The day before the graduate school admission results were announced, my younger brother, Colson, was kidnapped by thugs.

In a desperate attempt to save him, I was dragged into the mountains by a group of gangsters.

By the time my older brother arrived, my legs were twisted at a horrifying angle, and blood poured uncontrollably from my lower body.

He was frantic, his face pale with terror, as he rushed me to the hospital, pleading with the best surgeon to save me.

Colson, his eyes red with anguish, swore that every single person who had hurt me would pay the price.

But as I lay weak and barely conscious in the hospital bed, hushed voices outside the door sent a chill through my body.

"Brother, did we go too far? Faking everything in front of Sister just to secure Valerie’s spot in graduate school... How will she ever get married after this?"

Marco let out a sigh before replying in a low voice. "What choice do we have? There’s only one admission slot this time. If you want to blame someone, blame Elaina for being too outstanding, always overshadowing Valerie. Ever since Aunt Sabina married into our family, Valerie has been desperate to prove she’s not a burden. She’s been studying day and night for this opportunity—I won’t let anyone stand in her way."

"As for Elaina, once she recovers, she’ll go straight to work at the company. I’ll make sure no one humiliates her over this. And if she can’t get married in the future... then I’ll stay by her side forever."

Tears slipped down my cheeks like shattered pearls.

The brother who once cherished me, the younger sibling who clung to me as if he couldn’t live without me—neither of them had ever truly held me in their hearts.

If that’s how it was... then I didn't need them either.

—

At that moment, the doctor rushed over, holding a surgical consent form.

"The patient is in critical condition. She has a ruptured corpus luteum and needs immediate suturing. Please sign the consent form."

Without hesitation, Marco tore the form to shreds. "Wait until tomorrow."

The doctor was stunned and hurriedly said, "If she undergoes surgery now, we can still save her uterus. But if we wait any longer, she might become permanently incontinent!"

"She’ll spend her life in diapers!" he added.

Upon hearing that, Colson hesitated. "Brother... maybe we should let her have the surgery now? Do you really want to see her become filthy and broken?"

"So what if I don’t? We’re one step away from success—I won’t allow anything to go wrong now!" Marco hissed.

"Besides, only if Elaina is completely ruined will she finally give up on her graduate school dream and obediently work at the company."

Hearing this, Colson stopped protesting and told the doctor to wait for their instructions.

Lying in bed, my body trembled uncontrollably.

It never crossed my mind that the very gangsters who had torn me apart... were sent by the person who once cherished me most.

As a child, Marco never let me suffer the slightest grievance. After our mother passed away, and our father remarried, I was no longer his priority.

But my brother—he used to travel fifty kilometers back home every day just to have dinner with me, to tuck me in at night.

Back then, if I got the tiniest scrape, he would feel so guilty he’d punch the walls.

And now...

He orchestrated my downfall. Tarnished my name.

Even the younger brother I had raised with my own hands had become his accomplice.

Despair crashed over me like a tidal wave. I clutched my head and sobbed uncontrollably.

Hearing my cries, the door burst open.

"Elaina!"

"Sister!"

Seeing me break down, my older brother rushed forward, wrapping me tightly in his arms, his hands gently stroking my back.

"It’s over now, Elaina. Don’t be afraid. I'm here."

Beside him, my younger brother cautiously wiped the tears from my face.

"Sis, don’t worry. I’ve had all those bastards arrested. No one will ever hurt you again!"

As I watched the two of them put on their heartfelt performance in front of me, a bitter smile crept onto my lips.

How ironic.

The ones who truly destroyed me, who left me in unbearable agony... were you.

I closed my eyes, exhaustion washing over me. After a long pause, I finally asked, though I already knew the answer.

"Brother, when will the surgery start? It hurts so much..."

Hearing my words, Marco slapped himself hard across the face, his eyes filled with guilt.

"I’m sorry, Elaina. It’s all my fault. I couldn’t find the best surgeon to treat you."

"I don’t trust the other doctors. What if they mess up and leave you with lasting damage? You’re still young—you’ll need to marry and have children one day..."

"Don’t worry, I’ll go kneel at her doorstep if I have to. I promise, by tomorrow morning, you’ll have your surgery."

Beside me, Colson called for the nurse.

"Please, give my sister the most expensive anesthesia—she’s terribly afraid of pain."

But when the nurse lifted my sleeve, she froze in shock.

My body was a mangled mess, covered in deep, bloody bite marks. In some places, the flesh was torn away entirely, exposing raw, white bones.

Her voice trembled with anger. "Monsters! I've practiced medicine for over twenty years and have never witnessed such cruelty!"

"Young lady, I need to inject anesthesia into multiple wounds. Try to bear with it."

The next second, a thick needle—wider than my finger—pressed against my festering wounds. The pain was unbearable, and a scream tore from my throat.

Marco quickly shoved his hand into my mouth, afraid I’d bite through my tongue.

Colson gripped my hand tightly, letting my nails dig deep into his arm, leaving crescent-shaped marks.

At that moment, they seemed just like before—full of love and concern for me.

But I felt nothing.

No warmth. No comfort.

Only emptiness.

—

When I regained consciousness, there were only ten minutes left until the graduate school admission results were announced.

