By the end of the night, Lina had piled up a small mountain of gifts she’d carefully hand-picked. I only bothered to choose one random item just to get it over with.

Marco watched me with anticipation as I unwrapped it. Inside was a ruby necklace.

He let out a low whistle. “You never disappoint me. Out of all these gifts, you picked the most valuable one right away.”

Instantly, the smug look on Lina’s face disappeared, replaced by jealousy simmering in her eyes.

She pouted and tugged on Marco’s arm. “Marco, I want that necklace too. Can I trade all of my gifts for the one Aurora picked?”

I said nothing. I just looked at him quietly. After three years of marriage, I suddenly wanted to know, in that moment, whether I meant more to him than Lina did.

Marco hesitated for a few seconds. Then, he reached over and took the necklace from my hands.

“Aurora, Lina’s eighteenth birthday is a significant one. Let her have it just this once, okay? If you fancy this ruby necklace, I’ll get you an even bigger one next time.”

It was the first time Marco chose another woman over me when faced with a choice.

“It’s fine.” I pulled away from his arms, my voice cold. “I only want something one-of-a-kind. If you’ve given it to someone else, I don’t want it anymore.”

I walked away under his startled gaze.

That night, Marco sent me a larger ruby necklace. Finding it ironic, I turned around and tossed it straight into the pool.

Lina, on the other hand, jumped in immediately after it. She splashed around as if desperately searching, even though the pool water was crystal clear and the ruby was visible at a glance. She pretended not to see it, feeling around in exaggeration. Only when Marco came rushing over did she finally grab the necklace and climb out, dripping wet.

Shivering as if she were freezing, she held the necklace out to me with trembling hands.

“Are you mad at me, Aurora? I don’t want the necklace anymore. You can have both. Please don’t be angry with Marco.”

Her white dress was soaked through, and faint red bled through the fabric. Marco’s expression turned terrifying. His face darkened instantly as he ripped off his jacket and wrapped it around her.

“Are you out of your mind, jumping into water like that when you’re on your menstrual cycle?” he scolded, voice low with anger. “It’s cold, and you’ve had severe cramps since you were a teenager!”

Lina’s face was pale as she collapsed weakly into his arms, choking back sobs.

“Marco, don’t be mad at me. I just didn’t want you and Aurora to fight. It pains me to see you frown.”

Marco’s eyes softened instantly, full of distress. The look he gave me carried blame.

“Aurora, Lina’s still just a kid. Why are you taking things so seriously?”

With that, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her straight to the hospital.

I remained where I stood, a dull ache spreading through my abdomen. Lina might be my cousin, but Marco knew her menstrual cycle perfectly and that she had painful cramps. Meanwhile, he had completely forgotten that I was also on my menstrual cycle and that my cramps were even worse.

Later that night, Lina posted on social media.

[It feels so good to be loved. Just a small cramp, and he rented out the entire hospital for me and kept me warm all night.]

Attached was a live photo—a pair of large hands gently holding hers, practiced and familiar. My chest tightened. He used to do the same for me during my cycle, but now that person was Lina.

My stomach twisted harder, sweat running down my back as I curled up with my blanket. I finally drifted to sleep deep into the night, only to be jolted awake by loud shouting outside.

“Fire! The greenhouse is on fire! Hurry!”

The greenhouse housed thousands of rare plants from all over the world, plants Marco once gathered for me, one by one. I had spent years caring for them.

My heart dropped. I threw on a coat and ran outside. However, the moment I stepped out the door, a white blur slammed into me, sending me tumbling down the staircase.

When I woke again, I was lying in a hospital bed. Marco sat beside me, bloodshot eyes full of anxiety.

The moment I opened my eyes, he grabbed my hand and said, “The doctor said your foot is slightly fractured. Does it hurt? You can’t get out of bed for a while.”

“The greenhouse…” I tried to sit up, but the pain forced me back. Hence, I stared at him, hoping for a miracle.

Marco hesitated, avoiding my gaze. “It’s gone. It was burned down. If you like it, I’ll build you another one.”

Before I could respond, a nurse rushed into the room.

“Don Vitale, Ms. Lina is complaining of a pain in her stomach, but she won’t let us examine her. Should you come take a look?”

Marco froze before immediately letting go of my hand and standing up.

