My boyfriend is trapped in the mountains, and I head there alone to search for him. However, I don't find him despite a night of searching. Instead, I end up falling off a cliff and passing out due to severe blood loss.

When I open my eyes again, I hear laughter coming from outside my hospital ward.

"Sonya's such a fool! She fell for it again!"

"This is our 99th time tricking her, right?"

"When you pretended to fall into the water, she jumped into an icy lake to save you in the middle of winter. When you pretended to be poisoned, she went to dig up the herbs that you'd need for the antidote…

"This time, you pretended to be trapped in the mountains, and she ran there without a care for her life! She's truly head over heels for you!"

I struggle to sit up. That's when I see my boyfriend, Austin Miller, standing at the ward's door. He stands out among the crowd and has a bright smile on his face. He doesn't look like he's lost his way at all.

His friends continue talking.

"It's her fault for abandoning Austin when he was down on his luck!"

"She deserves to get played like this! When this is all over, we can throw the invitation to Austin and Dion's engagement party in her face!"

It turns out Austin is already engaged. Yet, to this day, he has no idea why I broke up with him in the first place.

The conversation outside the hospital room hurt me deeply, reminding me over and over again of how foolish I had been.

To save Austin Miller, I had rolled down a hillside. I became drenched in blood and nearly lost my life in the process.

Yet in the end, it turned out it was just a cruel joke they had played on me.

I, Sonya Foley, was nothing more than someone who could be called upon at any time to amuse him.

Two years ago, Austin had risen from nothing to become the youngest tycoon in Kondale's tech circle, basking in the limelight.

After finishing a rescue mission that day, I walked out of the rubble covered in mud, only to see him leaning against the door of his Maserati. He was dressed in an expensive suit and was smiling faintly at me.

"Hey, Sonya, it's been a while. I'm finally worthy of you now," he said.

From then on, he appeared in my life every day. He would send flowers and gifts, pick me up and drop me off at work, and check in on me. It was all so loving that it felt unreal.

I thought he had truly come back for me. Only now did I realize it was all just a punishment game to get revenge.

After all, his love for me had vanished, and in its place was hate.

Assuming I was still unconscious, Austin walked in with his beloved fiancée, Dion Carpenter, in his arms.

"I don't think we should do it here," Dion said with feigned reluctance.

"What are you scared of? She's unconscious and won't wake up any time soon."

Austin's voice was low and seductive. Just like how he sounded when he whispered sweet nothings into my ear every day.

Five years ago, I was the one who turned away resolutely, ignoring him as he knelt on the ground begging me.

His heart-wrenching cries from back then had now turned into intimate whispers with Dion.

I kept my eyes shut tightly, but I couldn't block out the sound of them kissing. The wet, slobbery noise kept creeping into my ears.

Nor could I stop the cloying sweetness of Dion's perfume and the minty scent of Austin's aftershave infiltrating my nose. The two intertwining scents slowly filled the entire room.

My stomach churned, my throat burned with bitterness, and my heart felt like it was being squeezed. I wished I could just die then and there.

I didn't know how much time passed before the room returned to silence. Slowly, I pushed myself up in bed. Then, ignoring the nurses calling after me, I fled the hospital like a fugitive.

As I was covered in wounds, I kept stumbling and falling. A metallic sweetness lingered in my throat, as if I were about to cry out all the injustices I had endured.

I didn't know how far I had walked when the phone in my pocket rang.

Trembling, I pulled it out and saw my daughter's name, Callie, on the screen.

A soft, sweet voice came from the other end. "Mommy, when are you coming home? I miss you so much."

My chest tightened, my throat ached, and tears fell uncontrollably again.

"Be good, Callie. Mommy will be home soon."

I forced a smile, but my voice trembled despite my efforts.

On the other end, Mom's anxious voice came through again.

"Sonya, the doctors have all said you require treatment abroad for your heart condition. You barely survived, so why are you insisting on staying in the country doing rescue work?

"You're still so young, yet you're throwing your life away! If this continues, what will happen to Callie? Is Austin really so great that you'd go to such lengths for him?"

Indeed, was Austin so great?

At Mom's words, tears rolled down my cheeks once more.

I had always been the strongest member of my rescue team. Climbing mountains, wading through water, braving the wind and rain—I shattered every stereotype that women couldn't do rescue work.

No matter how tough or exhausting it got, I never shed a single tear.

But today, I truly lost count of how many times I had cried.

I steadied my voice. "Mom, I'll do what you say. I'll go abroad for treatment. But I need you to do me a favor."

Mom immediately relaxed, her voice softening. "Of course, of course! I'll help you with anything."

After hanging up, I wandered aimlessly down the street.

"Sonya, where the hell have you been?" A furious shout, followed by the crisp scent of mint.

Austin grabbed me from behind and pulled me into a crushing embrace. I struggled, kicking and pushing to break free. But he locked me in place, almost as if he wanted to press me into his very bones.

His breathing was ragged, each exhale sending goosebumps down my neck.

"Why didn't you answer my calls? Why did you run away from the hospital?"

His voice trembled slightly, laced with urgency and unease. His arms tightened around me until I could barely breathe.

