When the phone was pressed into my hands, they shook so violently I could barely hold it. Thorne, without a word, reached out and wiped my tears away, then opened the recording app and even pressed the button for me, making the video himself.

Thirty seconds. That was all I had. I stammered through my lines, declaring I wouldn’t hold anyone accountable, that everything was merely an accident. When I handed the phone back, my voice was weak as I asked, “Can we… finally operate on my father now?”

He looked at me for a long moment before nodding. “Go ahead…” he said.

But before I could even process the word, a scream pierced the air from the operating room. “Ah! My head… I feel so dizzy!” Lilith collapsed, utterly helpless.

Thorne’s composure shattered instantly. He dashed toward her, lifting her into his arms as if the world depended on her alone. The doctors followed, leaving my father unmoved on the bed, alarms wailing around him. I screamed, “No! Save my dad! Please, Thorne, you promised!”

I tried to block him, but he didn’t even glance at me. His eyes were locked on Lilith. He shoved past me, running toward her bed with the doctors at his heels. Their frantic steps echoed in my chest, but the weight of my fear stole the words from my throat.

I was too late.

I clutched at his legs, begging him to turn back, but he shoved me aside with such force I stumbled and hit the wall. My vision caught my father lying helpless, and it felt as though my heart had been ripped from my chest.

“Dad! Dad!” I cried. But Thorne’s voice cut through everything.

“Don’t worry, Lilith. I’m right here… I’ve got you,” he said, panic lacing every syllable—but it wasn’t for me.

He only glanced back because of the sound of my body hitting the wall. Then he waved two interns toward my father’s room. “Your father will survive. I’ll honor that promise,” he said, icy and detached. “But nothing will stop me from saving Lilith.”

The world spun black.

Before unconsciousness took me, one thought echoed: I had to escape. I had to vanish from his life forever.

---

When I woke, a card sat on my bedside table, a note tucked beneath it. “Your father’s surgery will have to wait a little longer.” That single line spoke volumes. For Lilith, Thorne could pause the world. For me and my father, we were always secondary.

My chest ached so fiercely I could barely inhale. Then laughter erupted—bitter, broken, the kind that emerges when your heart is in pieces. Clutching my chest, I grabbed my phone and called Thorne’s grandfather, the one who had always wanted me gone.

“I’ll do it,” I said. “I’ll divorce him. But I need your help. Help me fake my death. I want my father and brother with me. I want us gone. Forever.”

Two days later, after discharge, the divorce papers were ready. My lawyer had everything in order.

When I returned to the villa, Thorne was just leaving to fetch Lilith. He froze when he saw me. “You’re back? You look… pale,” he said, a flicker of concern crossing his face.

Pale? Of course I was pale. My father lay in a hospital bed like a vegetable, my brother was in prison, and he thought I could look vibrant? I didn’t answer.

I handed him the papers flatly. “Sign this.”

He blinked. “What…?” he began, but his phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, frowned, then, without hesitation, scribbled his signature and shoved the papers back at me.

“Lilith’s waiting. If it’s another work document, leave it in my study next time,” he said, already striding toward the door.

I stared at the signature, at how easily he let me go. He ended our marriage as if I were nothing. Pathetic.

I tucked the papers under my arm and walked straight to the courthouse.

---

By evening, I returned home. Thorne was in the living room with Lilith, his arm draped possessively around her. “She’s being followed by some obsessive patient’s family,” he said casually. “She’ll stay in our master bedroom. You can take one of the guest rooms. Thanks to your brother’s mess. Don’t worry, once it’s safe, she’ll move to my new penthouse.”

“Do what you want,” I replied. The divorce was done. This house wasn’t mine anymore. I had no fight left.

He looked startled at my calmness, as if expecting tears or screams. His frown deepened, but before he could speak, Lilith spoke.

“Aria, I just got off a night shift and haven’t eaten. Can you cook for me?” Her smile was sweet, but her eyes were sharp, daring. “Thorne says your cooking is the best, but I’ve never tasted it.”

“Ask the maid,” I said, turning to leave.

Her little protest followed me, and Thorne’s voice cut through, low and commanding. “Aria.” That was all. No explanation needed. I already knew. When Lilith wanted something, I was expected to serve.

I didn’t have the strength to argue anymore. I forced a smile that felt sharp and painful, like blades pressing against my gums, and dragged my exhausted body toward the kitchen.

The pot was already bubbling when I scooped the soup out and placed it on the dining table. My arm trembled from the weight, my wrist aching as I set the bowl down.

She barely glanced at it before curling her lip in disgust. “This is it?” she sneered. “This is what you call food? It looks revolting. Do you even know how to cook?”

Something inside me cracked. I ground my teeth and muttered, “Then don’t eat it.”

Her eyes flashed with something dark and vicious. Before I could react, she seized my wrist and slammed my hand straight into the boiling soup.

Agony exploded up my arm, white‑hot and unbearable, like fire tearing through my veins. I screamed and struggled, but she shoved harder, forcing my hand down as the bowl rattled wildly. It tipped, smashed against the floor, and shattered. Scalding liquid splashed everywhere.

