Chapter 5

It was Senator Everette Horton's seventieth birthday party. A massive, glittering affair at the family estate. I'd never been invited before. The old man hated me. He saw my working-class background as a stain on his perfect political dynasty.

The fact that I was here now, being dragged in by my arm like a misbehaving child, was a special kind of hell.

"Hudson arranged this," Eleanor hissed as we walked through the grand entrance. "He convinced my father to let you come. So you will behave. Do you understand?"

I understood perfectly. This was another humiliation, orchestrated by my wife and her lover.

I plastered a fake smile on my face and walked with her to greet the patriarch.

"Happy birthday, Senator," I said, my voice stiff.

Everette Horton looked me up and down, his eyes filled with disdain. "Jefferson. I'm surprised to see you. I didn't think Eleanor kept charity cases around for so long."

The guests within earshot chuckled.

"And where is my gift?" he demanded, his voice booming.

I froze. A gift. In the chaos of the last few days, it hadn't even crossed my mind. I looked at Eleanor, a silent plea in my eyes. Her face was blank. She had forgotten too. Or she had never cared to remember.

The crowd's whispers grew louder. I saw Hudson across the room, a triumphant smirk on his face. He had set this up. He knew this would happen.

I closed my eyes, the shame a physical weight.

I stood there, numb, as I watched Everette Horton embrace Hudson. He called him the son he'd always wanted. He pulled a heavy gold signet ring from his own finger, the Horton family crest, and slid it onto Hudson's.

"This is the man who should be standing by my daughter's side," the Senator declared to the room. "The perfect match." He then turned his cold eyes on me. "Do you have any objections, Byrd?"

Every eye in the room was on me. I looked at Eleanor. I was looking for a sign, any sign, that she would defend me.

But she was looking at Hudson, and the expression on her face was one of pure adoration.

A bitter smile touched my lips. "No, sir," I said quietly. "No objections."

"Good," the Senator grunted. He motioned for me to follow him. To Eleanor and Hudson, he said, "You two go enjoy the party. I need a word with Jefferson."

He led me up the grand staircase to a room on the second floor. It was a study, lined with books and portraits of stern-faced Hortons.

"Get the whip," he said to one of his men standing by the door.

My blood ran cold.

They forced me to my knees.

"Why are you still here?" the old man snarled, standing over me. "She was supposed to be with Hudson. They were perfect. Then you came along."

He paced in front of me, his voice dripping with venom. "You couldn't even keep her happy. Couldn't even give her a child."

"My health..." I started to explain, to tell him about the kidney, about the toll it took.

The crack of the whip cut me off. It landed across my back, a line of pure fire. A scream tore from my throat.

The second lash was worse. The pain was all-consuming. I couldn't breathe.

The third. I screamed her name. "Eleanor!"

She didn't come.

I bit my lip until I tasted blood, my body convulsing on the floor. My vision started to blur.

Through the haze of pain, I felt someone kneel beside me. I smelled her perfume, the familiar scent of jasmine and ambition.

"Eleanor," I croaked, reaching for her.

She gently pushed my hand away and closed my eyes with her fingers. Her touch was cold.

"You are a Horton now, by marriage," she said, her voice a detached whisper. "This family has rules. You broke them by hurting Hudson. You have to accept the consequences."

Her words were the final blow. More painful than any whip. I was just an asset, a piece of property, and I had misbehaved.