Chapter 5
579words
When I woke up, my wounds had been treated. My jaw was reset, the gash on my forehead stitched up, and the burn on my hand dressed with ointment. The doctor said there was no nerve damage to my hand. It would leave a scar, but it wouldn't affect my playing. The rest of my injuries would heal with time.
Hearing that, I finally broke down and cried. Not from the pain, but from the terror that I might never play my violin again.
"Shhh..." Leopold leaned over, stroking my hair gently. "It's okay. It's all over now."
His eyes were red. I'd never seen my father cry, except when my mother died. But now, his tears fell onto my face.
"I should have told you," I said, my voice hoarse. "About Julius... I should have told you I was seeing someone..."
"No," Leopold interrupted. "This is my fault. After your mother died, I wanted to protect you so much that I was too strict. I know you felt suffocated. That's why you kept your relationship a secret..."
He took a deep breath, as if making a difficult decision.
"Scarlett, I'm not going to control your life anymore," he said. "But I want to give you a choice—about the people who hurt you. How do you want to handle them?"
I froze.
"It's your right as a princess of the Norling family," Leopold said, his voice serious. "If you want to settle the score yourself, I will respect that. If you want nothing to do with it, then I will handle it for you, like always."
"But there's something you should know..." Leopold handed me a file. "I found out Julius was already two million in debt before he ever met you. That's when he started watching you, pursuing you."
I understood. What I thought was a romance was a trap from the very beginning. Julius only wanted me for my face.
I clutched the file, the last few hours flashing through my mind. Julius's betrayal, the ugliness of his parents, the humiliation and pain of being treated like property.
The old me would have run from this darkness, letting my father shield me.
But that naive girl died in the cellar.
"Don't kill them," I said slowly.
Leopold raised an eyebrow.
"Death is too easy for them." I turned to look at my father. "Send them to the mines on the Mexican border. Let them work off a debt they can never repay."
A small smile touched Leopold's lips. "And?"
"A hundred lashes a day," I said, my voice calm. "Let Julius and his family know what it feels like to be treated like property."
Leopold nodded, satisfied.
"And Rocco?"
I looked down at the burn on my right hand, remembering the terror I felt when he threatened to cut my fingers.
"He wanted to destroy my hand," I said, my eyes cold. "So take all ten of his fingers. Make sure he can never hold a knife again."
Leopold leaned in and kissed my forehead.
"Now that's a Norling girl," he said with pride. "Your mother would be so proud."
He stood up and walked to the door.
"Get some rest. No one will ever hurt you again. I swear it."
After the door closed, I leaned back against the pillows. Strangely, I felt no fear. Only peace.
