Under My Skin Novel by Astra Marlowe _ Novel





Under My Skin Chapter 01

I was born with skin as fragile as glass; the slightest touch makes it tear.
After my family's decline, I asked my wealthy boyfriend for a loan.
Instead, Sebastian Thorne took me to a piercing studio, with a cruel, mocking glint in his eyes.
"I'll give you fifty grand for each piercing. How much do you need?"
I knew he was deliberately torturing me, punishing me for raising a hand against his adopted sister.
Yet, I still gave in.
The first piercing went through a private area; I dug my nails into my palms until they bled.
The second piercing went straight through my shoulder, leaving a trail of blood.
After ten piercings, I was shaking violently in extreme pain.
Sebastian casually tossed a few flimsy bills onto me..
Five million SCity currency—barely two grand.
I didn't cry or make a scene; I just picked them up.
I squeezed out a smile for him.
"Thank you, Mr. Thorne. It's enough."
Enough to buy a decent urn for my ashes—one that won't let the wind in.
Just as I reached for the last bill, Sebastian crushed my hand under his foot.
"You're calling me Mr. Thorne?"
He gripped my neck, forcing me to look him in the eye.
"Didn't you used to crawl after me, begging to call me 'Babe', 'husband'? Why so quiet now?"
The piercings tugged at my skin with agonizing pain, beads of blood seeping out all over my body.
I lowered my head, compromising with abject humility for the first time.
"Sebastian, give me the divorce papers. I'll sign."
There was a time when a single flinch from me would send him into a panic.
Now, Sebastian's eyes held nothing but a cold lack of care.
He curled his lip in a sneer: "You want a divorce? You're a doll I trained with my own hands. Why should I let anyone else have my leftovers?"
Then he commanded: "Give up the master bedroom to Isabella. She has a weak constitution and isn't used to the guest room."
I didn't speak, simply nodding in obedience.
Walking out of the piercing studio, my skin felt as if it were being torn apart.
I counted the medical money he gave me; there was an extra two hundred.
Just as I was about to push the door open to return it, I heard the piercer's fawning voice.
"Mr. Thorne, the livestream you arranged has already surpassed ten million viewers!"
My mind went blank with a buzz, as if struck by a heavy hammer.
The shame of having my private piercings watched by the entire internet broke me more than the physical pain.
I was born with "Glass Skin"—a condition where even a needle could cause my flesh to rot. Back then, Sebastian knelt for 999 steps up the pilgrimage stairs to plead for my cure.
He suppressed his desires for nearly ten years, being careful even when hugging me.
Only when my condition became steady did we truly belong to each other.
Back then, he held me, his voice trembling: "I will protect you with my life, for as long as I live."
But ever since he met Isabella Thorne at the art exhibition, everything changed.
She was vibrant and bold, like a wild rose with thorns.
The complete opposite of someone dutiful and reserved like me.
Countless times in bed, Sebastian would pant heavily and whisper to her: "Isabella, my life belongs to you."
After hearing the piercer's report, Sebastian tapped his fingertips on the table and asked nonchalantly: "Her face wasn't shown just now, was it?"
"Rest assured, Ms. Vance's face was blurred the entire time."
Trembling, I unlocked my phone.
It turned out that the locations of the piercings on my private parts were all voted on by the livestream audience.
"Shoulder," "Private," ......
It felt as though icy, bone-chilling nails were piercing through my entire body.
Censored screenshots had already flooded the local forums.
Everyone was trying to uncover the identity of the woman with the blurred face.
Sebastian leaned back against the sofa, his tone casual.
"If Iris Vance had just behaved, she wouldn't have had to suffer like this."
"Once Isabella sees this news, she should finally be willing to take my call."
Light snow drifted through the streets, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my blood.
All because I couldn't stand seeing his birthday scarred into the small of her back.
I had taken someone to get it lasered off.
So this is how he takes his revenge on me.
I wrapped my coat tightly around myself and fled the piercing shop like a wandering ghost.
Sebastian has been with me for so many years; he knows perfectly well.
My body simply cannot withstand having them removed.
These piercings will leave permanent holes in my body.
And bring me a lifetime of humiliation.
I told the driver not to go back to the Thorne mansion, but to drive straight to where Mom lived.
After my family's fall from grace, she had moved from the mid-level villa to the slums.
The place was as small as a storage unit.
The car had barely come to a halt when I heard the wail of an ambulance siren.
Paramedics were rushing out of the building with a stretcher.
The person on the stretcher lay motionless beneath a silent white sheet.
My heart sank violently, and my fingertips turned ice-cold.
Holding my breath, I dialed her number.
Until my own voice, singing that familiar nursery rhyme, drifted out from beneath the white sheet.

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