I didn’t want to fight anymore. I forced a smile that felt like knives in my mouth and dragged myself to the kitchen.

The soup was boiling in the pot when I ladled it out and set it on the table. My hand ached from holding the heavy dish.

She wrinkled her nose immediately. “That’s it? This is the best you can do? It looks disgusting. Do you even know how to cook?”

I clenched my teeth, and whatever was left of my patience snapped. “Then don’t eat it,” I muttered.

Her eyes glinted with something cruel, and before I realized what was happening, she grabbed my wrist and shoved my hand straight into the scalding soup.

The pain shot up my arm like fire eating through my veins. I screamed and tried to pull away, but she pressed harder, pinning my hand down while the bowl rattled and spilled. The ceramic shattered against the floor and hot soup splashed everywhere.

I finally yanked free, clutching my wrist, but the skin was already swelling and blistering. My hand didn’t even feel like it belonged to me anymore.

I heard Wilbert’s footsteps rushing in when the bowl crashed. My hand was burning and throbbing, and before I could even catch my breath, Nivianne lifted her hand with fake tears in her eyes. “Wilbert, she threw soup on me. She got mad and did it on purpose. My hand hurts so much.”

He didn’t even think. His face turned dark, and he grabbed my wrist hard. “Anika! What’s wrong with you? Say sorry to Nivianne right now!”

The pain shot up my arm, and I bit down hard on my lip just to stop myself from screaming. I yanked my hand free and shoved it up in front of his face. My palm was swollen, raw, and blistered. “You want me to apologize? Look at this. Tell me who got burned and who did what.”

For a moment he froze. His eyes flicked between my hand and her pale face. He looked confused, maybe even doubting her. But before I could say more, she clutched her stomach and let out a dramatic wail. “Wilbert, my stomach… it hurts so much. There was peanut in that soup. I told you I’m allergic to peanut!” She gasped louder. “I only asked her one question and she lost her temper.”

“If you don’t believe me, check the cameras. I never lie, Wilbert!”

“Ah, my stomach, it hurts!”

I couldn’t believe her nerve. “I didn’t put peanut in it. Whoever is lying, the cameras will show it.”

Wilbert’s face twisted in anger again. His suspicion vanished like it was never there, and his eyes turned cold. “I told you she’s allergic. How could you?”

She buried her face in his chest, her voice weak and pitiful. “Don’t be angry at her, Wilbert. I know she hates me, but I don’t blame her. She just… she just hate me to death. Maybe I really need to leave.”

“No, you're not leaving, Nivianne.” He stopped her. “Anika! Apologize, now.”

“Wilbert, I'm telling you the tru—”

“Enough, Anika!” He scooped her up in his arms and barked at me, “I don’t want to hear another word from you.”

Then he turned to the butler. “Lock her in the basement. She’s not allowed out until I say so.”

My legs went weak. The basement. That damp, stinking place where he kept those snakes for Nivianne. I stumbled back, shaking my head. “No… please, not there. Don’t do this to me.”

I tried to fight as they dragged me, but my strength was nothing. The door slammed shut behind me, and the darkness pressed down heavy on my chest.

The silence was broken only by the soft, terrible hissing. My skin crawled, and something brushed over my ankle. I jumped and screamed, slapping at the floor, but there was nothing I could do.

“Open the door! Please let me out!” My fists pounded until they were raw. Nobody came.

The air was so hot and heavy that I started breaking out in rashes. My body itched and burned and I couldn’t stop scratching. Hours dragged by until my voice gave out, and I collapsed into the corner, shivering and gasping for air.

When the door finally creaked open, I thought I was saved. I pushed myself up against the wall, barely able to stand. Wilbert was standing there, the light behind him. For one heartbeat I thought maybe he would pull me out.

But his voice was colder than ice. “Hold her down.”

Two bodyguards rushed me before I even understood. They pinned my arms, and someone forced my jaw open. A bitter liquid flooded my throat, and I choked until I was coughing blood into my lap.

“What… what did you give me?” My voice broke as the burning spread through my chest.

Then it hit me. My skin flared in red blotches. My throat closed tight until every breath felt like knives cutting me. I knew this feeling. I was allergic with seafoods.

