Skip to content
Novel Catalog
Chapter 15
Gale’s heart pounded as she fled the company, rushing to the nearest taxi and handing over every last bit of cash she had. “Please, take me to the prison…” she begged, her voice shaky with desperation. The driver, seeing her distressed state, relented without question and sped off.
When they arrived, Gale barely registered the journey. Her mind was clouded with worry for her father, Peter. As she reached the prison, she rushed to where he was lying on a stretcher, his body covered in burn marks. His arms and thighs were raw, blistered from the scalding pain, and his eyes flickered open with a dazed expression. He was screaming, his voice hoarse from agony.
“Dad! Dad, look at me, it’s Gale! What happened? How did you get so hurt?” Gale cried, her voice breaking. Her hands trembled as she reached for him, but before she could get any answers, a prison guard spoke up.
“He did it himself,” the guard said indifferently. “Not our problem.”
Gale’s blood ran cold. “What do you mean? What happened?” she demanded. “What about the surveillance footage? I want to see it now!”
The guard’s expression hardened. “Not just anyone can view the footage here.”
Gale’s fury flared as she ground her teeth together. “You’re lying! You’re covering something up!”
Peter, despite his pain, managed to murmur weakly, “Gale, it hurts… it hurts so much… help… please…” His hand, trembling with agony, reached for the burn on his thigh, but Gale quickly grabbed his wrist, holding him steady.
“Dad, please, don’t touch it, I’ll take you to the hospital,” she said urgently, her voice full of desperation.
The guard shook his head. “No, he’s a prisoner. If he wants to leave, we need approval.”
“Do you want to watch my dad die?!” Gale snapped, her voice trembling with raw emotion.
The guard didn’t even flinch. “You can only blame yourself. Since your dad arrived, he hasn’t had it easy.”
A name flashed in Gale’s mind like a searing brand: Shawn. He was behind this, too. Was it not enough that he had tortured her? Now, even Peter, who was in prison, was being made to suffer.
“I’m going to see Shawn,” Gale said through gritted teeth, wiping her tears away as she stood up. But as soon as she did, a cold, triumphant voice cut through the air.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Gale. Don’t bother wasting your energy,” Susan’s voice dripped with sarcasm. She stepped forward, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Shawn hates you so much. He just wants to see you suffer. It’s all part of his plan.”
Gale’s breath caught in her throat. “You did this?” she spat, her eyes burning with rage.
Susan shrugged nonchalantly, her smile only growing more wicked. “I got bored, so I thought I’d visit your dear old dad. Who knew he’d knock over a kettle and burn himself so badly?”
“Impossible! You did this!” Gale’s voice shook with disbelief.
Susan merely looked at her with an air of smug superiority. “Do you have any evidence?”
Gale clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she glared at Susan, her eyes blazing. “You really want me to hit you, don’t you?”
Susan stepped closer, her voice deliberately mocking. “Come on. I know you’re dying to. If Mr. Wood hadn’t stopped you last time, you would’ve slapped me, right? But now he’s not here, so go ahead. Hit me.”
Gale’s jaw clenched, her muscles tensing with rage, but she knew if she lost control, Shawn would punish her even more severely. Susan, with her deliberate provocation, was just playing a game, trying to get under her skin.
“You want me to hit you?” Gale said through clenched teeth. “You should’ve attacked me yourself. It wasn’t my dad who offended you. It was me.”
Susan took a step closer, her voice dripping with venom. “Oh, I didn’t do this alone, you know. Someone else helped me. Isn’t that clear?”
Gale’s heart sank as the realization hit. Shawn had orchestrated this. She could hardly breathe, her vision blurring with tears. The cruelty of it all overwhelmed her.
“That’s right,” Susan continued, her voice cold and calculated. “President Wood told me to do this. Your father’s life? Doesn’t matter. He’s just a pawn for Shawn to vent his anger on. Honestly, your father should’ve died a long time ago.”
