-ˋˏ ༻Chapter 2༺ ˎˊ-

Layla followed him down the stairs, her footsteps loud in the empty space. She closed the basement doors and locked it. She then turned the lamp which light isn't even that bright, emitting the dim light.

"You want to be defiant, do you? Well, let's see how long you can keep that up, you pathetic trash."

Sean pushed himself into a sitting position, watching her carefully. The dim light cast shadows across his face, hiding the pain coursing through his body.

"Why are you like this?..."

Layla let out a dry laugh, the sound echoing through the basement.

"Why?" she repeated, stepping closer.

"You really need to ask that? Don't you understand yet that your only purpose is to obey me, to follow my orders?"

She knelt down in front of him, her eyes cold and calculating. "You belong to me the moment you agreed to marry me in turn of paying your damn debt, you should've be grateful and do whatever I want in return, you damned loser!!"

Sean's jaw clenched, the memory of his desperate decision to marry her coming back to him. He had been desperate, backed into a corner, and she had played on his weakness, making him feel like he had no choice.

"That doesn't give you the right to treat me like this, I'm still your husband!" he said through gritted teeth.

Layla's hand met his cheek with another sharp smack, the sound loud in the small space.

"Shut up! You're a fool if you believe that. Husband, wife, it doesn't matter. You belong to me, body and soul. So you better learn your place real quick. You're nothing but a tool, a toy for me to use however i want!"

The force of her slap sent Sean's head spinning, his cheek burning. He felt the trickle of warm blood running down from the corner of his lip. He touched it gently, wincing at the stinging pain as he looked up at her, defiance still in his eyes.

Layla watched him for a moment, her expression cold and unfeeling. Then she rose to her feet, her high heels clicking on the basement floor.

"You can sleep down here. Maybe a night in the basement will teach you some manners."

With that, she left, closing the basement door and locked it, leaving him alone in the cold darkness of the basement.

Sean sat there, his body aching as he listened to her footsteps fading behind the door.

He drew a trembling breath and touched his swollen cheek, groaned as his fingers grazed against the small cut.

Sean leaned his back against the wall, wincing as the cold seeped through his clothes. The basement was freezing cold, the darkness weighing heavy on him. There was nothing to sleep on, no covers, no blankets, only the cold, hard floor.

[why's my life so fucked? where did all started to go wrong?] He thought to himself and sighed in resignation.

Sean tried his best to sleep, but the coldness of the basement, coupled with the lingering pain from Layla's blows, making it nearly impossible. Every time he closed his eyes, the cold seemed to bite deeper into him, causing him to shiver. The hours ticked by excruciating slowly, and he found himself tossing and turning, trying to find some semblance of warmth or comfort on the hard floor.

Finally, morning came, the first light streaming in through gaps in the basement window.

The combination of the cold night, the poor sleep, the physical abuse from Layla, coupled with the constant stress and anxiety, left Sean with a myriad of symptoms. His throat was sore and dry, his head pounding with a persistent headache. His body ached all over, a deep fatigue settling in his bones from lack of rest. His nose was runny and congested, and now it completed with a gnawing hunger in his stomach.

Suddenly, the basement door swung open with a bang, the light from outside spilling into the dim room. Layla's angry voice filled the space.

Sean jerked awake, blinking in the sudden brightness that seared his eyes. He slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing as his body protested each movement.

"Wake up, you useless bastard! Get up and make me breakfast, NOW!"

"Yes, I'll go make your breakfast..." Sean mumbled, his voice hoarse.

Standing up, he rubbed his eyes tiredly, his breath labored, his whole body feeling heavy and achy. Seemed like he catch a cold, but he's oblivious to this fact and kept moving out the basement towards the kitchen after quickly washing up his face.

In the kitchen, he started cooking breakfast for Layla, his every movement mechanical and slow due to his fatigue and the cold he's getting. He tried to ignore it as he cooked, the task feeling like an insurmountable effort. His hand trembled slightly as he stirred the food, the headache like a vise around his skull. He took a moment to steady himself, leaning against the counter and taking a deep breath. He felt the cold settling deeper into his bones, making him shiver. With weary eyes he glanced at the clock on the wall, it is already 07:35am. He also need to get ready himself to work in his father-in-law's company, so he forced himself to move a lil bit faster. As he worked, he felt dizzy, his vision slightly blurred, the headache getting stronger. Yet, he continued, knowing the consequences of delay and knowing Layla's temper.

