My Husband Let The Village Punish Me Chapter 03

My Husband Let The Village Punish Me Chapter 03

The look on her face told me that I had guessed correctly.

Lila’s adoptive parents had treated her terribly.

When she turned eighteen, they began shopping her around to wealthy older men.

But Lila and Caleb had grown up together, so she begged him to protect her.

Caleb agreed. He offered to marry her and take her away from the Bennetts.

His parents refused.

“Look at the Bennetts. What kind of daughter could people like that possibly raise?”

“Marry Lila, and you’ll spend the rest of your life trapped in that family’s chaos.”

The Bennetts objected too.

“Our daughter is going to marry a rich man. Who do you think you are?”

After that, the Shaws approached my family about a match, while Lila’s adoptive parents arranged for her to marry Richard Dalton from the next coastal town.

Richard was a widower in his forties, and his family had money to burn.

Lila refused to marry him, so her adoptive parents confined her and punished her until she was covered in bruises.

Eventually, she and Caleb came up with a plan.

On the day Caleb married me, Lila staged a suicide and made it look as though she had thrown herself into the ocean over their doomed love.

Once everyone believed she was dead, she disappeared.

Over the next three years, she made a small name for herself as a photographer.

I became the outlet for all of Caleb’s resentment.

He had been unable to marry the woman he loved.

He did not dare blame his parents, and he never blamed the Bennetts.

Instead, he blamed me.

He resented me for taking Lila’s place.

He resented me because Lila could never come home.

He had spent three years resenting me, and now he expected me to submit to the Blessing so Lila could photograph it, all as punishment for a crime I had never committed.

Lila glared at me, her face dark with anger.

My words had clearly struck a nerve.

“My life is none of your business.”

“Is that so?” I held her gaze. “Do you actually love Caleb?”

Lila froze.

“It’s been three years. Once you left, you should have let him go and allowed him to build a new life.”

“But you didn’t. You exploited his feelings, drained him financially, and now you’re using him to help you win an award.”

I paused.

“You’ve been using him all along. You don’t love him.”

Lila gave a short laugh, as though she did not care that I had seen through her.

She stepped closer and stared directly into my eyes.

“Since you know I’m trying to win, you’d better cooperate during the Blessing. Otherwise…”

She smiled.

“If I can ruin your life once, I can do it again.”

I stared back at her while she folded her arms and met my gaze.

Neither of us spoke for a long time.

The wind coming off the ocean cut straight through us.

Then I smiled.

“What do you think your adoptive parents will do if they find out you’re back?”

Lila’s face changed instantly.

“You would actually tell them?”

I said nothing.

Without warning, tears began streaming down her face.

“Tessa, please leave me alone. I barely made it out alive.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

How could her entire demeanor change so quickly?

A furious shout came from behind me.

“Tessa!”

Caleb had arrived.

I let out a quiet sigh.

Of course he would believe her over me.

Sure enough, Caleb rushed over and positioned himself between us, shielding Lila as he glared at me.

“What are you trying to do?”

Anger sharpened his voice.

Before I could say anything, Lila spoke first.

“It isn’t her fault. She must have heard some gossip and misunderstood.”

Her voice was soft, as though she were struggling not to cry.

“I’m only asking you not to tell my adoptive parents. I’ll apologize if I have to.”

She actually started to kneel.

The beach was covered with broken shells, making it impossible to kneel comfortably.

Caleb stopped her before she could kneel and stood protectively beside her.

Then he turned and glared at me.

“Tessa, you’ve gone too far.”

“Lila barely escaped those people, and now you want to turn her in to them? How can you be so cruel?”

I almost laughed.

I had not said a single word from beginning to end, yet he had already found me guilty.

I looked up at Caleb without emotion.

“Then what does that make you?”

He stiffened, irritation flashing across his face.

“I’m nothing like you. You’re heartless.”

I nodded.

“One of you betrays his wife for an old flame.”

“The other exploits an old lover for her own gain.”

“You two really are made for each other.”

I turned to leave, but Caleb grabbed my arm.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He did not understand, and I had no reason to explain it to him.

I tried to pull free, but I could not break his grip.

He held me so tightly that it seemed as though he believed I would run straight to the Bennetts the moment he let go.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to tell them.”

I glanced at him.

“But I’m warning you, Caleb. Don’t push someone so far that they have nothing left to lose.”

Caleb frowned, clearly still unable to understand what I meant.

I wrenched my arm free and walked away.

He did not try to stop me again because he knew I kept my word.

Behind me, Lila was still sobbing softly.

Caleb wrapped an arm around her shoulders and comforted her in a gentle voice.

“That’s just how Tessa is. She’s sheltered, petty, and jealous.”

“Don’t cry. I’ll help you.”

He called me sheltered.

In a way, he was right.

I had once had a chance to leave that little fishing town too.

But I had made the wrong choice.