Well, Chelsea wasn't wrong.

I had changed. I was no longer the arrogant and extravagant playboy from the most affluent family in the entire city. Instead, I was just Chelsea's and Derrick's plaything now.

I got into the car and quietly went into the backseat.

Scenes of the street rushed past outside the window, and my fingers slowly tightened. Were we on the way to Weston Cemetery?

The car had only just rolled to a stop when I immediately pushed open the door and rushed out.

I was completely stunned by what I saw.

The once neat rows of tombstones had all vanished, and they were now replaced by neatly-arranged rows of punching bags and other training equipment. Several young men in sports gear were sparring in the area.

I stumbled and grabbed a passing staff member.

"Where are the graves? Where are the graves belonging to the Archer family? Mr. and Mrs. Archer?"

The staff member looked at me in surprise. "They've been moved away a long time ago. Ms. Herrera bought this land and converted it into an open-air boxing gym specifically for Mr. Carpenter's training."

Another staff member piped up. "That's right! Ms. Herrera is truly devoted to Mr. Carpenter! She heard that this was prime real estate with the best views, previously treasured by the former city billionaire, and bought it for him immediately!"

A short distance away, Derrick curled his lips into a wicked grin and said, "I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to locate your parents' graves and ashes, Jacob, so I had them all tossed behind the mountain instead."

My mind went blank, and I hurriedly rushed behind the mountain like a madman to find them.

There was a sudden torrential downpour just then, and a landslide suddenly occurred before my eyes, instantly burying me underneath the dirt.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but I pried away the rocks and mud pressing down on me. My fingernails cracked and bled profusely, and my old and new wounds reopened in the heavy rain.

I turned into a bloody, gruesome mess in just a short amount of time.

About an hour later, I finally saw a familiar bluestone slab with the last name "Archer" carved into it. I tensed up at once and instantly began digging with my bloodied fingers, crying my heart out in anguish.

Suddenly, Chelsea's shouts came from afar.

"Jacob Archer! Come here right this instant!"

However, it was Derrick who found me first. He was so enraged that he kicked me to the ground and stomped all over my head repeatedly.

"Fuck you, Jacob Archer! Why won't you just die, you fucking loser! Chelsea would have been all mine if only you'd died on the island!"

I'd completely run out of energy by then and just lay on the ground, letting him do whatever the hell he wanted to me.

As I struggled to breathe, I thought I saw Chelsea's figure coming toward us from afar.

Derrick suddenly whispered in my ear and cackled. "Wanna guess who she's gonna save between the two of us?"

He then grabbed me and threw both of us over the cliff. Just as we fell off, he maneuvered the angles just right so that I would be the one cushioning his fall.

My body struck against a sharp rock that pierced through my shoulders and abdomen. In the last of my consciousness, I saw Chelsea rushing over to us and picking Derrick up in her arms in a fluster.

It reminded me of how she also rushed in to save Derrick from the office fire without hesitation years ago but locked me up with the flames.

I felt the last of my body temperature leaving me. I reached my hand out toward her with much difficulty and mustered every last ounce of my strength to call out to her.

"S-Save me…"

Chelsea turned when she heard my voice. Her pupils were trembling, but Derrick leaned weakly against her just then and said, "I think I sprained my ankle, Chels…"

She tore her eyes away from me and looked at him.

"Stay put and hold on, Jacob. I'll call an ambulance for you after I get Ricky to safety."

Then, she turned and helped Derrick away without looking back.

I watched her resolute figure walking farther and farther away from me. Then, my gaze landed on the urn with my parents' ashes that had been washed out of the mud and sand by the rain not too far away from me.

It seemed as though my parents were standing in the rain and talking to me.

"We believe in you, Jacob! You have to survive!"

Fresh blood trickled out of my mouth as I bit on my tongue, forcing myself to stay conscious.

I couldn't afford to die just yet. I still hadn't made them pay.

When I regained consciousness, I was already lying in a hospital bed. Everything smelled like blood, filthy and metallic.

Chelsea was sitting beside me, her exquisite makeup mostly ruined and her hair a huge mess.

When she realized that I was awake, she burst into tears of joy and immediately hugged me, but I gently pushed her away.

That startled her.

"Did I hurt you, Jacob?" she asked.

I shook my head and got down on my knees before her instead.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Herrera, for wasting your time and resources on me. Please take me back to the villa. Mr. Carpenter still needs a live punching bag, and Dobey also needs me to care for him."

Chelsea stared at my mechanical fake smile and staggered backward involuntarily. She reached out, meaning to touch me, but I flinched on instinct and protected my head like I was expecting a blow.

She continued staring at me in shock, asking me in a hoarse voice, "Jacob? What's gotten into you? Why are you like this?"

I lowered my head in silence. The only sound left in the ward was the constant beeping of the medical machines and equipment.

A piercing ring broke the silence just then. Derrick's voice then came through the call.

"Chels! Dobey hasn't been eating for a while, and I'm worried sick. I can't do anything anymore. Can you get Jacob to come back and take care of him?"

I didn't wait for Chelsea to reply as I slipped out of my hospital gown. The hundreds of gruesome scars on my body, large and small, were exposed to her, and she gasped in complete shock.

She hung up on Derrick immediately, her voice sounding even more hoarse than before. "These scars… What happened?"

I calmly changed back into my uniform and forced a smile on my lips. "My duty is to take care of Mr. Carpenter and Dobey, Ms. Herrera. Please take me home."

Chelsea's composure cracked. She grabbed me by my collar and yelled, "What the hell did you go through?"

I asked, puzzled. "What's the matter, Ms. Herrera? I've learned to be obedient now. Why are you still unhappy about it?"

Her shoulders trembled uncontrollably. "I just… I just wanted to—"

Her phone rang again, and I reminded her lightly, "We should leave now, Ms. Herrera. Mr. Carpenter is probably very angry by now."

Back at the villa, Derrick immediately pulled Chelsea into his arms and began complaining about her hanging up on him earlier. Meanwhile, I just headed straight into the kitchen to prepare Dobey's food.

Chelsea stared at me in a daze the whole time, and Derrick realized that something was off. He immediately ordered me coldly, "Get back into your room! You're not allowed to take a single step out of without my explicit permission. Understand?"

I nodded politely and respectfully in return.

…

Sometime around midnight, suppressed moans and loud groans came from the next room. The voice belonged to none other than Chelsea.

Derrick then spoke in a very loud voice, as if he was worried that I wouldn't be able to hear him clearly.

"Don't you miss me at all, Chels? I missed you so much that I thought I was about to die… Let's go another round, without the condom this time…"

I simply opened the window and let the night breeze blow away the sedative powder from my sleeve.

My phone suddenly vibrated.

"I've disabled the security camera at the back door. Use the fire escape!"

I didn't move a muscle and continued listening to the increasingly loud and blissful panting from next door.

An hour later, the sedatives finally took effect. I retrieved the evidence hidden in the dog kennel's false bottom and disappeared into the night, getting into the car that had been waiting for me all night.