The moment Delilah and her daughter walked in, the storm cloud on Lucian’s face completely disappeared. His tense expression softened, his attitude turned calm again.

Perhaps he agreed with her words, because his voice turned cold but indifferent, “Sign the papers. I’ll cover your sister’s surgery costs. Once she recovers, I’ll find her a good man so she can marry well.”

Delilah stood quietly by his side, but when he wasn’t looking, she raised an eyebrow. A flash of smugness and provocation flickered in her eyes.

My last shred of reason snapped.

Like a madwoman, I lunged at her. “Delilah! Give me back my daughter and my sister’s life!”

But before I could even touch the edge of her sleeve, Lucian reacted swiftly, kicking me hard in the stomach.

“Ivy, you’re asking for death!”

His roar echoed throughout the house. Caught off guard, I fell to the ground, clutching my aching abdomen, trembling as I looked up.

Lucian didn’t even glance at me. Instead, he was anxiously checking Delilah, making sure she wasn’t hurt.

Not just her, he even bent down to check on Juliette.

In his eyes there was only the existence of this woman and her child. And I… I was nothing but air to him.

My heart sank to the deepest abyss.

Fragments of memories came rushing back, on our wedding day, when he swore an oath under the witness of family and friends: “Ivy, I will love, protect and cherish you for life. I will never allow anyone to hurt you, not even myself. If I ever break this promise, may the heavens strike me down.”

If those vows really worked, Lucian. You would’ve been struck by lightning long ago.

Delilah leaned weakly into his chest, her frail frame trembling, her soft voice filled with false tears. “I was so scared, Lucian. Thank goodness you were here. I really don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

Juliette blinked innocently, hugging Lucian’s arm tightly. Her childish voice carried exaggerated grievance, “Daddy… why was Auntie so scary? Mommy and I didn’t do anything wrong… why did she want to hit us?”

Lucian’s gaze instantly softened for them. He stroked Juliette’s hair lovingly, then turned back to me with eyes as cold as ice.

“Because she’s gone mad,” he said sharply. “Don’t waste your time on her.”

Then his gaze sharpened. “Stay home and think about it yourself, whether you sign or not, nothing will change.”

With that, he led Delilah and Juliette away, leaving me lying alone in the enormous living room.

***

I forced myself up, ignoring the pain in my stomach and stared at the closed door they had disappeared through.

My hands trembled uncontrollably as I grabbed my phone and booked the earliest flight for the next morning.

Lucian had already used all his connections to block me. Threatening every lawyer, making sure no one would dare accept my case. The lawsuit was stuck, but I couldn’t keep gambling with my sister’s life.

Lucian was desperate enough to do anything now.

I remembered, back when we were dating, how terrifying he could be.

Once, during dinner, a drunk man accidentally brushed against my hand. Lucian went crazy, grabbing a cleaver from the shop owner and hacking off the man’s arm right in front of me.

If the restaurant owner and I hadn’t stopped him, there would’ve been more than just one casualty that night.

Later, he hugged me, covered in blood, whispering sweetly, “Don’t be afraid, Ivy. I’m here to protect you. No one will ever dare bully you again.”

I used to think that was love. Now I knew it was nothing but madness.

***

Just after booking my flight, the hospital called.

The doctor informed me that Irene had made it through the critical stage and had been moved to a regular ward.

Joy surged through me. I changed clothes quickly and rushed to the hospital.

But when I arrived, the hospital bed was empty. My whole body turned cold, my legs frozen in place, my hands trembling violently.

Then my phone rang. It was Delilah.

Her voice, sharp and malicious, came through the speaker.

“Looking for your dear sister, huh? Come to this address.”

I followed Delilah’s directions, step after step, my heart sinking deeper into a suffocating abyss.

By the time I arrived at the private club, the sky had already turned dark. Neon lights flickered overhead, illuminating the vulgarity behind the walls.

The moment I pushed open the heavy doors, chaos exploded in my ears, raucous laughter, shrill screams and jeering voices blending into a disgusting symphony.

“Hahaha, little dog, look here! Come here!”

“No, it’s me, crawl to me!”

“Lucian is really something. Always remembers his buddies whenever there’s fresh entertainment.”

“Yeah, shame she just had surgery. Otherwise, she’d be serving us like the others do.”

I froze, breath caught painfully in my throat.

In the center of the room, my sister, Irene, was crawling on the cold floor, dressed in a thin hospital gown. Her pale neck was wrapped in a thick black dog collar, her hands pressed against the cold marble, her knees scraped and bleeding as she trembled, forced to crawl like a beaten animal.

Around her stood a group of men and women, waving frisbees and dog toys like they were taunting a show pet. Their faces gleamed with malicious excitement.

My chest caved in. I could barely breathe as scorching anger devoured me alive.

“Irene!” My scream tore through the air, sharp and desperate. “No! Let her go! You bastards! Get away from her!”

I lunged forward, eyes red, hands shaking, wanting nothing more than to shield my sister from this nightmare. But before I could take more than a step, two bodyguards pressed me to the ground, shoving me onto my knees.

Delilah stood leisurely in the middle of the chaos, dressed in a skin-tight designer gown, her long lashes fluttering as she looked down on me with smug amusement.

By her side stood Juliette, clinging sweetly to her mother, a mask of innocence plastered on her small face.