Wilbert’s voice cut through my panic. “You put peanuts in Nivianne’s food. She’s in the hospital now. I warned you not to touch her, but you never listen. So now you’ll understand what she went through.”

He just stood there watching me writhe on the floor, his eyes as cold as stone. Not a flicker of pity, not even anger. Just indifference.

“I didn’t…” I tried to speak, but the words broke apart as my body twisted in pain. Nobody cared. Nobody listened.

The last thing I saw was his face, calm and detached, as the darkness pulled me under.

***

“Anika? Wake up.”

His voice dragged me back from the dark. My eyelids felt like lead, but when I finally opened them, Wilbert was standing by my bed. He let out a heavy sigh when he saw me awake. His hand came down to brush the hair off my face, but I turned my head away without thinking. He froze and pulled back like I had burned him.

“Anika, I know you’re upset,” he said, his tone sharp and cold. “But this time, you went too far. I can’t keep spoiling you.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “Spoiling me? Wilbert, did you even bother to find out the truth?”

He wasn’t expecting me to snap back. His face darkened instantly. “You know what you did. I’m not here to fight with you. I came to tell you the solution. Because of your tantrums, Nivianne’s reputation is ruined. When you leave the hospital, you will host a banquet and apologize to her publicly. You will admit the rumors were your mistake and you will restore her standing. As for your father, his state will be explained as a normal risk of brain aneurysm surgery.”

For a moment, I thought I misheard. Then I saw his expression. He meant every word.

“Are you insane?” My voice cracked. “My father is like this because of her, and you want me to save her name?”

His eyes hardened. “Enough. I’m not asking you. This is what you will do. And don’t forget, your father is still on the edge of life, and your brother is rotting in prison.”

My heart went ice cold. It was always like this. No matter how much I wanted to resist, he reminded me of the chains around me. My father. My brother. I had no choice. I swallowed my anger and closed my eyes. “Fine. I’ll do it. But you get my brother out first.”

He hesitated only a moment before nodding. “One month. That’s your deadline.”

I agreed.

.....

When the day came, his driver picked me up. Wilbert walked into the venue with Nivianne on his arm, never leaving her side. He didn’t have to say anything. His eyes ordered me around like I was nothing but his servant.

I clenched my fists and walked onto the stage, forcing my face to stay calm. “I’m here today to apologize to Dr. Nivianne Sloane. What I said before online was a misunderstanding. I’m sorry for the damage I caused.”

The whole hall erupted.

“The nerve of her, smearing a doctor’s name like that.”

“So it was all a lie? I knew she just wanted attention.”

“Poor Dr. Sloane, having to endure this kind of slander.”

“Imagine the shame—dragging herself up here just to beg forgiveness.”

“Wilbert must be furious. No wonder he replaced her.”

People whispered, pointed, accused me of smearing her name. I didn’t explain. I couldn’t. I just wanted to get it over with and leave.

But as I stepped off the stage, Nivianne’s syrupy voice followed me. “Anika, I left something in the car. Can you fetch it for me?”

“No,” I said flatly. “Ask the waiter.”

She put on that fake pout and clung to Wilbert’s arm. “But I trust Anika more. Only she can handle my things.”

Wilbert stroked her hand and looked at me with that same commanding stare. I already knew what it meant. Refuse, and I’d pay for it later.

So I turned and walked out.

.....

The air outside felt heavier than the hall. I barely made it to the car before the roar of an engine cut through the night. A car screeched to a stop right in front of me, and before I could even take a step back, the door flew open.

A man in black rushed at me, his eyes cold and hateful. My heart dropped into my stomach. I tried to run, but he yanked my hair back so hard I nearly fell. His hand cracked across my face, the sting sending my vision sideways.

“Who are you?!” My voice cracked and I tasted blood in my mouth. “There are cameras everywhere. Do you really dare to touch me here?”

The man in black only sneered. His eyes were cold and empty. “I’m the one sent to teach you a lesson. You offended Miss Sloane. Just being touched is too easy for you. You should be dead.”

He yanked my hair and smashed my head into the car window.

“Ahhh!”

Glass shattered and I felt warm blood sliding down my face. He slammed me again and again until the window was painted red with my blood. My head spun and I couldn’t even fight back because he was too strong.