“Aurora, Lina’s been pampered by her parents all her life. I’d better check on her before she gives the nurses trouble. Get some rest. I’ll be back soon.”

Then, he hurried out the door without looking back.

As bitterness welled up inside me, my phone vibrated. It was a video message from Lina.

In the video, she was snuggled in Marco’s arms, crying softly. “Marco, it’s all my fault. Clumsy me cut my hand on a leaf while picking a gift. If I hadn’t gotten hurt, you wouldn’t have burned down the greenhouse for me, and Aurora wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

Marco stroked her head affectionately, his voice low and relaxed. “It’s just a greenhouse. You’re my woman. I won’t let anything hurt you, not even a plant.”

There, the video ended.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. He once told me that if I loved studying plants, he’d bring me the rarest ones from all over the world. Now, because of one tiny scratch on Lina’s hand, he burned down the thing I loved most.

My heart went cold.

Over the next few days, Marco kept moving back and forth between the two hospital rooms, never neglecting either side.

Right before I was discharged, Lina came to see me. Her usual sweet, innocent look was gone. Instead, her smile was filled with pure malice.

“Aurora, you sure can take it. You actually managed to stay calm, even after witnessing my wedding to Marco. Marco doesn’t love you anymore. Do you really think you can keep holding onto that spot? Since you refuse to face reality, let me help you.”

After saying that, Lina pulled out a block of C4 explosives and planted it in the corner of the room. I stared at her in shock, but she just gave a sly little grin.

“Relax, it won’t kill you. I just want you to see who Marco chooses to save when both of us are in danger.”

A deafening blast shook the entire floor. Both Lina and I were crushed under the debris. A steel rod pierced straight through my shoulder, and blood gushed out instantly. My vision started to blur.

Right before I completely blacked out, I saw Marco rushing in desperately. I forced out the last bit of strength I had and called for him.

“Marco… I’m here…”

However, Marco ran right past me. He went straight to Lina, lifting the giant slab of concrete off her and pulling her into his arms with trembling hands.

“Lina, don’t be scared. I’m here.”

Then, he carried her out without even looking back. He didn’t even tell his men to continue searching for me.

I lay there in the rubble as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. This was my hospital room. Did he not know I was inside?

When I woke up again, I was already back home.

Marco immediately grabbed my hand, his voice shaking. “Aurora, you’re finally awake. If anything had happened to you, I would’ve blown up the entire hospital.”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I quietly pulled my hand out of his.

“You’re mad I saved Lina first, isn’t that it?” Marco hesitated. “I… swear I didn’t know you were in the room. And besides, Lina is young. Saving her was my responsibility as an adult. But Aurora, if something ever happened to you, I’d follow you into death.”

He grasped my hand again, ready to continue his confession, when a glass cup shattered at the doorway. Lina stood there with a look of wounded innocence, broken shards at her feet.

Marco’s face instantly went pale. Before he could explain, Lina covered her face and ran off in tears.

Under my cold gaze, I watched him force himself not to chase after her.

“She’s just being childish. Ignore her. You’re the one who matters most.”

For the next few days, Marco barely left my side, taking care of everything personally. However, one week later, news broke that Lina had gone missing. The gentle front he maintained for a week collapsed in an instant. He summoned the entire family, activated every connection he had, and launched a full-scale search for Lina.

Within a single day, they found her. Lina threw herself into Marco’s arms the moment she was rescued, and when she saw me, her face twisted into fear.

“Aurora, I’m sorry! I’ll stay far away from your husband from now on. Please don’t lock me up in the punishment room again!”

It was the first time she called Marco my husband.

Marco’s presence turned terrifying. His cold gaze shot toward me like a knife.

“Aurora, jealousy has limits! Lina is just a child! The punishment room is for traitors and enemies! She was electrocuted and whipped in there… Do you have any idea she almost died?”

He didn’t even ask me what happened. He just decided I was guilty. If this were the past, I would’ve broken down and begged him to trust me. Now, my voice was calm.

“It wasn’t me. Believe it or don’t. I’m tired. I need to rest.”

I lay back down and turned my back to him.

Seeing my expression, Marco realized he had wrongly accused me. However, before he could speak, Lina grabbed him and sobbed uncontrollably.