From the bathroom, I heard Colson anxiously whispering to my older brother, his voice muffled as if covering his mouth.

"Brother, I’ve already spoken with the school. Sister is ‘voluntarily’ giving up her admission slot. But... but do we still need to release those videos of her being humiliated online?"

Marco’s voice trembled, but his answer was firm. "Do it."

"Only if the entire school knows will Valerie’s acceptance be fully justified. As for Elaina... her reputation is already ruined. A little more won’t make a difference."

Colson hesitated for only a moment before nodding. Then he immediately contacted a media company.

Hot tears streamed down my face.

I could hardly believe it.

My own flesh and blood—Marco and my little brother—were willing to throw me into an abyss I could never climb out of—all for a stepsister.

The nightmares surged back in a torrent. The memories of foreign hands violating my body, the sensation of being touched against my will—like a storm, they swallowed me whole.

My body trembled uncontrollably.

Marco walked in at that moment and saw me shaking. He immediately wrapped his arms around me and pulled out his phone, starting a livestream.

"Elaina, it’s all over now. Let’s watch the admission results together—I know it’s going to be you!"

"When the announcement is made, Colson and I will take you straight to school."

I stared at the fake gentleness in his eyes and whispered, "Brother... can I still go to school?"

"Of course! You definitely can!" But as he spoke, his gaze flickered away, unable to meet mine.

Because he knew better than anyone—hat was impossible.

I would never sit in a bright, clean classroom again.

This brother, who once swore to protect me after our father remarried, had destroyed me with his own hands.

Even the little brother who used to follow me everywhere had become my executioner.

And then, from the phone speaker, the principal’s jubilant voice rang out.

"Let us all congratulate Valerie Johnson for earning this year’s graduate school admission spot!"

A satisfied smile appeared on Marco’s lips, but it only lasted for a fleeting second before he hurled his phone to the ground in anger.

"This is outrageous! It’s completely unfair!"

"You’re at the top of your class—how could they give the reserved postgraduate spot to Valerie?"

"Don’t worry, Elaina! I’ll go talk to the principal right now and demand an explanation!"

I watched him put on yet another performance right in front of me, my heart twisting in agony.

As soon as he stormed out, a nurse entered the room and announced that it was time for my surgery.

She dragged me into a wheelchair. With my pelvis fractured, I had no choice but to rest one leg awkwardly on the armrest.

The moment we entered the hallway, a mob of people swarmed toward us.

Besides the reporters armed with cameras and microphones, there were also many familiar faces from the school.

"Ms. Palmer, reports say you engaged in sexual relations with multiple men, resulting in severe vaginal trauma. As a university student, do you think this behavior is appropriate?"

"Ms. Palmer, you were once ranked first in your class, but now many are questioning whether you used your body to achieve those grades. Do you have anything to say in response?"

"Ms. Palmer, the school has officially revoked your graduate admission due to ‘immoral conduct.’ Are you dissatisfied with this decision?"

Horror flooded through me.

A familiar delinquent from campus smirked at my fear. "Damn, if I had known you were this easy, I would've had my turn sooner—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he reached out and yanked my oversized hospital pants down in one violent motion.

The floodlights of the cameras illuminated my mangled, rotting wounds.

Dark, putrid liquid oozed down my thighs, pooling on the sterile white floor.

"God, that smell! Disgusting!"

"I swear, I’m about to throw up everything I ate three days ago!"

The air was filled with the sound of gagging, but no one stopped recording.

Cameras flashed in every direction, capturing my humiliation from every angle.

I clenched my jaw so hard I thought my teeth might shatter, my body trembling from the unbearable shame.

"Keep filming! This is the perfect example of what happens when a woman doesn’t respect herself!"

"Girls, take this as a warning—don’t be like Ms. Palmer. Otherwise, you’ll end up a broken, filthy whore just like her!"

Every word was like a dagger plunging straight into my heart.

I wanted to run.

But the nurse held me down, keeping me trapped in the wheelchair.

I was their prey, pinned to the execution table, waiting for their judgment.

—

"Get the hell away from her!"

A furious roar cut through the chaos.

Marco charged into the crowd, shielding me with his body.

Colson tore off his jacket and wrapped it around my lower half, his eyes red with rage.

"You sick bastards! All of you!"

With that, the two of them grabbed a fire extinguisher and used it to force the mob back.

The last time they had fought like this was when someone bullied me at school. Without a word, my older brother struck the other person on the head, while my younger brother delivered several harsh kicks.

When our father tried to punish them afterward, Marco had declared, "Anyone who hurts my sister—I’ll never let them off."

And Colson had added, "I’ll protect my sister forever! No one is allowed to hurt her!"

They took a brutal beating that day, nearly ending up in the hospital themselves.

I had been so moved back then.

But now—

Watching the veins bulging in their clenched fists as they raged on my behalf—I felt nothing.

Once the reporters finally left, Marco carefully pulled me into his arms.

"I... I’m sorry, Elaina. I was too late."

Colson spoke softly beside him. "Don’t worry, sis—I swear, I won’t let those videos spread."

Their words were flawless.

Their performances were impeccable.

But I only felt the urge to laugh.

Because, in order to clear the path for Valerie, they had been the ones who orchestrated my downfall—who destroyed my body, my dignity, my future.