The words struck Gale like a blow to the chest, and for a moment, she couldn’t speak. She could taste the bile rising in her throat, her body trembling with both fury and helplessness. Shawn was capable of this kind of cruelty. He was destroying everything she held dear, one piece at a time.
“Why… why are you doing this?” Gale whispered, her voice barely audible.
Susan smiled, an almost sadistic joy dancing in her eyes. “Because you’re nothing. You’re a lowlife. And as for your father—well, he’s just a tool to make you suffer. It’s your fault for being weak.”
Gale bit down on her lower lip so hard she could taste the blood. She couldn’t fight back. She couldn’t defy Susan, not with Peter in this state. She had no choice but to comply.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked down at her father, whose body trembled with pain. “Please, Dad,” she whispered, trying to keep her voice steady. “I’ll fix this. I’ll make it better.”
Susan, still enjoying her victory, raised her chin, daring Gale to do anything about it. “You want to take him to the hospital? Fine. You can beg all you want, but it’s not going to happen.”
With her heart breaking, Gale finally lowered her gaze, swallowing her pride and doing what Susan wanted. She dropped to her knees, her voice barely above a whisper as she spoke the humiliating words Susan had demanded.
“Woof. Woof.”
Every word felt like a blade cutting into her, every syllable a painful reminder of her helplessness. As she forced herself to continue, her throat closed, and tears ran down her cheeks. But there was no way out. She had no choice but to endure it for her father’s sake.
“Not bad,” Susan said, nodding in approval. “Remember this, Gale. If you want any respect, you’d better show me some. And remember—I’m going to be the future Mrs. Wood.”
Gale’s heart felt like it was shattering, but she couldn’t let it show. She had to remain strong for Peter. But inside, everything was breaking.
“Please, can you take my dad to the hospital now?” Gale asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Susan laughed, clearly enjoying the sight of Gale’s broken spirit. “A doctor will come and check him out. Maybe prescribe something. But don’t even think about sending him to the hospital. You can’t afford it anyway.”
Every word was like salt in the wound. Gale’s stomach churned, but she held back her tears, trying to steady herself.
As Susan walked away, a cruel smirk on her face, Gale crouched next to her father, holding his hand tightly. “Dad,” she said softly, her voice trembling. “I’m here. Don’t worry. As long as you and Mom are still here, I’ll keep going. I’ll keep fighting.”
But as she left the prison and walked back to Temperley Hall, the weight of her misery seemed to crush her from all sides. It had taken her two hours to get home, but by the time she walked through the door, the sky had darkened.
Shawn’s eyes locked onto her the moment she entered. His gaze was cold, calculating.
“Where did you go?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
Gale felt a shiver run through her, but she steeled herself. She had already been through so much. His words, his gaze, his cruelty—none of it could break her anymore.
“What do you mean, where did I go? Don’t you know best?” she retorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Shawn’s expression darkened. “Do you think you’re important enough for me to have someone follow you 24/7?”
Gale felt the anger bubbling up, but she held it in check. She couldn’t risk another punishment.
“I’m tired. Can I rest?” she said flatly, her heart heavy with exhaustion.
Shawn’s gaze narrowed. “Do you know how you’re speaking to me right now?”
Gale’s throat tightened, and she struggled to control the torrent of emotions threatening to spill over. Every ounce of anger and pain pressed against her chest, but she couldn’t let it out. Not yet.
Shawn reached for something on the table—photographs—and threw them at her with force.
“These?” he asked coldly. “You think you can lie to me?”
The photos fluttered to the ground. There, in stark contrast to her carefully controlled life, were images of her and Sam—their encounter in the junkyard, Sam’s hand on her shoulder. The photos were crumpled, clenched tightly in a fist.
“I explained everything about him today,” Gale said, trying her best to keep her composure. “I didn’t hide anything from you.”
Shawn’s voice was cold as ice. “Then why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why didn’t you mention it?”
“I forgot,” Gale answered, her mind racing. “It wasn’t important.”
Shawn stood abruptly, dragging her into the bathroom and pushing her into the corner. Before she could protest, the cold water from the showerhead hit her, and her body went stiff as the cold water drenched her.