“Help… someone help me…” My voice broke into sobs. The air was silent except for the sound of my crying. Blood stung my eyes and my body was limp. Just when I thought this was the end, he finally let me go. I collapsed onto the ground like trash.

The car headlights came on and the engine roared. My chest tightened when I realized they were going to run me over.

“Stop!”

A figure rushed toward me, but before I could see who it was, the darkness swallowed me whole.

When I opened my eyes again, I smelled disinfectant. My head was wrapped in bandages and every breath felt like needles in my chest. The pain was unbearable.

“Anika, you’re awake.”

It was Wilbert. His face looked tired and pale, with dark circles under his eyes. He let out a long sigh of relief when he saw me conscious.

“It’s alright now. I found out what happened. It was a medical disturbance. They thought you were Nivianne. I already sent them to prison. You don’t need to be scared anymore.”

His voice was soft, almost tender, and it made me sick.

“Does your head still hurt? Try moving a little. Tell me if anything feels wrong.”

His phone rang. I knew that ringtone. It was Nivianne. He ignored it for once, and instead he held my hand tightly like I was something precious.

I tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let go.

“Wilbert,” I whispered, “if I told you I heard that man say he was following Nivianne’s orders… would you believe me?”

He froze, then frowned, and finally let go of my hand. His voice turned cold. “Anika, stop it. You’re imagining things. Nivianne is a victim too. If it weren’t for you, she would be the one in this bed right now. How could she be behind this?”

I let out a bitter laugh. My eyelashes trembled as I turned away from him. I didn’t even have the strength to argue. What was the point? He never believed me.

I closed my eyes, too tired to keep fighting.

“I know you’re upset with her,” Wilbert said softly. He brushed his hand through my hair like he was soothing me. “I promise, once everything settles down, I’ll keep less contact with her. Just trust me.”

He stayed beside me all night, whispering sweet words like before, as if that could erase everything. But I only stared at him with empty eyes.

My heart felt cold. Because I knew he was lying. He would never leave Nivianne.

And outside my door, I didn’t know that she was already on her way to find him.

.....

Hours later...

I was still asleep when the door slammed open and I was yanked straight out of bed. My body was weak and my head spun.

“Where’s Nivianne? What did you do with her?!” Wilbert’s voice was sharp and full of rage.

I blinked, still half in a daze. “What… what are you talking about?”

He threw something at my face and I felt the sting on my skin. When I looked down, I saw it was a necklace. My necklace. The one I lost when that man in black attacked me.

“Anika!” Wilbert’s teeth were clenched. “Explain this!”

I picked up the necklace with shaky fingers. “This is mine… but I don’t understand.”

“She sent me a message last night. Just two words. Help. When I rushed to the hospital she was gone and this was the only thing left on her bed.” His eyes burned with accusation.

My throat went dry. “It has nothing to do with me.”

He lunged forward and his hand wrapped around my neck. His face twisted with fury. “You told me yesterday that Nivianne hurt you. Now she’s disappeared. Don’t lie to me, you’re retaliating against her!”

I choked for air but forced my eyes to stay steady. “I don’t know… I swear, I haven’t done anything.”

But Wilbert didn’t believe me. He never did.

Instead, he dragged Mark out like a broken doll. My brother’s arms were tied in that humiliating big character style, and they dumped him on the road in front of a car.

“Mark!” My heart dropped to the floor.

The headlights glared, and I barely had time to breathe before the engine roared and the car rolled forward. It crushed his leg with a sickening crack.

“Ahhh!” Mark screamed in pain. “Anika! My leg!”

My body shook violently. “Brother!” I screamed. “Wilbert, what are you doing! What are you going to do to him?!”

“I told you,” Wilbert said coldly. “From this moment, every minute the car will start again. First your brother’s limbs. If you don’t give me Nivianne’s location in three minutes, the car will go for his head.”

“Please, no! I don’t know anything! Why won’t you believe me, just once, believe me!” My tears blurred my sight. I had never felt so powerless in my life.

Mark writhed on the ground, his face pale with sweat. “Anika… don’t listen to him… just save yourself,” he begged through his pain.

But Wilbert only sneered. “One minute has passed.” He waved his hand. The car jerked forward again and this time it rolled right over Mark’s hand.