His expression was filled with turbulent emotions, his gaze reflecting pure panic. His eyes especially—fierce, proud, and heartbroken—spoke volumes. Yet, they were trapped within this gentle exterior.

For a moment, it almost made me believe Austin still loved me. But the marks on his neck from Dion's kisses in the hospital room were still fresh.

I took a subtle step back, my tone indifferent. "I just needed some air."

Austin's hand froze mid-air, his gaze instantly dimming.

When I turned to leave, he suddenly swept me up again. Ignoring my protests, he shoved me into his luxury car.

"You're going to the rehabilitation center now. We'll talk about everything else later."

I bit my lip and stayed silent.

As the car stopped at the entrance of the private rehabilitation center, he moved to help me out, only to be interrupted by a small but furious voice shouting from a distance.

"You meanie! Let go of my mommy!"

The next second, Callie charged over and punched Austin in the leg as hard as she could.

Austin froze, his gaze landing on Callie's face—one that was so strikingly similar to his own. In that instant, his expression turned to stone.

I hadn't expected that the rehabilitation center Austin brought me to was the same one where Callie received her treatments.

I immediately pulled Callie behind me to shield her.

But Austin kept staring at her, his gaze whirling with disbelief. He grabbed my wrist and, in a low and shaking voice, asked, "Sonya, is she min—"

He couldn't even finish the sentence.

I avoided his burning gaze and said nothing. The calmer I was, the more frantic he became. He tightened his grip on my wrist to the point of pain, as if he wanted to crush my bones.

"How old is she? Why did you really leave me back then? We loved each other so much. What the hell were you hiding from me?"

Five years ago, we were college sweethearts. Everyone thought we were destined to walk down the aisle together. But that winter, while Austin was away on a business trip for his startup, I suddenly collapsed.

And from that moment on, our fates were forever changed.

I had vanished from Austin's world without warning. It was a cliché, to say the least.

The memory cut off abruptly, and I felt a sharp pain stabbing my chest.

After taking a deep breath, I raised my eyes to the red mark on Austin's neck and forced a bleak smile.

"Austin, do you still love me?" I asked.

His expression froze, then a tangle of emotions flashed across his eyes.

Before he could answer, the rehabilitation center's door swung open. A nurse stepped out, smiling warmly as she took my arm.

"Ah, so you're the patient. You've finally come. Mr. Miller was so worried while you were gone. Come, let me take you inside for your rehabilitation session."

I turned and crouched down to hug Callie.

"Callie, I need to go for my treatment now. You go back for your check-up, okay?" I murmured softly.

Callie looked up at me timidly, then nodded obediently.

I took a deep breath and walked into the rehabilitation room.

The nurse strapped me onto the cold examination bed and pulled the curtain shut, blocking my view. Machines hummed and whirred around me.

A few familiar voices drifted in from behind the curtain. They belonged to Austin's friends. Their tones were laced with mockery.

"She thinks she's someone special. What was she trying to achieve by playing the vanishing act?"

"Hey, I heard rehab can be really painful. Is that true?"

"Oh, it's true. Rehab hurts so bad that it'll make you wish you were dead. Some people even piss themselves from the pain."

A burst of raucous laughter followed.

"Dion, go ahead and push the button. Have a little fun."

The next second, a surge of electric current shot through my bones without warning. A violent pain, sharp as needles, pierced through my entire body in an instant.

I clenched my teeth and trembled uncontrollably. Cold sweat started beading on my forehead, but I refused to make a sound. Soon, the taste of blood filled my mouth.

Seeing how stubbornly silent I was, Austin's friends—still behind the curtains—urged excitedly for Dion to turn up the intensity.

The pain was like fire scorching my nerves, like blades slicing through my bones. My breathing turned ragged, my mind grew hazy, and my vision darkened.

Just as my consciousness teetered on the edge of collapse, the door slammed open.

Austin's furious roar shook the room. "What the hell are you guys doing? Why did you knock her out?"

My awareness flickered in and out. Dimly, I sensed Austin's rage and heard him throw the equipment to the ground with brutal force.

"Who gave you the permission to do this? I brought her here to heal, not for you to torture her!"

His friends burst into mocking laughter.

"Dude, why are you so angry? Don't tell us you've actually fallen for Sonya?"

"Dion's going to be heartbroken."

Dion covered her face, sobbing dramatically. "Austin, have you fallen for Sonya again?" she asked pitifully.

Austin frowned and said through gritted teeth, "That's impossible! I just don't want you idiots going too far and killing someone."

The moment the words left his mouth, he grabbed Dion by the waist and kissed her deeply on the lips.

Whistles and cheers erupted around them.

Austin's kiss was fierce, deliberate—as if proving something to his friends, or maybe to himself. But his gaze was hollow, his mind elsewhere.

He asked himself, who was it that he truly wanted to kiss? Had Dion's perfume always been this strong? And was that little girl really his daughter?

Austin absentmindedly ended the kiss, and the people around them laughed loudly as they left.

The ward once again fell into silence.

…

My eyes remained closed, and my back was soaked with sweat. I couldn't move or open my eyes.

Austin gently approached the edge of my bed and crouched down. With the utmost tenderness and slowness, he placed a kiss on the wounded top of my foot.