Chapter 7 Humiliate Her Further

She looked lost. At that moment, Aurelia couldn’t differentiate between her first and this life. Maybe it was all an elaborate dream, and she would be just fine. Luther would see the light, and he wouldn’t kill her or their child.

But it only took a moment for reality to sink in. She had pressed restart on her life, but Luther would never take her side. If it wasn’t Jianna, there would be Sarah. If there were no Sarah, there would be someone else.

“Have you lost your mind?” he questioned impatiently.

Aurelia reached up and threw his hands away. She took a step back and breathed deeply. As the air filled her lungs, she suddenly felt she had no patience to waste her time on him.

“I’ve never been more clear-headed,” she countered as she ran her hand through her hair. “I know that you would rather trust an outsider than your legally married wife. And I am okay with that, but I can’t stand how blind you are. You’re being used for someone’s plot, and you happily help them in their endeavors.” She cocked her head to the side. “Are you okay with that?”

Luther’s eyes burned with hatred. “You’re the only person plotting against me, Aurelia,” he stated, jabbing his finger against her chest. “And a legally married wife? Who? You?” He scoffed.

Aurelia squeezed her eyes shut. “Let’s get this straight: you think I am trying to get your attention. You also think I am scheming against others. Is there any other crime you want to pin on me?”

Luther’s eyes flitted past her to Casper, who was standing around with a look of boredom. “Don’t make me expose you, Aurelia.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, challenging him. “Go on,” she prompted when he didn’t continue.

“You run around seducing other men and then you ruin them when you get caught,” he spat at her.

Casper finally stepped in. “Don’t drag me into this mess. I have no interest in your wife,” he announced. “Divorce her earlier if you don’t trust her.” A small smile lingered in the corner of his lips, leaving the meaning of his words to imagination.

Aurelia raised her brow, but didn’t rush to explain.

“It’s not your place to—”

The door opened and Sarah peered out timidly. “I…I’m done.”

Aurelia spared her a glance and put distance between Luther and herself. “Follow me. We need to get you to the hospital,” she said softly.

Sarah stiffened. “You promised not to report it.”

Luther put himself between Aurelia and Sarah, blocking her view. “I knew not to fall for your sweet words. You only want to humiliate her further.”

Sarah circled her arms around Luther’s forearm, eyes panicked. “I’ll be ruined if anyone finds out!” she yelped. “If my mother finds out…” she trailed off before shaking her head vehemently.

Luther’s glare grew darker. “We’re not going to the hospital.”

Aurelia shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s none of my business what a loving couple does in their free time. I am not going to tell her mother or the world about it. But don’t blame me if she gets a disease or falls pregnant.”

Silence fell.

“Uselessly kind,” Casper mumbled under his breath and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. His voice was so low that no one heard him.

“The choice is yours,” Aurelia stepped forward and leaned sideways to look at Sarah closely. “Getting pregnant with a rich second-generation isn’t bad, but are you sure he doesn’t have some hidden disease? The window for prevention is rather short,” she warned.

The taunt wasn’t lost on anyone.

“Don’t think everyone is a gold digger like you.”

Aurelia hid her smile behind her palm. “It takes a gold digger to spot one,” she joked before turning around. “If you’re not going to the hospital, can you take me home? I am worried the drugs mixing with my meds will have an adverse reaction.”

Sarah gained energy out of nowhere. Her hands dropped to her side, and she scurried after Aurelia. Luther watched silently as the two women left before grunting in annoyance.

“Uncle Casper, I apologize for Aurelia’s impudence.” A flash of hate passed across his features, confirming what everyone knew. Luther thought Aurelia was a nuisance rather than his wife. “I’ll punish her appropriately once we are home,” he said.

Casper raised his brow before waving his hand in dismissal. He didn’t speak in Aurelia’s defense. Instead, he noted the veiled threat in Luther’s words. ‘Punish her appropriately.’ Luther clearly thought they were having an affair and wanted to warn Casper that he would be implicated.

Luther turned on his heel, peeved by Casper’s dismissal, and stormed away.

“Boss, what do we do with this?” he said the last word disdainfully as he shook Kevin around.

“Tie him up and drop him home to his father,” Casper said calmly.

“Should we continue monitoring the summer house?” Mathew asked a beat later.

“Continue,” he answered as he sauntered into his suite.

He wandered to the sliding door and clicked it shut. The red dot that had lingered inside the room, following Aurelia around as long as she had been in view, disappeared. He dragged the curtains closed and plopped down on the couch. The glass of whiskey lay untouched, condensation pooling around it.

“How do you think Luther will punish his wife?” he questioned absent-mindedly.

Mathew jolted from his motions of cleaning his hands. He answered after a moment of thought, “According to the Beckett family rules, any woman who cheats on their spouse will have their hair cut and whipped.”

Casper snorted. “My father and his stupid rules…” he trailed off. He picked the whiskey up and downed it in one go.

“Boss, should I send the footage from the sniper to your nephew?”

Casper turned to his second-in-command slowly. “Why would you do that?”

Mathew blinked in surprise. “To help Mrs. Beckett.”

Casper took a puff of his cigarette before dousing it in the glass. “She won’t look too shabby with short hair.”

The verdict was given. He would offer her no further help.

If she hadn’t held him at gunpoint, he would have been kinder to her.