It felt like my flesh was being torn apart piece by piece. My vision blurred instantly, my whole body shaking uncontrollably.

“What… what did you do?!”

Elizabeth stepped back, watching calmly. “Acid. Funny, right?”

I struggled, pulling hard against the rope, but they cut into my wrists, tightening with every movement. The more I moved, the worse it burned.

It hurt. It hurt so much I couldn’t even think.

My nails dug into my palms, my body twisting, trying to escape something I couldn’t even see.

I screamed again, my voice hoarse, desperate.

Finally, I pulled with everything I had.

The rope snapped.

I fell off the bed, hitting the floor hard, barely even feeling it over the pain in my back. I grabbed the blanket, pressing it against my skin, trying to wipe it off, to stop it, to do anything.

It didn’t stop right away.

It kept burning.

By the time it slowed, I was shaking so badly I could barely breathe. My back felt raw, wet, every breath sharp and unbearable.

I pushed myself up slowly, using the bed for support, my legs weak.

Step by step, I walked toward her.

Elizabeth suddenly screamed and dropped to the floor.

“Ah—! Joaquin! Help me!” she cried, her voice shaking, tears instantly filling her eyes.

The door flew open.

Joaquin rushed in.

Elizabeth clutched her arm, sobbing. “It’s not her fault! I made her upset, Joaquin. She pushed me… I didn’t mean to make her angry…”

I looked at him.

He frowned, his eyes turning cold when they landed on me.

“Laureen, what did you do?” his voice was sharp. “Liza was only trying to help you. Why would you treat her like this?”

I opened my mouth, but the pain in my back shot through me so hard I couldn’t even speak.

No words came out.

My fingers gripped the sheets tightly, turning white.

I didn’t even get a chance to explain.

He had already bent down, lifted Elizabeth into his arms, holding her carefully.

Then he turned and walked out. He didn’t even notice when his shoulder hit me.

I stumbled back and fell, my head hitting the corner of the table.

Something warm ran down my face. Blood.

But he didn’t stop.

Didn’t look back.

Not even once.

I lay there on the floor, watching him disappear down the hallway, holding her like she was the only thing that mattered.

My back burned. My head throbbed. Blood dripped onto the floor.

But none of that felt worse than this.

I was right here. Broken. Bleeding.

And he didn’t even glance at me.

He used to panic over the smallest scratch on me.

Now… I could disappear, and it wouldn’t matter.

“Joaquin…” my vision blurring again.

You love her that much, don’t you?

If one day you find out… That the person you loved from the very beginning wasn’t her… Will you regret it?

My back was still burning. Every inch of it hurt.

I sat there alone and tried to put medicine on it myself, my hands shaking so bad I could barely hold the bottle. Every touch felt sharp, deep, and unbearable.

But I didn’t cry.

What was the point?

I think… I ran out of tears a long time ago.

I had just finished when the door slammed open.

SMACK!

My head snapped to the side, and my mom’s hand burned across my face hard enough to make my ears ring.

“You ungrateful child!” she shouted, her voice shaking with anger. “Liza was trying to help you, she even learned prenatal massage for you, and you pushed her? What kind of person are you?”

Blood filled my mouth. I tasted it slowly as I turned back, but before I could even speak, my dad kicked my knee.

Pain shot up my leg and I dropped straight to the floor.

“Drag her down,” he said coldly. “She needs to learn her place today.”

Hands grabbed me before I could react, and they dragged me all the way down to the basement. It was cold there, and dark in a way that felt like it swallowed sound.

When they threw me inside, my eyes fell to the floor.

Thumbtacks.

Hundreds of them scattered across the ground, tiny and sharp, glinting faintly under the dim light like they were waiting.

“Kneel,” my mom said sharply. “Do you even understand how sick Liza is? She needs that fetal stem cell treatment, she’s already suffering so much, and she still tried to take care of you. And this is how you repay her?”

I stared at the floor, then let out a small laugh.

“If I said your adopted daughter hurt me first…” I murmured, my voice barely steady. “Would you even believe me?”

“Nonsense!” my dad snapped immediately. “Liza would never do that. She’s kind, she’s gentle. Even if she made a mistake, you should’ve endured it. Who do you think you are, to hurt her back?”

I laughed again, softer this time, and it hurt to even breathe. My chest felt tight and my throat burned like something was lodged inside it.

Yeah…

Even if she killed me, they’d probably worry more about her hands getting dirty.

“M-mom… do you even see me as your daughter?”

“Stop saying useless things!” she said coldly. “If you had even half of Liza’s character, we wouldn’t have to discipline you like this. Take off your shoes. Kneel. And don’t even think about getting up until a full day has passed.”

