The doctor's words were clinical, but their impact was devastating.

“Her muscles and skin have sustained severe damage and her body now resembles that of a sixty-year-old. Whether she can fully recover through rehabilitation is uncertain. We’ll do our best, but no guarantees.”

As the doctor’s voice trailed off, I watched Arthur's expression change. His usual composed demeanor shattered as the weight of my condition sank in. He lunged forward, gripping the doctor’s collar in disbelief.

“How is that possible?!” he shouted, his voice shaking. “She was only in the desert for a month! She came out alive—how could it be this bad?”

The doctor didn’t flinch. With a sharp glare, he shrugged off Arthur’s hand and snapped, “Mr. Arthur, would you survive a month without proper food, water, or shelter in a desert? Try it yourself and see.”

The room fell silent. Arthur froze, his hand still midair as if grasping for something to say. When he finally turned to look at me, his eyes were filled with guilt.

“Lilly,” he murmured, his voice soft now, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it was this serious. I’ll find the best doctors, the best nutritionists—whatever it takes to help you recover.”

Before I could respond, Bella stepped forward, her delicate features painted with an expression of pity. She took my hand in hers, as though offering comfort.

“Arthur,” she said, her voice trembling with sincerity, “I know a doctor named Mike. He’s an expert in this kind of rehabilitation. I studied with him while I was abroad. I can recommend him.”

Arthur nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder, gratitude shining in his eyes. “Thank you, Bella. You’re so thoughtful. If Lilly were even half as understanding as you, none of this would have happened.”

His words pierced through me like a blade. Understanding? The audacity of him to speak of understanding while Bella stood there, cloaked in her false innocence.

I bit my tongue, swallowing the retort that burned at the back of my throat. He didn’t know the truth—he didn’t want to know.

***

That day in Dungeness played vividly in my mind. I had been sitting alone on the dunes, watching the sun set over the barren landscape. I had wanted solitude, a brief reprieve from the suffocating tension that had followed us there.

But solitude was the last thing Bella allowed me. She approached, settling beside me as though seeking camaraderie, though her eyes told another story.

“Lilly,” she began, her voice laced with condescension, “you really think Arthur belongs to you, don’t you?”

Her smile was sweet, but her words were venom.

“I’m not afraid to tell you this,” she continued, her tone dropping. “Now that I’m back, I’m taking him from you. Completely.”

I didn’t respond, but she leaned closer, her words growing sharper.

“Do you know what happened the night I returned?” she whispered, her eyes glinting with malice. “We spent the whole night together. He couldn’t keep his hands off me, Lilly. He said I was the only one who could ignite his passion, the only one who truly understood him.”

I clenched my fists, anger coursing through my veins, but she wasn’t finished.

“Oh and he told me something else,” she added with a mock laugh. “He doesn’t even want to marry you. He said you forced him into this engagement—you’re nothing but a desperate, clinging fool.”

Her words shattered the last of my composure. Fury erupted within me and I stood abruptly, ready to demand the truth from Arthur himself.

But before I could move, Bella let out a sharp scream. She staggered backward, tumbling down the dune with a theatrical flair.

Her cries filled the air and by the time she reached the bottom, blood trickled from a small cut on her forehead. She wailed as though she were dying.

By the time Arthur rushed to her side, she was sobbing uncontrollably, pointing a trembling finger in my direction. Without a second thought, he turned on me.

“Lilly! What the hell is wrong with you?” he shouted.

I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen. His focus was entirely on her.

That night, he packed her into the car and left for the city, abandoning me in Dungeness without so much as a second glance.

I ran after them, screaming his name, begging him not to leave me.

“Arthur! Don’t leave me here!”

I stumbled in the sand, falling over and over again. My body was weak, my voice hoarse from crying, but I kept chasing his car.

He didn’t stop.

I saw him glance at me in the rearview mirror, but even then, he didn’t look back.

Eventually, I collapsed. The desert swallowed me whole and as darkness crept in, I thought I would die there.

***

When I woke up, my parents were there. They had rushed to the hospital, their faces pale with worry and rage.

As soon as my father saw Arthur, he slapped him across the face, the sound echoing through the sterile hallway.

“Arthur!” my father roared, his voice trembling with fury. “Do you know how precious my daughter is to me? You left her to die in the desert! If I don’t get an explanation for this, I swear your entire family will regret it!”

Arthur touched his reddened cheek but said nothing. He stood there, head bowed, accepting my father’s wrath.

Finally, he spoke, his voice devoid of its usual arrogance. “Uncle Lawson, I admit I made a mistake. I’ll pay for all of Lilly’s rehabilitation expenses. And to show my sincerity, the Findley Family will reduce this year’s profits from our collaboration by 20% as compensation.”

His words were hollow, as if money could erase what he had done.

I watched him in silence, the man I had once loved, now a stranger who had betrayed me in the most unforgivable way.

"Bah!" My father slammed his cane into the floor, his face twisted with fury. "You think our Lawson Family cares about your dirty money? If my daughter suffers any lasting damage from this, Arthur, I will make sure you pay for it!"

Before Arthur could respond, Bella stepped forward, her expression filled with exaggerated concern. Ignoring the fire in my father’s eyes, she focused solely on Arthur.

“Arthur, are you alright?” she whispered, her hand lightly brushing his sleeve as though comforting a wounded hero. Then she turned toward my parents, her delicate features now clouded with indignation.

“Uncle and Auntie Lawson,” she began, her voice trembling with righteous anger, “please don’t blame Arthur. He was only acting out of anger after Lilly pushed me down the dune. I don’t even blame Lilly anymore and Arthur couldn’t have predicted that Lilly would stubbornly refuse help just to spite him...”