When I finally tore free, I clutched my wrist, gasping. The skin was already swelling, blistering, red and raw. My hand didn’t even feel like part of my body anymore.

Footsteps thundered in as the crash echoed through the room. Before I could even speak, Lilith raised her hand and burst into fake tears. “Thorne! She threw the soup at me! She lost her temper and did it on purpose! My hand hurts so much…”

Thorne didn’t hesitate. His expression darkened instantly as he grabbed my injured wrist with brutal force.

“Aria! What is wrong with you?” he snapped. “Apologize to Lilith right now!”

Pain shot through me and I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. I yanked my hand away and shoved it toward his face. My palm was blistered, swollen, burned raw.

“You want me to apologize?” I said hoarsely. “Look at this. Look properly. Tell me who got burned. Tell me who really did what.”

For a split second, he froze. His gaze flickered between my ruined hand and her pale, trembling figure. Doubt crossed his face—just briefly.

Then she suddenly doubled over, clutching her stomach and crying out, “Thorne… my stomach hurts so bad. There were peanuts in the soup. You know I’m allergic to peanuts!” She gasped dramatically. “I only asked her one thing, and she exploded.”

She clung to him, sobbing louder. “If you don’t believe me, check the cameras. I would never lie to you, Thorne!”

“Ah… it hurts… it really hurts…”

I stared at her in disbelief. “I didn’t put peanuts in anything,” I said. “Whoever’s lying, the cameras will prove it.”

But Thorne’s hesitation vanished as if it had never existed. His face hardened, his eyes turning icy.

“I told you she’s allergic,” he said sharply. “How could you be so careless?”

She buried her face against his chest, her voice weak and pitiful. “Please don’t be angry at her. I know she hates me. I don’t blame her… she just wants me gone. Maybe I really should leave.”

“No,” he said immediately, tightening his arm around her. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Then he turned on me. “Aria. Apologize. Now.”

“Thorne, I swear I’m telling the tru—”

“That’s enough,” he cut me off coldly. He lifted her into his arms like I wasn’t even there. “I don’t want to hear another word from you.”

Then he looked at the butler. “Take her to the basement. Lock her in. She’s not coming out until I say so.”

My knees nearly gave out. The basement. That damp, foul place where he kept those snakes for her. I backed away, shaking uncontrollably.

“No… please. Not there. Don’t do this to me.”

I fought as they dragged me away, but it was useless. The door slammed shut behind me, and darkness crushed down on my chest.

The silence was broken by soft, terrifying hissing. My skin crawled. Something brushed against my ankle. I screamed and slapped at the floor, panic exploding inside me.

“Open the door! Please! Let me out!” I pounded until my fists burned and split. No one answered.

The air grew thick and suffocating. My skin erupted in rashes, itching and burning until I clawed at myself without realizing it. Hours passed. My throat went raw from screaming, and eventually I slid into the corner, shaking and gasping for breath.

When the door finally opened, I thought I was saved.

Light flooded in. I pushed myself upright, barely standing. Thorne stood there, backlit by the hallway. For one fragile heartbeat, I thought he might pull me out.

Then his voice cut through me, colder than anything I’d ever heard.

“Hold her down.”

Before I could react, two bodyguards rushed me. My arms were pinned, my jaw forced open. A bitter liquid was poured down my throat. I choked, coughing violently until blood splattered onto my clothes.

“What… what did you give me?” I croaked as fire spread through my chest.

Then it hit me.

My skin flushed red in blotches. My throat tightened, every breath slicing like knives. I knew this pain. I was allergic to seafood.

Thorne’s voice came calmly through my panic.

“You put peanuts in Lilith’s food. She’s in the hospital now. I warned you not to touch her, but you never listen. This is what she felt.”

He just stood there watching me writhe on the floor. No anger. No regret. Just cold indifference.

“I didn’t…” I tried to speak, but the words fell apart as pain ripped through me. No one cared. No one listened.

The last thing I saw was his face—calm, distant—as darkness swallowed me whole.

---

“Aria. Wake up.”

His voice pulled me back from the dark. My eyelids felt impossibly heavy, but when I finally opened them, Thorne was standing beside the bed. He exhaled deeply when he saw me conscious and reached out to brush my hair away.

I turned my head without thinking.

He froze. Then he pulled his hand back, as if I were the one who burned him.

“Aria, I know you’re angry,” he said, his voice clipped and icy. “But this time, you crossed the line. I can’t keep indulging your behavior.”

A laugh escaped me—dry, bitter, almost painful. “Indulging me?” I shot back. “Thorne, did you even bother to find out what actually happened?”

He clearly hadn’t expected resistance. His expression darkened at once. “You know exactly what you did,” he said coldly. “I’m not here to argue. I’m here to tell you how this will be handled. Because of your outburst, Lilith’s reputation has been destroyed. When you’re discharged, you’ll host a formal banquet and publicly apologize to her. You’ll admit that the rumors were caused by your misunderstanding and clear her name. As for your father—his condition will be explained as a standard surgical risk associated with brain aneurysms.”

For a second, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. Then I saw his face. He was serious.

