Silence. Nothing is quite as deafening as the sound of silence.

He didn't say he was angry, the furrow in his brow made it obvious. Dinner was on the table, and had been sitting there for nearly an hour. And there it continued to sit, untouched.

"Sir," I began shakily, "can I get you a glass of wine?"

Without looking up from the sheet of paper in his hands, my offer was refused. I knew something was wrong, I knew that something had to be wrong. So now I was faced with internal conflict. Should I chance asking questions? Or, should I just wait to see how this plays itself out? What could I have done so wrong?  As I went through the checklist of tasks I was to complete this week, I couldn't understand what I had missed.

Figuring it was in my best interest to leave him in silence until he was ready to discuss, I walked quietly to the washroom and began running a bath. I was at a loss for what I had done wrong. Again I began my mental checklist. His suits were dry cleaned and picked up, dinner was prepared and warm, served with his favourite champagne, his outfit for tomorrow was already laid out. It truly made no sense.

I reached over the steaming tub of water and tested the temperature with my hand. He didn't have to say a word for his presence to be felt. The draft from the next room nipped at my bare legs. My breath hitched as I stood slowly upright, still facing the wall.

"Sir?" I inquired, slowly turning around.

I was once again greeted with a furrowed brow, and eyes filled with a silent rage.

"Put your robe on and go take a seat in the living room, Victoria."

"Sir, can I know what this is about?"

"You'd do well to do as you're told, Victoria. I will not repeat myself," He stated flatly before briskly exiting the room.

On unsteady legs, with shallow breaths, I did as instructed and slid my satin robe over my shoulders then stumbled out of the washroom. In the silence, the gentle noises that my feet made as they contacted the hardwood floors sounded like massive claps of thunder. My knees buckled slightly as I seated myself on the cool leather of the living room chair. I dared not speak a word as He sat across from me. He studied me for a moment before addressing me.

"Do you know what this is about, Victoria?"

"No, Sir," I stammered.

"Really? Do you know that playing innocent will only add to your punishment?"

"Yes, Sir," I whispered.

"Then tell me, what have you been hiding from me?"

"Sir, I don't understand" I spoke softly, with tears beginning to strain my voice.

Hearing the confusion in my voice, his facial expression showed concern. Opening his blazer, He reached into his interior pocket and produced a white envelope.

"Still no idea what this is about, dear?" He asked flatly.

"No Sir, I do not understand."

Without speaking, He held the envelope out to me. With shaking hands, I held the envelope and stared at it as though that would reveal its contents.

"Open it, Victoria," He ordered.

As my fingers fumbled with the envelope, a million things were racing through my head. Surely this has to be some misunderstanding.

I opened the envelope and scanned the letter. It read:

INFRINGEMENT NOTICE:

Mr. Winterbourne,                                                                                                                                                                                      

This letter is an official notice of a speeding violation that occurred on February 10th, 2018. Your recorded speed was 142 kph in an area with a speed limit of 90kmph. The incident was recorded by a pavement sensor and an image of your license plate was produced by a traffic camera. The fine for this violation is 350$ and can be paid directly to the Provincial Court at the address listed below.

Hesitantly, I raised my eyes to meet his. He was studying my reaction intently.

"Now Victoria, I realize that this letter was addressed to a Mr. Winterbourne; me. Yet, if you would, look down to the second image on the paper, the one below the image displaying my license plate. Does that not appear to be a woman driving my car? Does that not appear to be you?"

"Sir --"

"Can you explain to me why you were driving that speed?"

"I was trying to make an appointment, Sir." I whispered.

"An appointment, was it? An appointment was worth risking your life? Is that so?"

"No, Sir."

"Oh, so it wasn't? Why were you rushing? You didn't have class on that date."

"I overslept, Sir," I said, fumbling with my fingers and avoiding eye contact.

"You slept in, decided to drive over fifty kilometers over the speed limit, risked your life, didn't mention this to me, and got caught by the camera on the highway. Correct me if I'm wrong,"

After a second He continued, "I'll take your silence as confirmation that I'm correct in my assessment."

"I'll pay for it, Sir," I said quietly.

"You're right, you will pay for it, but not with money. A girl like you, a girl from means, does not truly value money. To pay this ticket would not make you understand your folly. Go upstairs, remove your robe, and kneel facing the wall."

"Yes, Sir," I said weakly and got to my feet. A speeding ticket? That's what got me? I didn't know that I had gone that fast. I mean, I knew I was speeding, but not that terribly. And now Sir, is upset with me and I didn't even know why. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as I climbed the stairs. By the time I lowered to my knees my tears were falling freely.

I could hear him as he entered the room and felt my heart rate spike.

"Victoria,  do you understand why you are to be punished?"

"Yes, Sir."

"What you did was reckless. Dangerous. It was stupid. The speed limit is there for a reason. Are you above the law, Victoria?"

"No, Sir," I cried.

"This punishment has nothing to do with the money. Money means nothing. As a lawyer, I see the stuff all the time, you know. People die from this type of reckless behaviour."

"I'm sorry, Sir," I sobbed.

"You will be more sorry by the time I'm finished with you, my dear. Position yourself over the bed."

I stood slowly and turned to face him. Though there was anger in his eyes, the love in them flickered through. Whatever he had in mind was going to hurt, this I knew. But nothing would hurt more than knowing how disappointed he was in me. After he poured so much trust and faith in me, I let him down.

"Victoria, in my hands I'm holding a belt. You're to receive fifty lashes with this belt."

Before I could mind my mouth, I spoke out, "Fifty? But --"

"But nothing, Victoria You risked your life needlessly and foolishly. You will learn from this. This will not happen again."

As the first lash left its mark across my pale skin, a gasp escaped my lips. Fire erupted across my skin and my crying increased as I realized that the flames had only just begun.

With strength and consistency, the belt landed blow after blow across my ass. By the time the fiftieth lash kissed my skin, I was hysterical. The pain that was once a sharp sting, had long since faded into a constant ache that increased in intensity as each lash landed. I was wailing incoherent pleas and had long since given up on trying to dodge the lashes. Perhaps it was my lack of motion or inability to speak proper English, but all at once the striking ended and I heard the belt clatter to the floor. Too weak to look back at him, I remained immobile and cried into the pillow beneath my head.

"Victoria," Sir said softly, " you need to breathe."

Ignoring his comment, I continued to cry. Each laboured breath I took seemed to leave me more breathless than the one previous. My heart ached and skin burned. For the first time, the weight of his hand resting on my back made me flinch from him. As I shifted away, I heard his breath catch in his throat and he swiftly pulled his hand away,

I heard his steps exiting the bedroom and feared the worst. Even after the long and excruciating punishment, I wasn't forgiven for my carelessness, and now he was leaving. The hysteria rose until I was trembling uncontrollably.

After what felt like an eternity, but in reality was only two minutes, He returned with an Advil and bottle of water. Once again, He laid his hand on the small of my back. In a soothing tone he spoke to me,  "Victoria, you cannot do things like that. You simply cannot. I won't allow it and I never will. You could have..." He paused for a moment before finishing, "you could have died, I could be burying you today, Sure, everyone speeds, right? Is that what you're thinking? I don't love everyone. I love you."

In an instant, my hysteria melted and I lay silent. He loves me. After a foolish and reckless mistake, He loves me,

Slowly, I pushed myself off the bed and looked into his eyes. Where once stood anger, only the passionate glow of love remained. I accepted his offer of Advil and greedilg drank the water. Much too tired to enjoy the bath that I had prepared earlier, I spent the night wrapped in his warm embrace while sweet nothings fell upon my ears.