There were times when I even felt lucky that I hadn’t fallen into the abyss of my original family.

At first, Nathan had shared my pain. He despised Shakira and her mother.

But everything changed when Shakira turned eighteen and enrolled in the same university as me.

From that moment on, Nathan no longer monitored Shakira’s whereabouts. Even the way he spoke to her became gentler.

“This girl is a bit like you—stubborn,” he once said casually. “I heard she overturned some rich kid’s lunch and demanded an apology.”

“Kristine, maybe there was just a misunderstanding in the past. I think Shakira has a good personality. You two should try to get along. After all, we’re family now. There’s no need to make things so tense.”

All I had done was mention to my roommate that Shakira’s mother used to be a mistress.

The very next morning, a video of my mother being harassed while working part-time at a restaurant went viral on the school forum.

But still, I never doubted him.

Six years later, we successfully registered our marriage and were preparing for the wedding.

I had always believed that I held a special place in Nathan’s heart. I thought the bond we had as childhood sweethearts could overcome any challenge.

But now, the young man who once protected and cherished me without hesitation...

He had already died in my memory.

There was no longer any reason to go through with the wedding.

As I was packing my bags, the police station called.

“Ms. Raymond, your mother’s case has been dropped. Please come to collect the body.”

I froze, stunned.

By the time I arrived at the station, the case files had already been destroyed.

I dropped to my knees in front of everyone, bowing frantically.

“Please... Please don’t close the case! My mother was murdered. The truth hasn’t come to light yet. You can’t just give up!”

My hands trembled as I clutched the hem of a nearby officer’s uniform.

The man sighed and gently helped me up.

“Miss Raymond, I’m sorry... but there’s nothing more we can do. The person who ordered the case closed was your husband. We have to respect the family’s wishes.”

“Mr. Cole made it very clear. Anyone who tries to reopen this case will lose their job. We all have families to feed. We really can’t help you…”

With that, he turned and walked away.

My fingernails were torn and bleeding, but I felt nothing—no pain, no strength left to cry.

Right then, a message from Nathan came in.

[Did the police call you? I’ve already arranged everything with the funeral home. Just send Auntie there—I’ll cover all the costs.]

[I’ve said everything I need to. Don’t test my patience.]

The phone slipped from my hands, tears dripping onto the screen.

Before I could respond, he called again, this time sounding cold and demanding.

“Didn’t you see the message? Also, the waiver is in the study. I’m at the hotel—come now and have Shakira sign it.”

My chest tightened with rage. I could no longer hold back the storm inside me.

“What if I refuse to sign? Are you going to cut off my fingers?”

The call disconnected instantly.

An email notification appeared on my screen.

It was a copy of the agreement my mother had signed with Shakira’s company before going abroad.

One clause was bolded and highlighted in red.

[In the event of any danger encountered abroad, the guest voluntarily assumes all responsibility and the company reserves all rights of interpretation.]

The threat was clear.

He wasn’t giving me a choice.

The Cole Family's influence was far too strong—I had no way of fighting them.

The only option left... was to walk away.

In the end, I took the waiver and went to the hotel.

Just as I arrived at the entrance, I saw Shakira stepping out of a car.

She wore a custom-made evening gown, the fabric flowing like silk, making her look as elegant as a princess.

When she noticed me, she smiled ever so slightly.

“Sister? Oh wow, it’s you? What a coincidence.”

“By the way, have you arranged Auntie’s funeral yet? Since we’re family now, I’ve been thinking of starting a funeral services business. If you need help... feel free to reach out.”

I suppressed the overwhelming urge to strangle her and demanded through gritted teeth,

“Before my mother signed the contract, you already knew who she was, didn’t you? You deliberately assigned her to the most dangerous job, didn’t you?”

Shakira smiled sweetly and shook her head with feigned innocence.

“Sister, what are you talking about? I have no idea. Customer information is confidential, you know. If I had known Auntie was struggling financially, I would’ve just given her the money myself.”

She tilted her head and sighed dramatically.

“But I doubt she would’ve taken it, right? You both… have so much pride.”

My nails dug so deep into my palms that I could feel warm blood rising to the surface. The pain nearly made me faint.

Shakira stepped closer in her designer heels, her voice soft and deliberate.

“No, if we’re talking about pride, you’re definitely worse. The last time I saw Auntie, she was washing dishes in the kitchen. I accidentally broke more than ten plates. The manager was going to deduct a month’s wages from her and do you know what she did?”

“She knelt in front of me—on the filthy kitchen floor—and begged. You should’ve seen your mother like that. It was almost pathetic.”

“I even told her to lick the soup off my shoes and she did it. Without hesitation. Later I found out she was doing all that to save money for your wedding.”

But Mom never told me any of this. Not a single word.

A white-hot fury scorched through my veins, burning away all sense of reason. Something inside me snapped.

I lunged at her, yanking her hair with both hands and slapping her across the face with everything I had.

Shakira stumbled, landing hard on the marble floor. She turned back with wide, tearful eyes, as if she were the victim.

“Sister, why would you hit me?” she whimpered. “I’ve already apologized. Isn’t it enough that I offered to compensate you with money?”

“Please… Dad misses you so much. He’s been hoping you’d come home…”

Before I could even respond, a powerful force struck me from behind.

My body slammed into the wall and a sharp pain shot through my head as warm blood trickled down my forehead.

Nathan’s voice rang out cold and sharp behind me.

“Kristine, have you gone insane?”