Every few minutes, he would pause, putting a hand to his head as the dizziness intensified. His throat was burning, his breath labored, and his nose was running. He sniffled, trying to keep it under control, but the effort felt like too much. He coughed a few times, his chest tight, pain shooting through his body. But he forced himself to keep going, to push through the cold.

Suddenly, Layla's voice cut through the air, loud and impatient.

"What's taking so long? I'm starving here!"

Sean flinched, her voice like a whip, making his headache worse. He tried to speed up but his fatigue made every movement slow and clumsy, his hands shaking a bit as he tried to plate the food.

"Almost... almost done, I'm sorry..." he said, glancing at the clock again. It was almost 8:00am now. He can’t afford to delay any longer. He grabbed the plate with breakfast, wincing at the pain that shot through his head, and carried it to the dining room. He set it down in front of Layla, who was tapping her fingers impatiently.

Layla looked at the food, her expression still annoyed.

"About damn time. You're incredibly slow today."

"I'm sorry... it was hard to sleep on the cold floor," he said, his voice cracked with the cold.

Layla gave him a disdainful look, her eyes locking on the shadows under his eyes and the slight tremor in his hands.

She raised an eyebrow, noticing the signs of fatigue and sickness.

"You look like death warmed over. You'd better not get me sick. I have a big meeting today."

Sean bit back a comment about how she could've avoided this if he hadn't forced to spent last night in the basement, but he knew better than to argue.

"I'll try not to..." he mumbled, his headache throbbing.

He took seat and start eating his breakfast as well. The food seemed tasteless, hard to swallow with his sore throat.

__________________ ׂׂ୧ ‧₊°🍵ೄྀ࿐ ˊˎ-

Layla's voice echoed through the house again, sharp and annoyed.

"Sean, hurry up! I'm not going to be late because of you!"

Sean paused in his preparation, a sudden wave of dizziness making him grip the dresser for support. His headache was getting worse, his eyes were bloodshot, his face pale, and he felt feverish now. But he knew better than to keep Layla waiting, so he gritted his teeth and continued.

"Coming, I'm almost ready!"

Sean trudged out to the garage and got into the passenger seat as Layla demanded. The drive was quiet, Layla focusing on driving while he tried to suppress a cough. The passing traffic blurred together outside the window, their movements a dizzying whirl as his headache continued to pound. He rested his head on the headrest as he takes several short breaths, hoping it could lessen the pain slightly.

As Layla maneuvered the car into a parking spot, her voice cut through the silence.

"Remember, there's a family gathering in the next two days. Make sure you're fit and presentable, I don't want you to embarrass me in front of my family."

Sean winced at the reminder, the thought of spending a few hours with Layla's family, putting on a show of being the perfect couple, was the last thing he wanted right now.

"Yeah, I'll remember..." he said, trying to keep his voice steady.

They got out of the car, and she headed towards the elevator leading to the building where her office located at. She didn't wait for him, not even a glance back. Sean sighed, watching her go, knowing she didn't care much about his condition. He took a moment to steady himself against the car, the cold making him shiver and the headache making it hard to think straight. He pushed himself upright and limped towards the separate elevator that lead to his workplace.

When Sean entered the office, his junior who sit next to him, a lovely long haired girl named Sophia, looked up from her desk and immediately noticed his exhaustion and the paleness of his face. She stood up, her eyebrows furrowing in worry.

"Senior, you look horrible, are you feeling alright?"

Sean forced a weary smile, trying to downplay his condition.

"It's nothing, I just... didn't sleep well last night. I'll be fine, just a bit tired."

Sophia's concern didn't ease, her sharp eyes taking in the dark circles under his eyes and the subtle shiver that ran through him.

"You don't look fine to me. You're completely pale and shivering."

She put a hand gently on his forehead when Sean settled on his own desk, her touch cool against his hot skin and her worried frown deepened.

"And you're burning up. I think you've got a fever, Senior."

Meanwhile, Layla in her personal office watched the scene unfolds from the CCTV through her laptop.

As Layla watched the footage on her laptop, her lips twisted into a displeased frown. Her eyes lingered on the interaction between Sean and Sophia, her fingers tapping impatiently on the desk.

'The damn bastard, being ill yet being all friendly with that girl! He's too close to her, it makes me sick...' she thought, anger flared within her.

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