“Marco, don’t go! I’m so scared. They called me a whore. They said they’d rip my skin off so I’d never seduce another man again.”

Marco immediately soothed her, distress written all over his face. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to look, listen, or think. It didn’t matter anymore, because tomorrow, I would be gone.

With Marco, there was nothing left to say except goodbye.

That night, I caught a strange scent in the air, and my consciousness suddenly slipped away. When I woke up, I realized I had been tied to an electric chair. A black hood covered my head, and tape sealed my mouth shut.

Marco’s cold voice came from somewhere beside me.

“Lina, is this the one who laid a hand on you in the punishment room? Take off her hood. I want to see who had the nerve to touch what’s mine.”

The moment he said it, Lina screamed in panic, “No! Don’t take it off! Marco, I’m traumatized. Whenever I see her face, I get terrified.”

“In that case, we won’t remove it,” Marco soothed her gently. “Hey, don’t cry. I’ll get justice for you.”

Hearing their conversation, everything finally clicked. There was no so-called family punishment room. It was all Lina’s setup. She hooded me and taped my mouth just so that Marco would personally torture me.

A cold sweat broke out across my back. Marco was always ruthless toward his enemies. Falling into his hands meant death was usually the kindest outcome.

“Mmph! Mmph!”

I struggled desperately, trying to make some kind of sound so Marco would realize who I was. Unfortunately, my mouth was sealed too tightly, and I couldn’t speak a single word.

Marco stepped closer, his tone that of a man used to giving orders.

“Tsk. Turns out it’s a woman. Consider yourself lucky. I never hit women with my own hands.”

He pulled out a syringe. “This is what the Federal Bureau uses when interrogating suspects. It amplifies a person’s senses a hundredfold, and no matter how much it hurts, it keeps them fully conscious.”

Right after he spoke, a sharp sting hit my neck. A cold liquid flooded into my veins. In an instant, every sense in my body exploded, magnified to an unbearable degree.

Marco let out a low, cruel laugh. “I heard you called my sweet girl a whore? Said you’d rip her skin apart? If that’s the case, Tate, give her a proper welcome. Every bit of pain Lina suffered, return it to her a hundredfold.”

With that, he wrapped an arm around Lina and left the room with her.

As the electric chair activated, a violent current tore through me, making it hard to even breathe. Then, a whip struck my skin. I screamed, but no sound escaped. The pain was so sharp it felt like my skull was about to split open.

I had no idea how much time had passed. Eventually, my strength drained until I couldn’t even move. Still, the pain—amplified a hundredfold—remained painfully clear, refusing to fade.

In the haze, I heard Lina’s voice again. “Don’t pass out yet, Aurora. Marco’s asleep now, so I came back to keep you company.”

She let out a chilling little laugh as she grabbed my right hand and continued, “I heard the cure to Marco’s spinal cord was extracted using this very hand of yours, right? How annoying…”

With that, she slammed my hand to the floor and ground it under her heel. I heard the bones crack, and only then did the pain finally drag me into unconsciousness.

The next morning, I was dumped like trash at the entrance of an abandoned factory. My hands had been untied, so with my left hand, I struggled to pull off the hood. Then, I grabbed my phone and called my mentor.

My vision blurred, and just before I fully blacked out, a strong, steady voice reached my ears.

“Dr. Aurora, what happened to you? Who did this?”

I shook my head weakly and blurted out, “Just get me out of here. Once I’m gone, erase all my records. I never want to set foot in this place again…”

The car door shut, and tears silently slipped down my cheeks. I knew this time, I would truly disappear from Marco’s world.

As soon as I got in the car, a text arrived from him.

[Aurora, are you still mad at me? If you still have any doubt about Lina and me, I’ll send her abroad tomorrow and never speak to her again. I want you to know that you’re the most important person in my entire world. I love you more than my own life.]

My entire body trembled, a wave of nausea crashing through me.

Back when I left for the desert to gather the cure for his spine, I willingly put on the necklace he gave me, choosing to be bound to him. Now, I took off that necklace and placed it into a box, asking the military personnel driving the car to deliver it to Marco.

The moment I removed it, my whole body felt weightless. As a soft breeze slipped through the car window, I closed my eyes.

Marco, my love for you was the chain that trapped me. Now that I don’t love you anymore, you will never find me again.