Chapter 20

Adam looked down at the blood and pliers, reliving that awful moment. It wasn't the pain or humiliation but the fact that he'd broken. He'd given in—agreed to do anything to make it stop.

Before today, he'd never even entertained the thought of yielding to another man. Others bowed to him. He'd bullied countless weaklings, forcing them to bend to his will or laughed as they begged at his feet, but he'd never once been on the receiving end. Never in his life had he felt helpless, his life completely in the hands of an unforgiving and cruel maniac.

Now that he understood how it felt to be utterly powerless, it wasn't just the shame and fear crushing his spirit but the realisation that he was a monster to so many others. 

As the painkillers wore off and his mouth throbbed, he thought about the times he'd punched other guys teeth out for kicks. He'd remembered the thrill he'd gotten from seeing his victims in tear