Then everything went black.

When I woke up again, the first thing I saw was Renald's dark, stormy face.

His voice trembled with suppressed anger.

"Danica, why did you call the police? Lorraine has already been taken away by them!"

My heart clenched, as if a knife had been driven straight through it.

"She tried to strangle me to death!" I gasped.

Renald frowned deeply. "I've told you before—Lorraine's parents died saving my mother. She's emotionally scarred, but she's not a bad person. She didn't really mean to hurt you—"

"Didn't mean to kill me?!" I cut him off, my voice cracking as three years' worth of fear, humiliation, and fury finally burst free.

"She sabotaged my safety rope and left me crippled! She tampered with my oxygen tank and nearly suffocated me! She blew up the gas line and burned me alive—and just now, she tried to choke me to death!"

"Every single time, she wanted me dead! If that doctor hadn't come in, I'd be a corpse right now—do you understand that?!"

Renald sighed and reached out to pull me into his arms.

I slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me! This time I won't back down. I'm pressing charges—she's going to face the law!"

He fell silent for a moment, then his gaze hardened.

"Lorraine and I grew up together. She's been spoiled, yes, but she's not evil. I'll discipline her myself—suspend her, maybe even make her leave the demolition field."

"But I won't let her go to prison and ruin her life."

Before I could even react, his assistant stepped forward and handed me a document.

"Sign this, and everything will be forgiven. Things between you and Mr. Montgomery can go back to how they were."

I stared at the bold, black title at the top "Statement of Forgiveness", and almost laughed at the absurdity of it.

"I'm not signing that."

"Lorraine lost her parents young," Renald said softly. "She's never suffered like this. A detention center would crush her."

"Danica, be good."

"I said I'm not signing!" I shouted, my voice breaking.

The next instant, the assistant grabbed my arm and twisted it hard.

"Ah—!"

Pain shot through every nerve in my body.

He forced my hand down, dragging the pen across the paper to scrawl my name. Then he pressed my fingers into the red inkpad and stamped it on the page.

Renald stood silently beside us, watching the entire scene unfold.

Sweat soaked my hospital gown. I looked up at the man I had loved for so many years, my voice trembling.

"Renald... you're doing this to me—for her?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned to his assistant and ordered calmly, "Call the doctor. Get the best medicine for her hand. Make sure she's well taken care of."

—

For the next few days, he didn't come by again, and only sent text messages.

[The mine collapsed. I'm tied up right now.]

[Don't stay angry. Once you're discharged, I'll take you to the city to relax.]

[Does your hand still hurt? Take care of yourself.]

But every time his messages arrived, another message from Lorraine would follow—each one a dagger to the heart.

She sent countless photos of Renald beside her, pouring her water. Massaging her shoulders. Using the same self-defense knife he'd never let me touch... to peel apples for her.

That night, my hand throbbed so badly I couldn't sleep. Against all reason, I found myself calling him.

The phone rang and rang, but he didn't answer.

I hung up.

A few seconds later, a message from Lorraine appeared.

[Hehe~ Guess what we're doing?]

Below her words was a video. Even from the thumbnail alone, the air reeked of intimacy.

My hands shook as I tapped it open.

Lorraine was sprawled on the bed, her clothes disheveled, her flushed face gleaming with sweat.

Then she sat up suddenly, wrapping her arms around Renald's waist from behind, pressing her fevered body against his strong back.

"Renald... don't go... I feel so hot... that wine... it's too strong..."

"If you leave... something bad will happen to me... please…"

Renald froze in his tracks. He turned to look at Lorraine, her eyes hazy and pleading under the dim light.

After a long moment of hesitation, he clenched his jaw, then hung up on my call.

Turning back, he gently helped her onto the bed.

"I'll stay with you until morning."

The video went dark after that. The only sounds left were a low, guttural groan and Lorraine's soft, satisfied laughter.

I felt as if I'd plunged into an ice-cold abyss. My fingers trembled as I clutched my phone, dialing his number again and again.

All through the night, I made over four hundred calls. But he didn't answer a single one.

When dawn finally broke, a message appeared on my screen. [I handled an emergency last night.]

A hollow laugh escaped me.

So this was his "emergency"—spending the night by another woman's bed.

...

The day I was discharged happened to be my birthday.

Renald came in person to pick me up. He even booked a private hall at an upscale restaurant for a small birthday celebration.

