Nikka, no he didn't. He raped her every night. He got off on mentally and physically tormenting her. She was like a dog that he could abuse over and over again, and the dog would still be obedient to him. There are way too many people who are saying just because he chose her over his wife, means he has feelings for her. That was not the case, she was his best worker, so of course he is not going to let her go because she was making him money. She was in a fukked up situation, she worked hard all day, if she didn't meet her daily cotton quota, she would be beaten, if she went over her quota, the expectations of her load for the next would be higher. So eventually she was going to be beaten anyway, if she didn't meet her increasing quota. Her day was just full of terror, and at night she would just have to give in to being raped by him, because she was so exhausted from the day.
The book better explains her situation and their relationship. He was an absolute monster in the book.