“Apologize to Shakira. Now!”

Shakira clutched his sleeve, tears falling as she trembled in mock sympathy.

“Forget it, Nathan. I don’t blame Sister. After all, this was my company’s mistake… I understand why she hit me.”

But his expression only grew colder.

“No, it’s her mother’s fault for not reading the contract carefully. This has nothing to do with you.”

“You want to make money and stay safe? The world doesn’t work like that. You can’t have both.”

“Greed has no limits. Kristine, are you here to extort money from Shakira? I’ve already paid you!”

I clutched the wound on my forehead, staring up at him in disbelief.

“Extort?” I whispered. “Do you really think I would trade my mother’s life for money?”

“If that’s how you see me, then why did you marry me?”

His face twitched, stunned by my question. An odd flicker passed through his eyes.

“I only believe what I see,” he said coldly. “And from what I saw today, this was entirely your fault.”

“Apologize, Kristine. This is your last chance.”

The warmth he once had for me was gone. Completely gone.

All that remained was bitter indifference.

A wave of despair swept over me. I let out a broken laugh.

“What if I refuse?”

“A murderer’s daughter. The child of a mistress. Do you think you deserve anything more?”

“You’re ungrateful. You don’t know when you’re being blessed.”

Before Shakira could say another word, Nathan’s voice cut through the room like a blade.

“Someone, make her kneel. Keep her there until she knocks her head ten times!”

“To be the wife of the Cole Family, you clearly need to be taught some manners.”

My knees refused to bend.

So the bodyguard kicked me hard.

Pain exploded through my body as an old injury flared up again.

But still, my neck stiffened in defiance. I would not bow.

“Nathan,” Shakira said softly, “maybe we should let it go. Sister didn’t mean to humiliate me...”

“Don’t speak for her!” he snapped.

“Keep going. Do I have to teach you how to punish someone properly?”

The bodyguard slammed my head down with brutal force.

The tile cracked beneath the impact.

A sickening thud echoed through the hall and blood quickly stained the floor.

My chest felt like it was being ripped apart.

But Nathan still wasn’t done.

Again and again.

By the tenth time, my legs were numb. I had no strength left to stay upright.

He casually waved his hand, signaling the bodyguard to retrieve the forgiveness letter from my arms.

After Shakira signed it with a flourish, the bodyguard yanked my hand and pressed my bloody fingerprint onto the paper.

Only then did Nathan’s expression soften.

“If you had just behaved earlier,” he said, looking pleased, “you wouldn’t have had to suffer.”

“Does your leg still hurt? I’ll take you to the hospital.”

He stepped forward to help me, reaching out with a tenderness that made me nauseous.

I slapped his hand away with a bitter smile.

“I don’t need your fake kindness.”

I turned to leave, but my body betrayed me. My knees buckled and I nearly fell down the stairs.

Nathan instinctively reached out to catch me—then stopped mid-motion.

His hand hovered for a moment, then dropped.

“You stay with her,” he told the bodyguard. “Take her to the hospital and keep me updated.”

And just like that, he turned away, wrapped his arm around Shakira and walked into the hotel without looking back.

Cold sweat drenched my forehead.

It took ten minutes just to descend the stairs.

The pain was unbearable.

Then everything went black.

***

In the haze of unconsciousness, I drifted back six years into the past.

Mom and I were homeless, wandering the streets.

We passed by a school gate when a runaway truck sped straight toward us—toward Nathan.

Without thinking, I rushed forward and shoved him out of the way.

He escaped with barely a scratch.

I, on the other hand, suffered multiple fractures in both legs and spent half a year in the hospital.

He visited every single day.

He brought his textbooks, sat by my bed, explained lessons and helped me review.

At night, thinking I was asleep, he’d lean close and whisper softly into my ear:

“Kristine, it looks like I’ll owe you for the rest of my life.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got a lifetime to repay you.”

In the corner of the room where he couldn’t see me, I smiled.

After that, every time it rained, my legs would ache unbearably.

And every single time, he’d drop everything, come to my side, apply heat packs and change my bandages himself.

But now… everything had changed.

***

When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed.

My phone showed a message from Nathan, sent two hours ago.

[Uncle wants you to come home for a visit. We’re getting married soon, so try to control your temper.]

[The family dinner is tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up.]

That was it.

The next day, he sent nothing more.

Until I saw Shakira’s new social media post.

She’d tagged her location: the summit of a bungee jumping site.

The photo showed them holding hands—her ring finger bare, with only a faint sunburn line where the ring had been.

[He said no matter what happens in the future, he’ll always stand in front of me to shield me from pain.

Thank you, Big Brother. Having you in this life is enough.]

Nathan liked the post and replied with a smiling cat emoji.

“There’s nothing I can do about you. I can only spoil my sister. Hope your future brother-in-law won’t mind…”

I remembered the day I turned eighteen.

He asked what I wanted as a gift.

I told him I wanted to go bungee jumping—to feel the thrill of skimming the edge of death, just once, so I could feel alive again.

His face turned cold. Disdainful.

“Bungee jumping? That’s something only people who don’t want to live anymore do,” he said.

“It’s basically like jumping off a building. Who has time for that kind of nonsense?”

When he noticed I was disappointed, he explained—

He was afraid of heights. Always had been.

But apparently, even his deepest fears could be overcome.

Just not for me.

I closed the app, shut off the screen and booked a plane ticket.

Three days later, I’d leave this country behind.