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.