When she saw me wrapped in bandages, his mother, Naomi Ross’s eyes filled with heartache. She rushed toward me, arms halfway open, then hesitated, afraid even a touch might hurt me.

"Lainey, how did this happen to you? Was it that boy did he do this to you?"

I said nothing.

Realizing the truth in my silence, Naomi’s expression faltered, but she still clung to a sliver of hope.

"Lainey, be good. I’ll fight for you. That brat has gotten completely out of hand!"

She pulled out her phone and began calling Jeremiah.

She dialed again and again. No answer.

Her smile turned awkward as she looked at me, forcing a strained chuckle.

“Lainey, Maybe Jeremiah's just… busy right now, you know…"

Before she could finish, I handed her the explicit photo Margaret had just sent me two minutes ago.

"You’re right, Auntie. He is indeed very busy."

Naomi stared at the provocative message. The smile on her lips collapsed.

She looked at me, eyes heavy with sorrow, and whispered, "Lainey, I’m sorry. This is all my fault."

"If I had known Jeremiah would become like this, I would’ve never pushed the two of you together. During those five years, you were in prison, I kept urging him to visit you. Every time, he told me he did…”

Seeing her try to shift the topic, I followed her lead and revealed the truth.

"The one who stabbed someone back then… it was Margaret. Jeremiah was the one who found me and begged me to take the blame. I didn’t want to, at first. But he said if I did he’d consider marrying me."

"You’ve seen it now, Auntie. Jeremiah already has someone he loves. The wish you had for me to marry him, I can’t carry that out anymore."

"This… this… how could this be…"

Naomi stood frozen, unable to accept that all her heartfelt hopes had led to this.

Just as I turned to leave, Jeremiah called.

I deliberately turned on the speakerphone, and his vicious voice burst through.

“Lainey, are you a bitch or what? I just tried to sleep with you and you refused, then you go whining to my mom? What the hell is wrong with you?”

I lifted the phone and met Naomi’s eyes.

In silence, I told her: that it wasn’t that I refused, it was because this was who Jeremiah truly was.

Naomi’s face went cold with disappointment. Her voice trembled with rage as she snapped, “Jeremiah, that’s enough! All those years of raising you, what were they even for?”

“Mom, go ahead, take her side. Who's your real child, huh? Lainey is just some filthy slut who's been with God knows how many men. A whore with a kid. Why the hell are you defending her?”

“Whatever. I’ve said enough. Just stop helping her. She needs to be knocked down a peg. Maybe then she’ll remember who her savior really is.”

Jeremiah hung up without a trace of hesitation.

But just before the call ended, both Naomi and I clearly heard Margaret’s coquettish voice purring through the line.

“Brother Jeremiah, let’s do something exciting tonight, okay? Tonight, I belong only to you.”

The room fell into suffocating silence.

After a long, heavy pause, Naomi let out a weary sigh and finally said, “Lainey, if you want to leave… then go. I won’t stop you anymore.”

She looked at me with guilt in her eyes.

“It’s me who owes you. From the beginning, you and Jeremiah were a mistake. I should never have used your sacrifice to push you toward him.”

I didn’t say another word.

I quietly gathered my things, stepped out of the villa, and booked a hotel for the night.

As soon as I arrived at the hotel and finished checking in, I was ambushed. Jeremiah and a group of bodyguards stormed in, tied me up, and dragged me back.

Once again, I found myself inside that all-too-familiar villa, with bitterness swirling in my chest and confusion weighing down my heart.

Jeremiah stood before me, barely able to contain his rage.

“Lainey, what the fuck is wrong with you? You’ve got a house, but you’d rather check into a hotel? Are you trying to run away from turning yourself in?”

I stared at him, calm and unshaken.

“Jeremiah, what exactly do you want from me?”

“I wasn’t the one who hurt that person. Once was already enough. What right do you—”

Slap.

The sting exploded across my face. My skin burned, and the taste of blood crept onto my tongue.

Jeremiah’s glare was laced with fury and scorn.

“I told you, it was you who did it. You need to pay for your sins.”

“Anyway, you’re just some cheap slut who’s already been used by thousands. You’re useless on your own. Might as well put you to use. When you’re out of prison, maybe I’ll toss you a job as a nanny. Just enough to keep you breathing.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “As if I’d ever want that.”

“You’re just an orphan with no one. What right do you have to throw a tantrum in front of me? Remember this, Lainey, if I hadn’t pitied you, you wouldn’t even be alive right now.”

Jeremiah sneered, gripping my chin and forcing my face up toward his. His voice dropped into a chilling whisper.

I pressed my lips together and said nothing.

Yes, I had lost my parents. That car crash stole them both from me.

Naomi happened to pass by and managed to pull me out. But when she turned back for my parents, a sudden fuel leak triggered an explosion.

Still, I had an older brother. He left the country once he came of age and reached out to me every year.

But after our parents were gone, I barely kept in touch.

Jeremiah’s glare burned into me again. “If you try to run off one more time, I’ll make sure you beg for death.”

Then he turned away, finally picking up the phone that had been ringing nonstop.

The man who, just seconds ago, had threatened me with venom now answered with a voice as smooth and sweet as honey.

The door slammed shut with a sharp bang, cutting me off from Jeremiah entirely.

The rift between us had grown too wide, it could never be mended again.

I tightened my grip on the wheelchair’s armrests and took the elevator up to the second floor.

It was already late. The maids had long gone.

I rolled straight into Jeremiah’s study and made my way to the desk.

His computer screen lit up, waiting for a password.

Without a second thought, I typed in Margaret’s birthday.

Sure enough, the password was correct.

In the corner of the desktop, a subtle file icon caught my eye. When I opened it, a lock icon flashed, it was encrypted.

Luckily, my college years studying computer science weren’t for nothing. My fingers moved quickly, methodically, as I bypassed the layers of security.

Moments later, the file unlocked.

What appeared on the screen left me frozen, breathless. The shock hit me like a wave, and for a long time, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

I opened the images, and one message leaped off the screen.

Jeremiah: [Look at her lying on the ground groaning and writhing, doesn’t she look just like a dead dog?! Hahaha…]

The next image followed.

Jeremiah: [Margaret, you promised me, if I manage to break her legs, you’ll wear a wedding dress and marry me.]

And below that, an endless stream of messages just like it.

Jeremiah had turned me into a bargaining chip for his twisted romance with Margaret.

He had crushed my sincerity underfoot, dragging my dignity through the mud.

Then, an audio file blinked into view.

My heart stuttered, I had a sinking feeling this was the final blow.

With trembling hands, I clicked play.

“Brother Jeremiah, I got into a car accident at South Austin Road. Can you come help me, please…”

“Margaret, slow down. Tell me exactly what happened.”

“I was bringing you lunch today, but when I turned the corner, the other driver didn’t honk. We collided head-on… Their car flipped into a ditch. I’m so scared…”

“Margaret, don’t be afraid. I’ll come right away.”

South Austin Road. That was where I’d gotten into the car accident with my parents.

My entire body froze. My mind went blank. Something long buried inside me cracked open.