My dad gave a small gesture, and the bodyguards stepped closer.

“I’ll do it,” I said quietly, pulling away from them.

I bent down slowly and took off my shoes. For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the scattered metal points beneath me. Then I stepped forward.

The first one pierced my skin instantly.

My breath hitched, but I kept walking. One step, then another, and each movement drove more of them into my feet. Blood followed behind me, staining the floor in uneven drops.

Why does it still hurt this much? Haven’t I gone through worse?

I kept going until I reached the center.

Then I dropped to my knees.

“Ah—!”

The pain exploded through me, sharp and unbearable, and my vision went dark for a second. My body shook hard, but I bit my lip and forced myself to stay upright.

I wouldn’t fall. Not in front of them.

They didn’t even look at me twice.

“Don’t move,” my dad said coldly. “You’re not allowed to get up.”

Then they turned and left.

The door shut behind them.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

I knelt there, my whole body trembling, and the blood kept dripping beneath me, warm against the cold floor.

Time passed, though I couldn’t tell how much. Minutes blurred into hours until everything felt the same.

My head started spinning, and my vision blurred at the edges. I swayed slightly, fighting to stay conscious.

Am I going to pass out here? Would anyone even care if I did?

The blood kept spreading, and my body felt heavier with every second, like something was pulling me down.

Just as everything began to fade—

The door burst open.

“Laureen!”

For a second, I thought I imagined it. I tried to look up, but everything went black before I could see him clearly.

And then nothing.

I woke up in my bedroom.

The ceiling looked familiar, and everything felt too quiet. My back, feet and knees were bandaged, but the pain was still there, deep and constant like it had settled into my bones.

“You’re awake?”

Joaquin’s voice came from beside me.

I turned my head slowly. He was sitting there with red, exhausted eyes, like he hadn’t slept in days. His tie was loose, shirt slightly wrinkled, and there was stubble on his jaw.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” he said, and then he pulled me into his arms. His hand rested on the back of my head, holding me close. “It’s okay now. I’m here. Don’t be scared.”

His warmth used to make me feel safe. His heartbeat used to calm me down.

Now my body just went stiff.

Why does it feel like I can’t breathe when he holds me now?

Every time my parents punished me before, it was him who came. Always him. I used to think he was my escape. The only light in a house that never loved me.

But now I know better.

He’s not my escape.

He’s part of it.

“What’s wrong?” Joaquin asked, pulling back slightly to look at me. “Are you still in pain? I’ll call your doctor.”

“No need,” I said quietly, gripping the blanket. “It’s just a headache.”

He frowned a little, but he didn’t push. Then he stood up.

“I’ll get your medicine.”

He walked to the bedside table and opened the drawer. My body went cold.

No!

I saw it before he did. That box. The one I put there.

My heart slammed hard in my chest.

He reached in and paused. “What’s this?” his fingers touched the ribbon. “Did you buy something?”

“No!”

It came out sharp. Too fast.

I fell off the bed, pain shooting through my knee, but I didn’t care. I grabbed the box and shoved it back into the drawer before he could pull it out. My hands were shaking.

Joaquin paused, then let out a soft laugh. “What, you’re keeping secrets from me now?”

I stayed on the floor, breathing uneven. Then I looked up at him.

“Aren’t you the one keeping secrets?” I asked quietly.

His expression didn’t change. He just stepped closer and brushed my hair back like nothing happened.

“What secrets would I have from you?” he said softly. “You’re overthinking again.”

Overthinking.

Is that what this is?

I stared at him. Calm face. Gentle eyes. Like nothing in the world was wrong.

How can someone lie this easily?

My chest felt tight, like something was slowly closing around it.

I almost lost my child. My real child. Because of everything around me.

And he still acts like I’m the fragile one.

After that, he fed me my medicine himself. Stayed close all the time, watching me like I might break.

In the next few days, he didn’t leave. Not once.

He canceled all his work and stayed with me every step.

He bought an entire jewelry store just because I glanced at the window.

He tried cooking for me once, saying he wanted to learn what pregnant women needed. He burned his finger and still smiled like it didn’t hurt.

At night, when I moved even a little, he would wake up right away and pull the blanket back over me, careful and quiet.

“Don’t get cold,” he’d whisper.

A perfect husband.

That’s what everyone said.

I used to believe it too, but I knew what Joaquin did when I fell asleep. He didn’t stay. He never really stayed. Once my breathing settled, he would slip out of bed without a sound, then leave for the hospital… to her.

I found out by accident. One night, he left his phone on the table and the screen lit up.

“How’s Liza’s heart rate today?”