Her words hung in the air like venom, dripping slowly and deliberately into my parents’ ears.

But my mother wasn’t having it. She stormed over and the sound of her slap echoed through the hospital room as her hand connected with Bella’s cheek.

“You little witch!” my mother spat, her fury unwavering. “You dare accuse my daughter of pushing you? Where’s your proof? My Lilly is kind-hearted and gentle—far too good to stoop to your level. Can you prove you didn’t frame her deliberately?”

The room erupted into chaos. My father’s rage grew louder, Bella clutched her cheek with wide, teary eyes and Arthur stood frozen, torn between loyalty and disbelief.

But I felt... nothing.

The fire inside me had long since burned out. My body was weak, my voice barely audible. I interrupted the argument with a hoarse whisper.

“Stop it,” I murmured, my words cutting through the noise like a fragile thread. “All of you, just stop. I’ll cooperate with the treatment. It doesn’t matter anymore.”

For the first time, silence filled the room. My parents rushed to my side, their arms wrapping around me as they cried.

“It’s okay,” I said, forcing a faint smile. “After a disaster comes blessings, right?”

I didn’t know if I truly believed that. But I knew one thing—I wouldn’t let Arthur or Bella walk away unscathed. They had dragged me through hell and I had survived. Now, I would make them pay.

***

After everyone left, Arthur’s parents—Michael Findley and Yenny—came to visit me.

To their credit, they had always treated me like their own daughter. Since childhood, they had envisioned me as their future daughter-in-law, showering me with kindness and support. Even now, as I lay frail and broken, their concern felt genuine.

“Lilly,” Michael said, his voice filled with guilt. “We’re so sorry this happened to you. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll make sure the wedding goes ahead as planned. You’ve always been like a daughter to us.”

Yenny nodded, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “You’ll always be part of our family, no matter what.”

I forced myself to smile weakly, though their words only deepened my bitterness. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them the truth—that I would never marry their son.

They left after offering their apologies and promises, but fate had other plans.

Just hours later, tragedy struck.

A massive truck barreled through an intersection, slamming into Michael and Yenny’s car. Witnesses said their vehicle was tossed several meters like a toy, leaving both of them hospitalized with broken legs and multiple injuries.

When I heard the news, I reached for my phone to check on them. But before I could dial, Arthur stormed into my hospital room, his eyes blazing with fury.

Without warning, he slapped me across the face. The sting of his hand left my cheek burning, but the shock was far worse than the pain.

“Lilly, you poisonous woman!” he roared. “If you want revenge, come at me! Why would you hurt my parents?”

I stared at him, stunned. “What are you talking about? What do you mean I hurt them? Do you think I can even walk, let alone drive?”

“Don’t play dumb!” he shouted, slamming his fist onto the bedside table. “The driver of the truck was your family’s butler! He confessed everything! If it wasn’t your order, then whose was it?”

I froze.

“Uncle Lawson? That’s impossible! He’s practically family—he would never do something like that. And how could I have ordered it? What evidence do you have?”

Arthur pulled out his phone and threw it onto my lap. The screen displayed a series of messages exchanged on WhatsApp. One side of the conversation was clearly Uncle Lawson’s account. The other... was mine.

I stared at the messages, my mind spinning. It was my username. My profile picture. Words I supposedly sent, instructing Uncle Lawson to carry out the accident.

But I knew the truth.

“Arthur, this isn’t me! My phone was lost in Dungeness—I haven’t logged into WhatsApp since then. Someone must’ve hacked my account!”

“Enough with the excuses!” he snapped. “If it wasn’t you, then who else? Your butler only answers to you. Did you give your login credentials to someone else? Or did you just buy a new phone and log in again?”

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. “You’re so quick to believe the worst about me. Do you really think I’m capable of something so cruel?”

“Capable?” He laughed bitterly. “I know what you’re capable of. You’ve been playing innocent your whole life, but now I see you for what you really are.”

His words were a dagger to my chest, but I held my ground.

“Arthur,” I said, my voice trembling but firm, “one day, the truth will come out. And when it does, I hope you realize just how blind you’ve been.”

He scoffed and stormed out, leaving me alone with the weight of his accusations.

As I stared at the messages again, a chilling realization crept into my mind.

Someone wanted to destroy me. Someone had gone to great lengths to frame me, to turn Arthur and the world against me.

And whoever it was, they wouldn’t stop until I was completely ruined.

But I wasn’t going to let them win.

Bella clung to Arthur’s arm, her delicate face painted with exaggerated regret. She looked at me as if I were the villain in her carefully crafted story.

“Lilly,” she began, her voice trembling with feigned innocence, “Arthur has already apologized to you and your parents for what happened in the desert. I’ve even forgiven you for what you did to me. Why can’t you let this go? Why do you have to take it out on his parents? They’re innocent, Lilly... why would you want them dead?”

Her words landed like venom, spreading their poison through the room.

And in that moment, everything became clear.

This wasn’t just an accident. This wasn’t a misunderstanding.

This was her.

Bella had orchestrated it all. The WhatsApp messages, Uncle Lawson’s involvement, the truck accident—it was her trap from the very beginning. And I had walked right into it.

What I didn’t yet understand was why Uncle Lawson, someone who had practically raised me, would betray me. Or who had gained access to my WhatsApp account.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that this ended here.

My deal with the devil was about to begin.

I reached for the new phone I had secretly obtained and dialed a number I had memorized but never thought I’d use. My voice was calm, even icy, as I spoke two simple words:

“The revenge plan can Begin.”