Chapter 7 Sanitized Flesh

Jessica squeezed her eyes shut.

He stared at her pale, gaunt face, his fingers tightening slightly, but ultimately he couldn't bring himself to strike.

"You don't have a choice." His voice was cold as steel against concrete. He left that icy verdict hanging in the air and strode from the room.

The door slammed behind him, the dull impact reverberating through the walls.

Jessica's body went limp against the bed, her jaw throbbing with searing pain while her chest filled with numb cold.

Shortly after, two large, sturdy female nurses entered, each carrying several buckets of harsh disinfectant. The acrid stench burned her nostrils.

"Mr. Jones ordered a full-body disinfection for Mrs. Jones." One of the nurses spoke coldly, yanking the thin blanket off Jessica without hesitation.

Jessica didn't resist. She simply closed her eyes, as if shutting out all sensation.

Ice-cold, high-concentration disinfectant was poured brutally over her body, the liquid streaming across her skin, seeping into every crevice.

It sent sharp pain through her eyes, flooded her nostrils and mouth, making her choke and cough violently. It seeped into her still-healing intimate wounds and the gashes on her arm, bringing excruciating agony.

They scrubbed her skin repeatedly with rough brushes, as if cleaning a filthy piece of old equipment.

Her skin turned bright red before splitting open. The disinfectant seeped into the fresh wounds, making her entire body convulse.

"Here... and here... men have touched these places, haven't they? They need extra attention." The nurse's voice was emotionless, her movements growing more brutal.

Humiliation flooded over her like a rising tide.

But she only bit down harder on her lip, refusing to let any sound escape.

She wouldn't cry.

She wouldn't beg.

Before Benjamin and Harper, tears and pleas had no value.

The disinfection process lasted nearly an hour.

When the nurses finally stopped, Jessica was soaked through, her skin swollen and covered with tiny fissures and chemical burns, as if a protective layer had been stripped away. She lay weak and trembling on the cold, wet sheets.

The doctor came in to re-dress her wounds. A flicker of sympathy crossed his eyes, but in the end he said nothing.

At the other end of the estate, in the master bedroom of the main house, Harper reclined against the headboard, her complexion slightly pale but her spirits high.

She slowly sipped the blood-building tonic Benjamin held to her lips.

"Benjamin, treating Jessica this way... isn't it a bit..." Her tone was fragile, her eyes showing perfectly calibrated hesitation and reluctance.

Benjamin's movements paused for a moment. His voice dropped. "This is what she owes you. Your health matters more than anything."

Harper nestled into his embrace, speaking softly. "I just worry... that Jessica will hate us."

"Her hate?" Benjamin's laugh was sharp and cold, his gaze turning razor-edged. "What right does she have to hate anyone?"

Even as he said it, Jessica's hollow, desolate eyes invaded his thoughts again.

He shook his head irritably, forcing the unwelcome feeling back down.

"Don't think about her. Rest. Next week... you'll have her blood."

Harper nodded obediently. At an angle he couldn't see, the corner of her mouth curved into an almost invisible smile.

At dusk, Jessica's door opened and Harper walked in alone.

"Jessica, you seem to be recovering nicely?"

Jessica leaned against the headboard, staring at her coldly, saying nothing.

Harper didn't seem bothered. She walked to the window, her fingers lightly toying with the curtain.

"I imagine if you tried to burn me alive, Benjamin wouldn't forgive you." She smiled faintly, flicking open a lighter. The flame licked at the bottom edge of the curtain.

Jessica's pupils contracted sharply.

Fire erupted instantly, racing up the parched velvet, thick smoke billowing.

The moment the flames caught, Jessica struggled out of bed.

Smoke poured down her throat. She coughed violently as scorching heat blasted her face. The curtains, carpet, wooden furniture—everything ignited. The room became an inferno.

Survival instinct overrode everything else.

She stumbled toward the door, but her weakened body made her movements sluggish.

"Jessica... help me..." Harper extended her hand, tears streaming down her face, the very picture of terror.

Jessica only glanced at her without reaching out, focused solely on her own escape.

But the instant she moved past Harper, something vicious flashed in Harper's eyes. She lunged forward and seized Jessica's ankle.

Caught off guard, Jessica was yanked backward and crashed to the floor.

A burning decorative beam fell from above, shedding a trail of sparks, and slammed into her back.

The pain was like having her flesh seared through. She let out a piercing scream.

Harper released her grip and crawled out of the room, not forgetting to shout in a terrified voice, "Help! Someone help! Jessica's still inside! Fire!"

Chaotic footsteps, shouting, the hiss of fire extinguishers—all converged rapidly.

Jessica struggled to rise, but the burn on her back and the thick smoke made her vision darken, her strength draining away.

Before losing consciousness, she saw Benjamin burst in, his gaze searching frantically before finally settling on Harper, who was crying weakly just outside the door.

He immediately rushed to her, scooping her up, his voice more panicked than she'd ever heard. "Harper! Are you alright? Where are you hurt?!"

"Benjamin... I'm okay... Jessica... she..." Harper sagged softly against him, pointing toward the flames.

Only then did Benjamin look toward Jessica, collapsed in the inferno. His brow furrowed. He barked at the arriving security guards, "Get her out of there!"

Then, carrying Harper, he strode away without a backward glance to find the doctor.

When Jessica woke again, she was in the estate's underground medical facility. Her back burned with searing pain, each breath carrying the sting of smoke damage.

She forced her eyes to move and saw both Benjamin and Harper present.

Harper sat in a wheelchair, her lower leg wrapped in bandages, tear-streaked cheeks, the picture of pitiful vulnerability. Benjamin stood beside her, his expression dark as he stared at Jessica on the bed.

"Doctor, the burns on Harper's back—will they affect the appearance of her skin permanently?" Benjamin's voice was grave.

The attending physician hesitated. "Ms. Anderson's back burns aren't extensive, but they're fairly deep. Even with healing, there will likely be significant scarring and pigmentation..."

Harper's tears fell faster at this news. She sobbed quietly. "Does that mean... I'll never be able to wear backless gowns again... Benjamin, I'm so scared..."

Benjamin squeezed her hand with pained tenderness, the gesture brief but possessive. Then he turned to the doctor, his voice like ice. "Perform a skin graft. Use the highest quality skin to repair her."

The doctor nodded. "We're searching for the most compatible donor source..."

"Use hers." Benjamin raised his hand, pointing at Jessica on the bed. His tone was steady and merciless. "Her blood type matches. Her skin condition is suitable. She already has burns on her back that need treatment anyway. Harvest from her undamaged skin. There's enough to cover Harper's back completely."