“She’s still taking painkillers, she’s scared of pain, keep monitoring.”

“Report to me anytime.”

So calm. So normal. Meanwhile I was in the same house, carrying his child.

Then her messages came. Elizabeth didn’t even try to hide anything. Photos and videos, sent one after another, bold and unapologetic.

Joaquin sitting by her hospital bed, feeding her warm food slowly, careful with every movement. My parents stood beside her, their faces full of worry, focused only on her.

Then a video. Security footage.

Joaquin leaned down, brushed her hair back, then kissed her forehead while she slept. His eyes were soft, painfully soft… the kind of warmth I thought belonged to me.

My hands shook as I watched.

Then her message came right after.

“See that? How are you supposed to win against me?”

Tears fell onto the screen, but I didn’t wipe them away.

Am I even supposed to fight this, or am I already losing and just refusing to admit it?

The door opened.

“Why are you crying?”

Joaquin walked in quickly and came straight to me, his thumb brushing under my eye. “Is the baby bothering you again?”

I turned my face slightly.

“It’s nothing,” I said. “I just saw a video.”

“What kind of video makes you cry like this?” he asked, his tone soft with a hint of teasing. He pinched my nose lightly.

“A couple getting married,” I said.

He let out a quiet laugh. “You’re crying over strangers now?”

I lowered my eyes. “It’s just… love is hard. Finding someone who loves you back, someone you can actually stay with…”

He looked at me for a moment, then cupped my face.

“You don’t need to think about that,” he said. “You love me and I love you. That’s enough. We’re forever.”

Forever.

He said it so easily, so naturally.

I remembered our wedding, the way he looked at me when he said I do, like I was everything.

How did I believe that… or did I just want to?

I forced a small nod. “Yeah,” I said quietly. “That’s enough.”

He smiled, satisfied, then pulled me into his arms.

…

The day he left for his business trip, the villa felt different.

Before leaving, he gave instructions to every servant, one after another.

“She only drinks warm water, not too hot.”

“Fresh fruit at three, remove the stems from the strawberries.”

“She kicks the blanket at night, so check on her.”

He stood at the door in his suit, flawless as always, then bent down and kissed my forehead.

“Be good,” he said softly. “Wait for me.”

I smiled and nodded, watching his car disappear.

The moment it was gone, my smile faded. The servants were still whispering.

“He really loves her…”

I didn’t respond. I went upstairs and started packing.

My bags were only half done when the door slammed open.

Elizabeth stumbled in.

I paused for a second, then kept packing.

She grabbed her phone with shaking hands.

“Dad… Mom…” she cried. “I killed someone…”

My fingers stopped.

My mom’s voice came through, sharp with panic. “Liza? What happened?”

“I was driving—” Elizabeth sobbed. “I didn’t see her, an old woman crossed the road and I hit her… she’s not moving! I think she’s dead…”

Her voice broke completely.

“I didn’t mean to, I swear I didn’t mean to…”

My dad’s voice followed, urgent and firm. “Stay where you are. Don’t move. We’re coming right now.”

The call ended, and the room went silent.

…

The moment they arrived, they rushed straight to Elizabeth, pulling her into their arms and wiping the blood from her face like she might break.

“Liza, don’t be scared. Mom and Dad are here.”

She clung to them, crying harder.

“Dad! Mom! The police will find me. I don’t want to go to jail, I can’t…”

My father’s voice dropped. “Did anyone see your face clearly?”

“She was old…” Elizabeth said between sobs. “I don’t think she saw me properly…”

My parents exchanged a look.

Then they turned to me.

I already knew.

“Go take the blame for Liza.”

I blinked, my mind going blank for a second.

“What?”

My mother stepped closer, her voice sharp. “Liza has stem cell treatment coming up. If she goes to jail, it will ruin everything. You’ll just say it was you. Joaquin will get you out anyway.”

My throat went dry.

“I’m not going,” I said. My voice cracked anyway. “Elizabeth is your daughter, but what about me? Am I nothing to you?”

“Smack.”

Her hand hit my face so hard my head snapped to the side.

“You will go,” she said coldly. “Whether you want to or not.”

My father didn’t even hesitate. He struck the back of my neck.

Pain exploded. My vision blurred instantly.

And the last thing I heard was them comforting her.

“Don’t be afraid, Liza. When the police come, just say your sister is unstable. Say she has violent tendencies.”

Then everything went black.

…

Cold. That was the first thing I felt when I woke up.

Damp air clung to my skin, and I was lying on a hard bed beneath a ceiling stained with dark patches I didn’t recognize at first.

“Awake?”

A police officer stood outside the bars, arms folded, voice flat.

