My Husband Let The Village Punish Me Chapter 01

My Husband Let The Village Punish Me Chapter 01

Greyhaven had a rule.

Any woman who failed to become pregnant within three years of marriage had to be put through the Blessing.

They called it a fertility rite meant to cleanse a woman and help her conceive.

In reality, the ritual subjected women to harsh punishment until they swore they would give the family a child.

I had been Caleb’s wife in Greyhaven for three years, and I still wasn’t pregnant.

Caleb’s mother had already made her decision.

“This Founders’ Day, it’s your turn to go through the Blessing.”

I dropped to my knees in front of my husband, Caleb Shaw.

“The Blessing has ruined many women’s lives. None of this is my fault.”

After all, the only reason I wasn’t pregnant was that Caleb had chosen to remain celibate for Lila Bennett for three years, not that there was anything wrong with me.

Caleb kept his head down as he gathered up the fishing net and answered in a flat voice.

“Rules are rules. Just grit your teeth and get through it, and it’ll be over before you know it.”

“After the Blessing, I’ll finally give you the wedding night we never had.”

I rose without a word and turned to leave. That was when I heard the truth.

Caleb was drunk, with one arm slung around Nate Carter’s shoulders and a loose, drunken grin on his face.

“Don’t go easy on her during the Blessing.”

“Tessa took Lila’s place as my bride. She deserves to suffer for it.”

Nate stared at him in confusion.

“You know Lila faked her death. Do you really have to go this far with Tessa?”

“The Blessing is vicious. Even the mildest punishment can leave lasting injuries.The worst cases leave women permanently broken.”

Caleb took a long drink, his voice turning as cold as the wind off the ocean.

“Lila may still be alive, but she can never come back to Greyhaven.”

“Tessa should atone for what Lila suffered when she was forced to leave home.”

I stood outside the door, my nails digging into my palms.

Three years of sympathy, patience, and silent endurance shattered in an instant.

…

The wind off the water was fierce, and I leaned against the wall, trembling from head to toe.

Nate was still trying to reason with him.

“Caleb, are you really still this hung up on Lila?”

“You helped her fake her death so she could escape her adoptive parents, and you’ve been sending her money every year. If Tessa ever finds out—”

Caleb waved him off, cutting him short.

“Lila has had a hard time on her own. Helping her is the least I can do.”

He paused, and his voice softened.

“She contacted me last week. She said she was coming back to shoot a photo series for a competition.”

“The Blessing would make a compelling photo series, and I have to give her the chance to shoot it.”

Nate sucked in a sharp breath.

“So your mother only ordered Tessa to go through the Blessing because you told her to?”

Caleb sighed as though he had no choice.

“Lila asked me. How could I refuse?”

Nate frowned, hesitating before he spoke.

“But will Tessa cooperate? She’s already suffered so much for you. Are you really going to humiliate her in front of the whole town?”

“It’s bad enough that everyone thinks she can’t have children. Now you’re going to put her through the Blessing in front of a camera?”

Caleb gave a dismissive smile.

“I’ve already planned everything. I’ll give Tessa something to keep her calm., wrap a scarf around her face, and have someone keep her quiet and tie it in place, so no one will recognize her, she won’t be able to fight back, and Lila can keep taking pictures for as long as she wants.”

Nate stared at him in disbelief.

“How is she supposed to speak with her mouth gagged?”

“You know how the Blessing works. They don’t stop punishing a woman and don’t stop until she says, ‘I’ll give this family a child.’”

Caleb took another drink, lowering his voice.

“Of course I know.”

“But if we don’t do this, how is Lila supposed to get the dramatic shots she wants?”

“Once this Blessing is over, I’ll build a real life with Tessa. It’s been three years. I’ve done right by Lila.”

A long silence followed.

Nate looked up at him and finally asked, “Do you have any feelings for Tessa at all?”

Caleb did not answer.

He drained his glass, then slammed it down on the table.

I stood outside the door with my nails buried in my palms.

The pain was almost unbearable.

Three years earlier, I had moved to Greyhaven to marry Caleb.

A woman from the church had arranged the match between Caleb and me, and we had met only three times before the wedding.

He had seemed honest and steady, and I thought he would make a good husband.

On our wedding day, however, I realized that something was wrong.

He looked at me with a coldness he would never have shown a stranger.

Only later did I learn that Lila had “died” the night before.

People in Greyhaven said she had thrown herself into the ocean because Caleb’s parents disapproved of her and had torn the two of them apart.

Eventually, Caleb told me the truth about how he felt.

“Give me three years. Let me stay celibate for her for three years. After that, I’ll treat you the way a husband should.”

I believed him.

On our wedding night, he slept on the floor while I slept in the bed.

I told myself it was all right.

A man who could remain celibate for a woman he believed was dead had to be loyal and decent. Once those three years were over, he would surely be good to me.

For three years, I worked from dawn until late at night.

I was up before sunrise making breakfast, feeding the hens, and tending the fish smoker.

Because Caleb’s mother had trouble walking, I made sure she got to the clinic in town.

His father loved whiskey, and even though every dollar hurt, I spent the money I earned selling smoked fish on the best bottle I could afford.

During the first year, Caleb’s parents treated me as warmly as they had when I first arrived.

By the second year, however, people around town had begun to whisper.

“Why isn’t Tessa pregnant yet?”

“Maybe she can’t have children.”

“Did Caleb marry her just to have her around as decoration?”

Whenever I heard them, all I could do was lower my head and walk away.

From then on, Caleb’s mother grew more openly hostile toward me.

At meals, she would slam her silverware down and make cutting remarks that were clearly aimed at me without ever saying my name.

“What good is a wife who can’t give this family a child?”

Caleb’s father joined in whenever he was drunk.

“The Shaw family line is going to die with us.”

I begged Caleb to speak to them.

“Could you please tell your parents that this isn’t my fault?”

Caleb gave me only one answer.

“Wait a little longer.”

What was I supposed to be waiting for?

I was waiting for those three years to end.

But the three years finally came to an end.

There was no tenderness waiting for me.

Instead, I was told that I would be put through the Blessing.

I thought of Rachel Moore, who had gone through it the year before.

Three of her ribs had been broken, and she had spent six months confined to bed. Even now, she still walked with a limp.

I was truly terrified.

Whatever hope I had left in Caleb was finally gone.