, burning and tearing at the same time. I bit my lip hard to stop myself from crying out.
“Answer me. Are you taking it or not?”
I shook my head again.