“Your parents reported you,” he said. “You admitted to hitting a pedestrian with intent. Evidence matches. You’re under arrest.”

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. My throat was too dry.

So they really did it.

For her… they actually did it.

…

Days blurred after that. I couldn’t even tell how many passed, only that time stopped meaning anything inside that place.

On the first night, another inmate shoved me hard into the wall and took my coat.

“New girl, huh?” she sneered. “You think you’re better than us?”

She grabbed my hair and slammed my head against concrete.

“Try crying again and I’ll make you wish you didn’t.”

I didn’t have the strength to fight back properly, only to breathe through the pain.

On the second night, they moved me into a mixed holding cell because of overcrowding.

A man laughed the moment he saw me.

“Fresh meat?” he said, stepping closer. “Come on, don’t be shy.”

I backed away, nails digging into my palm until I felt blood. Someone grabbed me anyway. I fought back, scratched, anything I could manage.

They hit me until my body stopped responding the way I wanted it to.

A guard finally came in and pulled them off, shouting something I barely registered.

On the third night, I just curled up in a corner with a fever burning through my body.

Voices moved around me like I wasn’t even there.

“I heard her husband is some big CEO…”

“Then why is she here? That doesn’t make sense.”

I almost laughed.

Husband.

Where was he when I was here?

Where was anyone?

I pressed my forehead to my knees and stayed still.

…

On the fourth morning, the door finally opened.

“Laureen. You’re being released.”

The light outside hurt my eyes, so I squinted as I stepped out, unsteady.

And then I saw him.

Joaquin.

Standing there in a suit like nothing had ever touched him.

“Laureen.” He rushed forward and pulled me into his arms. “I’m sorry I’m late.”

His hands were warm, his scent clean, too clean compared to everything I had just come from.

“Don’t worry,” he said softly, holding my face. “It’s all taken care of now.”

I didn’t move.

His hand dropped instinctively to my stomach, checking, as if that was the only thing that mattered.

How pathetic.

I almost died in there, and he’s checking that.

“With me here, this won’t happen again,” he said. “I’ll protect you.”

I stared at him. “Really?”

He nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”

“If you had to choose between me and Elizabeth… who would you protect?”

Silence followed. Not even a flicker of doubt this time.

After a long moment, he said, “I would protect you. You and the baby are everything to me.”

I smiled faintly, but my eyes burned, so I turned away.

…

The first thing I did when I got home was shower.

Water hit my skin, and I just stood there under it, unmoving, like I was trying to wash off something that had already sunk too deep to leave.

When I finally stepped out, I stood in front of the mirror and slowly pulled out the fake pillow stuffed under my clothes. My hands trembled slightly as it fell to the floor.

My stomach was flat again. No baby. No future I could hold onto. Only silence and old scars.

“Ding.”

My phone lit up. A video from Elizabeth.

I didn’t want to open it, but I did anyway.

…

Elizabeth lay in bed, soft and perfectly composed, as if nothing had ever happened.

My parents were beside her, tending to her gently, my mother peeling fruit while my father adjusted her blanket, both acting like she was the only child that mattered.

“Dad, Mom, should we visit my sister?” Elizabeth asked sweetly, tilting her head. “I heard prison is really bad…”

My mother scoffed. “Why would we? She’s tough. A little hardship won’t break her.”

My father nodded. “She always exaggerates anyway.”

The video shifted.

Joaquin walked in holding a bowl of warm food, then sat beside Elizabeth’s bed and carefully blew on it.

“Eat while it’s hot,” he said gently.

Elizabeth smiled at him. “You came straight to me after hearing I wasn’t feeling well. It’s just a small fever… you should probably check on Laureen instead and help her get out.”

Joaquin didn’t even look up. “Don’t worry about her. I’ll take care of it later. Right now, you are more important than her.”

After. Always after.

Elizabeth leaned closer to the camera, smiling like she had already won.

The phone slipped from my hand.

“Bang.”

It hit the floor hard.

And something inside me broke completely.

I sank down slowly, knees hitting the tiles, and then it all came out before I could stop it. Not quite crying. Something emptier, something raw and broken that didn’t feel like it belonged to a living person anymore.

I curled up there, shaking, tears mixing with the dampness still on my skin from the shower.

So this is it…

I almost died in prison, and none of them even looked back.

Not my parents. Not him. Not anyone.

…

Days after that, Joaquin noticed something was off.

Elizabeth finally moved out of the villa, but nothing really changed. He just stayed closer to me, like I was something fragile he needed to monitor.

Gentle. Careful. Always watching.

But I knew it wasn’t me he was watching.

It was the baby.

Then one evening, my parents called and invited us to dinner.