Chapter 342: HUMILIATION!!!
Vanessa.
Maria is a bitch.
The thought echoed angrily through my mind, growing stronger with every passing second.
How did she do it?
How did she always manage to get everyone on her side?
More importantly, how did she always seem to have male Alphas wrapped around her finger?
No matter where she went, they gravitated toward her. They defended her, protected her, and treated her as though she could do no wrong.
It was infuriating.
The more I thought about it, the tighter my jaw became.
I am really going to make her pay for today’s humiliation.
The vow settled firmly in my heart as I continued hitting myself repeatedly.
Each slap landed against my skin with a sting that only fueled my resentment further.
My cheeks already burned and my arms felt heavy, yet I couldn’t stop, not because I didn’t want to but because I couldn’t.
And from the look of things, Vincent wasn’t ready to let me quit anytime soon.
If anything, he appeared to be enjoying every second of it.
His expression remained calm and unreadable, but there was something in his eyes that told me he wasn’t bothered by my suffering in the slightest.
That realization only made my humiliation worse.
I turned my gaze toward Maria.
The moment my eyes landed on her, disdain flooded through me.
Couldn’t she say something?
Couldn’t she ask Vincent to let me stop?
Surely, if she wanted this to end, she could simply speak up but she didn’t.
She just stood there watching me and the sight made my stomach churn.
She always acted so innocent, so naïve as though she had no idea what was happening around her.
But I knew better.
That sweet and harmless act was nothing more than a disguise.
She was a devil hiding behind an angel’s face.
And at that moment, I became convinced she was enjoying this just as much as Vincent was and maybe even more.
The thought made me hit myself harder.
Once Vincent started torturing the insect inside that bottle, my life would become a living hell.
I knew exactly what would happen.
The pill I had taken earlier at the Moonbridge Pack before he helped me escape would react immediately.
The consequences would be unbearable.
The memory alone was enough to send a chill through me—Pain—pure, relentless pain. The kind that would make breathing feel impossible, the kind that would leave me wishing to pass out.
And I couldn’t afford that.
I had already taken my own monthly antidote. If the reaction was triggered after that, the suffering would be even worse.
It would leave me in immense pain until the next dosage.
There would be no escape from it.
So I could only continue slapping myself, again and again.
Each strike felt like a blow to my pride and each second stretched my humiliation further.
Then Vincent finally spoke. "Now apologize to Maria!"
The command came suddenly, sharp and absolute.
And I froze instantly.
My hand stopped midair.
My entire body went rigid.
For a moment, I wasn’t even sure I had heard him correctly.
What?
My eyes widened in disbelief.
Why would I apologize to her?
Of all the things he could demand from me, that was the one thing I never expected.
The very idea felt absurd.
I stared at him, completely stunned, my thoughts scrambling as I tried to process what he had just said.
"Do I need to repeat myself, Vanessa?" Vincent asked, his voice calm and controlled, which somehow made it even more terrifying.
As he spoke, his fingers continued to caress the bottle gently, almost absentmindedly, as though he were handling something precious. The sight alone was enough to make my stomach twist.
My eyes remained fixed on that bottle, on the insect inside it and fear immediately tightened around my chest.
"I am sorry!" I muttered quickly, forcing the words out before my courage could fail me completely.
The apology came so fast that it was barely understandable.
I hated saying it.
Every part of me hated it.
But fear was stronger than pride.
"To whom?" Vincent asked, his brows lifted slightly."That’s not how to give a proper apology," he added calmly.
The moment those words left his mouth, my entire body stiffened.
I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms.
And then I saw it—Maria’s smile—It wasn’t a large smile, but it was there, bright and visible and in my eyes, it was proof that she was enjoying every second of this humiliation.
My resentment toward her grew instantly.
I swallowed hard.
The simple word sorry suddenly felt impossibly difficult to say like shards of glass lodged in my throat.
Every instinct within me rebelled against it.
"Arrrrghhhhh!" I screamed inwardly.
"I am sorry, Maria," I finally said out loud.
This time, my words were clear enough for everyone to hear.
The apology tasted bitter and humiliating but at least it was done.
Or so I thought.
Maria didn’t reply, instead, she turned her attention toward Vincent.
"Doesn’t an apology require you to be on your knees?" she asked innocently.
The moment those words reached my ears, something inside me snapped. I flared with anger immediately, and my entire body trembled.
That was the height of it.
Maria was not the innocent person everyone believed her to be.
No.
She was a villainess disguised as a heroine.
A master of pretending.
A manipulator hiding behind a sweet smile.
And somehow everyone kept falling for it.
"Vanessa, why are you still standing?" Vincent asked, as his voice remained calm.
Yet it carried an undeniable command.
The room suddenly felt suffocating and for a moment, I remained frozen, as every muscle in my body resisted and every ounce of pride within me screamed for me to refuse.
But in the end, fear won.
It took everything in me to slowly lower myself, as every movement felt painful and every second felt degrading, until finally, my knees touched the ground.
The impact wasn’t hard, but the humiliation was.
Far worse.
I lowered my head afterward, unable to bring myself to look at anyone.
"I am sorry, Maria," I said out loud once more.
"That’s more like it, Vanessa," Maria said, as her voice sounded satisfied.
Then she turned away without another word and headed toward the direction of her room.
Just like that.
As though none of this had cost me anything.
As though she hadn’t just witnessed the most humiliating moment of my life.
I remained there for a moment, my knees against the floor and my head lowered.
And in that instant, one thought echoed endlessly in my mind.
Today was the greatest humiliation I had ever suffered.
