I fought the cuffs until they cut—thrashing, wrenching, the metal biting deep enough to leave blood smeared across both wrists.
The door opened.
Giles walked in, saw the blood soaking the sheets, and didn't so much as frown.
He just undid the handcuffs, calm as ever, a thread of impatience in his voice.
"You heard?"
"My hands were tied. I promised Lucinda there'd only ever be one child—hers and mine. Taking your uterus out solves that for good. Cleaner for everyone."
I stared at him, shaking from head to toe, unable to force out a single word.
Tears spilled down without stopping.
He reached out to wipe them away.
"What's the big deal? It's one organ. You never wanted to have children anyway."
I used every ounce of strength I had left to turn my face away.
"Don't touch me!"
"Giles Gilbert, you animal!"
I swung with everything in me and slapped him hard across the face.
That single slap drained almost everything I had.
My palm went numb, and the pain in my chest felt like it was splitting open.
His head snapped to the side, five red finger marks rising sharp against his skin.
He hadn't dodged. The flush spread fast.