Page 75 of War of Her Heart

She sat the apple and water on the ground, then she took a pill from the bottle and placed it in my hand.

“I’m not strong. I’m weak.”

“You are stronger than you think. You will get through this, and one day you will get your revenge on Celine.”

Astrid sat with me while I ate the apple and forced me to drink every bit of water. She then looked at the wounds on my back and told me that they were almost gone.

Even though fae were immortal in the sense that we couldn’t die from old age, we could still be injured or killed if someonewanted us dead. Our wounds healed faster than they would on a human and it took a lot more to kill us.

Well, except for me and my heart. All you would have to do is throw away my pills.

Eventually the lights flickered, and Astrid told me that she had to go. I didn’t want to be alone, but I was more afraid of what would happen if I wasn’t obedient in this sick game Celine was playing with me.

As soon as Astrid left, the lights shut off again. I lay on the cold hard ground on my stomach because my back was still in so much pain and covered myself with the blanket Astrid left me.

I must’ve fallen asleep from the pure exhaustion, and I had no idea how long it had been but I was awoken by the lights turning back on.

After my eyes adjusted, I saw Celine and the creature standing over me. Before I had time to react, he bent down and snatched the blanket from me, leaving me lying on the floor completely naked and exposed again.

“Well, it looks like you’re already healed from yesterday. Not even a mark left on you.” Celine seemed disappointed.

When she said that I realized my back wasn’t even sore anymore. I reached back to find it as smooth as it always was.

“Stand up, Violet. It’s day two of fifty-two.”

“Fi . . . Fifty-two days?” I slowly stood up, still trying to cover my body with my arms.

“Oh, did I not mention that yesterday? Fifty-two whips for fifty-two days for the fifty-two years of treason that you committed.”

“You left out the fifty-two days part yesterday.”

Celine smiled as she said, “Well, my mistake.”

She purposely didn’t mention it yesterday. She enjoyed adding to the evil.

“Turn around.”

Fifty-two days. I was whipped over and over again for fifty-two days. With every day, my healing process slowed. About halfway through, it had slowed so much that my wounds were still open when it was time to be whipped again. That just made Celine happier.

The pain was so excruciating that it got to the point that I was unable to stand up on my own. That didn’t stop them. They put hooks in the ceiling and tied me up so I couldn’t fall while the creature whipped me.

The only thing that kept me going was the visit from Astrid every day and thinking about being with Calum when this was over. Astrid was only there long enough to make sure I took my medicine and to practically force-feed me food and water, but that little bit of familiarity gave me enough comfort to keep pushing through.

The rest of my days and nights were spent in silence and darkness. I would just picture being reunited with Calum. He would find his way out of this marriage and come back to me. I would tell him what his mother put me through, and he would punish her.

As good as he was, there was no way he would be okay with what she had done to me.

I didn’t know why Celine had Astrid there. She said it was to ensure I took my medicine, so I didn’t die, but I felt like Celine could’ve found a way to force the medicine in me.

I didn’t want to question it though because I knew I would’ve lost my sanity during this time if it wasn’t for Astrid. She gave me something I needed so badly—hope.

It was day fifty-two. At this point, they didn’t even try to let me stand on my own. They tied me up as soon as they came in. With every whip, I could feel the end of this hell getting closer and closer. All I could do was picture Calum. I had found a wayto dissociate ten or so days ago. Every time, I pictured myself with Calum, lying in the grass under our tree.

I had such a small piece of myself still holding on through all of this.

After the fifty-second whip, the creature untied me, and I fell to the ground. I looked at the ground waiting for them to leave and for the lights to shut off, but they didn’t. They usually immediately left. Maybe it was because this was the last day. Maybe they were waiting for me to stand so I could leave this place with them.

“Violet.”

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