His scream tore through me. “My hand! Anika, I can’t move it!”

“No! Don’t! Please stop!” I fell to my knees in front of Wilbert. “I beg you, don’t hurt him anymore. If you think I did this, then punish me instead. Let me die if you want, but don’t touch my brother. Please… please believe me.”

Wilbert’s face showed no pity, only impatience. He raised his hand again and the headlights flared bright.

I shook my head violently. “No, please, no!”

The car roared and I saw it heading straight for Mark. I didn’t even think. I tore free from the guards holding me and ran forward with everything I had left.

“Anika, no!” Mark screamed, his voice hoarse.

But I was already in front of him, throwing myself over his body to shield him.

I heard Wilbert shout my name in panic, but it was too late.

My world went white the second the car hit me. I felt my waist slam, something inside snap, and then hot blood sprayed into my mouth. I tasted iron and panic and everything went fuzzy.

“Anika!” Wilbert’s voice sounded far away as he grabbed me and pressed his fingers at the corner of my mouth, wiping blood like it would fix what was broken. He kept saying, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” over and over, like a prayer.

Then the secretary burst in, breathless and puckered, all business and show. “Sir, we found her,” she said, like it was a gift. “She’s out in the suburbs, hurt and scared. No one can get near her, but she called your name.” Wilbert froze, like someone had flipped a switch.

They loaded me and Mark into the ambulance and we screamed to the hospital. Halfway there the doors burst open and chaos exploded at the ER entrance. People shouting. A doctor pulled at a gurney. Every alarm sounded like a countdown.

“Nivianne needs help,” the secretary hissed, eyes all wet and very useful. “She’s screaming, she says her hand’s useless. One of the ER doctors is with Mr. Gu’s son already and the other—” She looked at Wilbert like she was waiting for a crown. “We can send someone, but it’ll be at least thirty minutes.”

I saw it in his face then. That split second where he weighed my soaked, broken body against the idea of his favorite doctor losing her hands. He hesitated. I could see gears turning like he was choosing which piece of meat to save.

My mouth wanted to laugh at how ridiculous it all was. Here I was, bleeding out, and he was thinking about a hand. I tried to force a smile and my lips barely moved. The blood kept coming and I felt myself drifting.

Nivianne’s voice suddenly cracked through the noise, thin and perfected. “W-wilbert, please. I am a doctor. My hands are my life. If my hand is ruined, I’m finished. Please, save me. I’m so sorry, I should have died today, I was lucky to escape.” She sounded like she meant it. She sounded like she was sobbing on cue.

That was all it took. Wilbert’s face snapped into motion. Of course it did. He turned away from me and handed my life over like a trivial expense. “Save her first,” he told the staff, voice flat and decisive. “She can’t lose her hands. Anika, wait a little longer.” He looked at me like I was a problem to schedule.

I wanted to scream. I tried to tell him, “I didn’t do anything, I didn’t—” but my words slurred into nothing. The room spun and his eyes stayed on me for the shortest of seconds, pity or calculation, I couldn’t tell which. Then he was gone, walking after the people who carried Nivianne, like she’d been the real casualty all along.

They wheeled me away anyway, but I heard their footsteps fade toward the other bed. I watched the ceiling tiles blur and thought, How am I supposed to matter when a staged sob and a perfect sobbing voice can buy a man’s entire conscience?

I had no strength left to fight him. Time dragged slow and cruel, and every second I thought my chest would stop rising. I really believed I was going to die on that table, but something in me refused to give up. My body clung to life until the doctors finally wheeled me into the emergency room.

.....

Six hours later, I opened my eyes in the same ward I knew too well. My throat was dry, my voice rough, and the pain still sharp, but I was alive.

The phone by my bed buzzed, and when I answered it, Wilbert’s grandfather’s voice came through, calm and heavy. “Anika, all the papers are ready. This is the last step. You won’t regret it, will you?”

I swallowed hard and whispered, “No. I can’t wait to leave. Book three tickets for me. Once it’s done, I want to disappear immediately.”

I was about to ask him to confirm the plan again when the door flew open. My blood ran cold.

“Anika, where are you going?” Wilbert’s voice cut through the room like a knife. He was leaning against the doorframe, watching me.