“Have you lost your mind?” My voice trembled. “My father is lying like that because of her mistake, and you want me to protect her reputation?”

His gaze turned steely. “Enough. This isn’t a discussion. This is what will happen. And don’t forget—your father is still barely holding on, and your brother is wasting away in prison.”

My blood ran cold. It was always the same. Whenever I tried to resist, he tightened the chains around my neck. My father. My brother. I had nowhere to run. I swallowed the anger burning my throat and closed my eyes.

“Fine,” I said quietly. “I’ll do it. But you release my brother first.”

He paused, only briefly, then nodded. “One month,” he said. “That’s all the time you have.”

I agreed.

---

When the day arrived, his driver came for me. At the venue, Thorne entered with Lilith hooked on his arm, his hand never leaving hers. He didn’t need to say a word—one look from his eyes was enough to remind me of my place.

I curled my fingers into fists and stepped onto the stage, forcing my expression into something calm.

“I’m here today to apologize to Dr. Lilith Lockhart,” I said steadily. “The statements I previously made online were based on a misunderstanding. I regret the harm they caused.”

The hall erupted instantly.

“How shameless—smearing a doctor like that.”

“So it was all fake? I knew she was just seeking attention.”

“Poor Dr. Lockhart, enduring such malicious rumors.”

“Imagine humiliating yourself like this just to beg forgiveness.”

“No wonder Thorne replaced her.”

Voices sliced into me from every direction. Accusations. Judgment. Contempt. I didn’t explain. I couldn’t. I just wanted it finished.

But as I stepped down from the stage, Lilith’s syrupy voice trailed after me.

“Aria, I forgot something in the car. Could you get it for me?”

“No,” I replied flatly. “Ask one of the staff.”

She pouted, clinging tighter to Thorne’s arm. “But I trust Aria the most. I feel safer when she handles my things.”

Thorne gently patted her hand, then looked at me with that familiar commanding gaze. I understood immediately. Refuse now, and I’d pay later.

So I turned around and walked out.

---

Outside, the night air felt suffocating. I hadn’t even reached the car when the roar of an engine shattered the quiet. A vehicle screeched to a halt in front of me, blocking my path. The door flew open before I could react.

A man dressed in black lunged toward me, hatred burning in his eyes. My heart dropped. I tried to run, but he grabbed my hair and yanked so hard my knees buckled. His palm struck my face, snapping my head sideways as pain exploded.

“Who are you?!” I cried, blood filling my mouth. “There are cameras everywhere—are you insane?!”

He sneered, his gaze empty and cruel. “I’m here to teach you a lesson. You offended Miss Lockhart. Touching you is already mercy. You deserve worse.”

He slammed my head into the car window.

I screamed.

Glass shattered. Warm blood streamed down my face as he smashed my head again and again, until the window was streaked red. My vision blurred. My body went limp. I was too weak to fight him.

“Help… please… someone…” My voice dissolved into sobs. The world was silent except for my crying. Blood burned my eyes. Just when I thought I was about to die, he finally released me.

I collapsed onto the ground like discarded trash.

The headlights flared. The engine revved.

Panic crushed my chest—they were going to run me over.

“Stop!”

Someone rushed toward me, but before I could see who it was, darkness swallowed everything.

---

When I opened my eyes again, the sharp scent of disinfectant filled my nose. Bandages wrapped tightly around my head, and every breath stabbed my chest with pain.

“Aria… you’re awake.”

Thorne stood beside the bed. He looked exhausted, dark shadows beneath his eyes. He exhaled deeply when he saw me conscious.

“It’s over now,” he said gently. “I investigated everything. It was a medical misunderstanding—they mistook you for Lilith. I’ve already had them arrested. You’re safe.”

His tenderness made my stomach twist.

“Does your head still hurt?” he asked softly. “Try moving a bit. Tell me if anything feels wrong.”

His phone rang. I recognized the ringtone immediately—it was her. For once, he ignored it and instead clasped my hand tightly, as if I were precious.

I tried to pull away. He wouldn’t let go.

“Thorne,” I whispered, “if I told you I heard that man say he was acting on Lilith’s orders… would you believe me?”

He stiffened. His brow furrowed. Slowly, he released my hand. His tone turned cold again.

“Enough, Aria. You’re imagining things. Lilith is a victim too. If not for you, she would be the one lying here right now. How could she possibly be behind something like this?”

A bitter laugh escaped me. My lashes trembled as I turned my face away. I didn’t even have the strength to argue anymore. What was the point? He never believed me.

I closed my eyes, utterly exhausted.

“I know you’re upset with her,” Thorne murmured. His hand brushed through my hair in a soothing motion. “Once things calm down, I’ll reduce contact with her. Just trust me.”

He stayed by my side all night, whispering gentle words like he used to, as if that could erase everything. I stared back at him with hollow eyes.

My heart felt numb.

Because I knew he was lying. He would never let Lilith go.

And outside the door, unknown to me, she was already on her way to find him.

---

Hours later…

I was ripped from sleep when the door slammed open. Hands dragged me violently out of bed. My body was weak, my head spinning.

“Where is Lilith?” Thorne roared, fury burning in his voice.

“What did you do to her?!”