Delilah’s lips curled into a soft, fake smile, her voice dripping with venom. “Want to save your sister, Ivy? You know what to do.”

I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palm until I bled, but I had no choice.

Delilah lowered her head slightly, her smile deepening. “On your knees, bark like a dog! If you amuse me enough, maybe I’ll let you both go.”

The crowd roared with laughter, some pulling out their phones, some pointing at me like I was part of the show.

“That’s right! Get down for Madam Delilah! If you hadn’t stolen Lucian, she would have been Mrs. Durneswick. It’s time you paid for it!”

Irene’s mouth was taped shut, her tear-streaked face shaking wildly as she struggled against the leash. Her helpless gaze shattered what little pride I had left.

I knew it, if I didn’t obey, neither of us would leave this room alive.

My body trembled uncontrollably, but in the end, I still fell to my knees.

My throat clenched as I forced out an animalistic bark.

Laughter erupted like thunder.

Lights flashed endlessly, cameras capturing every humiliating moment. I could hear them screaming, “Look at this! A sister degrading herself like a dog just to protect her crippled sibling. This will dominate the headlines tomorrow!”

But just as the mockery reached its peak, the room suddenly fell deathly silent.

A familiar low, hoarse voice came through the phone’s speaker, calm, cold and terrifyingly steady.

“Play as much as you like, but if anyone dares to leak tonight’s video… be prepared to die.”

I shivered violently.

I looked up.

Delilah held her phone, her screen showing Lucian’s emotionless expression, seated behind his office desk, looking down at the scene like a king overseeing a pitiful circus.

A faint, almost tender smile appeared on his lips as he spoke to Delilah, “Are you done venting, Delilah? If so, take Juliette home. I’ve made a reservation, let’s have dinner.”

Delilah’s cheeks flushed lightly, her posture softening. “Alright, I’ll bring Juliette right over. What about Ivy and her sister?”

Lucian’s voice remained nonchalant, “No need. They have hands and feet. They’ll find their own way home.”

When he spoke of me, his gaze turned icy, every trace of warmth vanishing.

“And Ivy…” his tone dropped, every word biting into my bones, “this is only the beginning. The longer you refuse to sign, the worse it’ll get. But if you behave, you’ll still be Mrs. Durneswick standing tall above everyone else.”

His words made the audience shift uncomfortably, the arrogance in their faces rapidly dissolving into panic.

I laughed bitterly inside.

That’s what these people were fickle cowards.

When Lucian didn’t care about me, I was trash they could trample on.

But if Lucian so much as lifted a finger, they’d kneel and call me “Mrs. Durneswick” like loyal dogs.

Lucian didn’t even wait for my response before coldly hanging up the phone.

With the call cut off, the room’s atmosphere instantly shifted. Those people who moments ago were laughing uproariously scattered like rats.

Delilah was the last to leave. The sweetness she wore in front of Lucian vanished in an instant, replaced by a vicious glare.

“Consider yourself lucky this time,” she sneered, eyes sharp as knives. “But soon, you’ll see exactly who he truly loves and who actually matters to him.”

Juliette followed her mother, her young face twisted with the same malice. “That’s right, you ugly hag! Your daughter deserved to die. Your crippled sister too. The world’s better off without trash like you.”

My body trembled in rage, my nails digging into my palms. I wanted nothing more than to strangle them both until my gaze dropped and I saw Irene on the floor, her limbs twitching uncontrollably, white foam spilling from her lips.

My fury instantly turned into sheer panic.

I rushed to her side, frantically carrying her out, stumbling through the corridors, pushing through the crowd.

At the hospital, after a barrage of emergency treatments, the doctor’s expression was cold, his voice harsher than ever. “If you want your sister to live, keep her away from this kind of trauma. One more episode like this and she won’t make it.”

I bowed repeatedly, apologizing, my voice hoarse. “It won’t happen again, never again.”

Back in the hospital room, Irene slowly regained consciousness, her pale lips quivering as her tearful gaze met mine.

“Just let me die, Sister… why am I even alive anymore?” Her voice cracked as she broke down.

I lunged forward, holding her tightly, my tears falling uncontrollably. “You can’t die! You’re all I have left. My daughter is already gone. If I lose you too how am I supposed to live?”

Our parents had died young and it had always been just the two of us. I worked day and night to put her through school. Lucian knew all of this, he used to say, “Your sister is my sister too. I’ll take care of her, just like you.”

Back then, he secretly sent her money, making sure she ate well and dressed nicely while I was busy working. When I caught him, he scratched his head sheepishly, “I just wanted to help. Irene is family, of course I’ll look after her.”

Yet now, the man who once vowed to protect us turned his back while strangers trampled on us.

I was the fool, I believed every lie he told me.

Taking a deep breath, I wiped away Irene’s tears, forcing my tone to remain calm,

“Enough. We’ll leave this place tomorrow. No more pain. No more begging. We’re leaving it all behind.”

A trace of light returned to her lifeless eyes, but the grief lingered. “But, what about Daisy? She was only five. Are we just letting her death go unanswered?”

Tears slipped down my cheeks, but my voice was firmer than ever, “No. We’ll leave this place but I swear to you, I’ll make every one of them pay. I’ll get justice for you and for Daisy.”

It took me the rest of the night to calm her down.

But before dawn, everything spiraled again.

That humiliating video of me and Irene, crawling and barking like dogs was plastered all over the internet, skyrocketing to trending headlines.