On the Eve of the Wedding, First Love Returns

The whip cracked through the dungeon and Sabrina's wounded body flinched, too weak to dodge the pain.

The lash left deep marks and blood trickled from her cuts.

Just as she was about to pass out, the guard cursed and threw a bucket of cold water on her, forcing her awake and adding to her misery.

“AH!”

Salted water splashed over her raw wounds, the burning pain overwhelming Sabrina, forcing a scream from her throat as she opened her eyes.

Everything around her was a blur; shadows emerged and swayed in the dim light.

"Guilty woman Sabrina! Why don’t you plead guilty? Why did you plot to harm the Noble Consort Smith?" someone shouted angrily, but Sabrina’s mind was too dull to make sense of it.

She was freezing, weak and in so much pain that it felt like someone was driving nails into her temples.

"I didn’t harm her," Sabrina managed to whisper, her voice barely audible. "I need to see Damien. Bring him to me!”

The jailer smirked, saying, “Sabrina, do you still believe you're the cherished daughter of the Steele Family? Do you really think you can summon Lord Steele just like that?”

Sabrina's eyes widened in disbelief and she retorted, “What?”

“What do you mean?” she stammered.

“To tell you the truth, you’re never leaving this prison,” the jailer hissed. “Consort Smith arranged for us to kill you right here. The only reason you’re still breathing is that she wants you to suffer first.”

“She wants us to torture you to death,” he added with a twisted grin.

Sabrina clenched her teeth, trying to stay strong, but despair slowly crept into her heart.

She had never feared anything before, but now, with a life growing inside her, she couldn't let anything happen to her child.

That same night, Damien returned to the Steele Mansion, restless and unable to sleep.

He tossed and turned in bed, the faint scent of peony lingering in the air. It took him a moment to realize Sabrina’s scent haunted his thoughts. He had been too bothered by him.

This bed had witnessed countless moments of passion and pain in the dead of night.

Damien shut his eyes in frustration but sat up abruptly within moments and called for his attendants.

"What's Sabrina's condition in Celestial Prison?" he asked, wanting to know whether she was still alive.

The attendant hesitated, clearly uneasy, before responding, "She's endured relentless torture but still denies trying to harm Consort Smith. I’ve heard she’s had a high fever since being imprisoned and it’s unlikely she’ll survive much longer. It is expected that she'll die from pain.”

"Who gave the order to torture her?" Damien asked in confusion, knowing he hadn't given any orders.

With that, Damien kicked over the low couch, surrounded with furiousness. He couldn't bear the thought that Sabrina would die in torture.

Without a second thought, he threw on his coat over his nightgown and stormed out, heading straight for the Celestial Prison.

In Celestial Prison, the air was thick, cold and dark.

Stained black by years of blood, the sticky ground smelled terrible. Mice, insects and cockroaches crawled over the filth.

The small, dark cell was strewn with dirty straw and the remains of forgotten prisoners lay motionless on the ground.

As the jailer dragged out Sabrina, he couldn't help but smile bitterly. She had accepted his fate and if it meant she would be in another round of beating, then she had no choice but to be on it.

Tied to the execution rack, Sabrina stared blankly, her mind drifting back to events from many years ago.

Sabrina wanted to cry her heart out but couldn't release it.

As long as Sabrina could uncover the evidence that could clear out her mother's name, perhaps Damien would stop loathing her. His perspective might change on her.

But as Sabrina drifted into these thoughts, a sharp pain lingered her back to reality.

She suddenly sensed that being tied to the execution rack felt different today, not just as a form of torture, but more like it could kill her.

"Strangle her to death!" someone ordered. "Strangle her and claim she died while struggling. Move quickly before it's too late!"

Sabrina was already dying. She could do nothing but cry out, "No, I don't want to die."

Just as she seemed about to give in, a surge of strength erupted within her, causing the execution rack to creak and tremble.

The guards struggled to secure the noose around her neck. Frustrated and furious, they drew a knife and said, "Just stab her to death.”

At the same time, a loud shout came from outside Celestial Prison, “You dare to do it?!”