The venue was beautifully decorated, and he stayed by my side the entire evening.

After the cake was cut, he fastened a custom-made gold necklace around my neck, drawing murmurs of admiration from the guests.

To everyone else, I must have looked like the luckiest woman alive.

But to me, that necklace felt as heavy as a shackle pressing down on my chest.

Halfway through the banquet, I felt suffocated and excused myself to the restroom.

The moment I turned into the hallway, someone blocked my path.

"Well, if it isn't Mrs. Montgomery—the happiest woman tonight."

Lorraine leaned lazily against the wall, arms crossed, mockery twisting her lips.

I didn't want to engage. I turned to leave, but she stepped forward, blocking me again.

"Renald must really adore you—throwing you a party, gifting you that expensive necklace. You must feel so proud."

"But when you called the police on me, didn't he force you to sign that forgiveness letter just to bail me out?"

"Do you even know how much he depends on me? Everything we've been through together... and yet you still cling to him shamelessly. Tell me, shouldn't I hate you for that?"

Each word was like a dull, poisoned blade, slicing deeper into a heart already scarred beyond repair.

My face was drained of color. I only wanted to get away. But she wouldn't let me.

In one swift motion, Lorraine grabbed my wrist, her nails digging deep into my skin.

"You survived last time... let's see if you're that lucky again!"

Before I could react, two burly men in work uniforms stepped out of the shadows. They grabbed me—one on each side—and dragged me down the hallway, ignoring my frantic struggles.

They shoved me into the top-floor lounge and locked the door.

Terror clawed at my throat. My strength was useless against theirs.

Lorraine's eyes gleamed with venom and twisted triumph.

"Danica, since Renald loves you so much, I'll destroy you completely! Let's see if he still wants a filthy, used-up woman after this!"

One of the men—a leering brute with a greasy smile—started to advance toward me.

I fought desperately, but despair swallowed me whole.

Lorraine lifted her phone, aiming the camera at me, preparing to record everything.

Just as that disgusting hand reached for my clothes—

BANG!

The door burst open, slamming against the wall.

Renald stormed in like a wild beast, fury radiating from every inch of him.

When he saw me pinned to the bed, my clothes torn, his eyes went bloodshot.

In one swift motion, he grabbed the man by the collar, hurled him over his shoulder, and slammed him to the floor. The man didn't even have time to scream before losing consciousness.

"Danica!"

He rushed to me, tearing away the restraints and pulling me into his arms.

"Don't be afraid! I'm here now—it's over."

Terror and humiliation surged up all at once, and I broke down sobbing against his chest.

He scooped me up, wrapping his jacket carefully around me, and headed for the door.

As we passed by Lorraine, he stopped.

His gaze turned cold—so cold it could kill.

"Lorraine! I've tolerated your tantrums and reckless behavior for years out of respect for your parents—but this time, you've crossed the line!"

"If anything happens to Danica today, I swear I won't let you walk away alive!"

The raw fury in Renald's eyes made Lorraine stumble back, her face pale. Then, as if something inside her snapped, she shrieked, "What are you going to do—send me to prison?"

She gave a twisted laugh, tears glinting at the corners of her eyes.

"Fine! Renald, since you want my life so badly—take it!"

Before anyone could react, she suddenly lunged toward the open floor-to-ceiling window and hurled herself out.

"Lorraine—!"

Renald's face turned deathly white.

Without a second's hesitation, he dropped me to the floor and bolted toward the window.

The world spun. My back slammed against the cold, hard ground, pain shooting up my ankle like a blade.

By the time I dragged myself to the window, he was already gone—racing downstairs like a madman.

Through the glass, I saw him scoop up Lorraine's blood-soaked body, his face twisted in panic. He jumped into his SUV, the engine roaring to life before the car tore away into the night.

He didn't even glance back at me.

I sank onto the freezing marble floor, staring in the direction he'd gone, my chest hollow, my soul utterly still.

Only silence remained.

...

After a long while, I managed to stand. Limping, I made my way home.

Later that night, Renald came back.

He stormed toward me, grabbed my wrist so tightly I thought he'd crush the bones.

"Lorraine is suffering massive internal bleeding—your blood type is the only one that matches hers!"

My vision went black. My pulse roared in my ears.

"No! Renald, are you insane? Why should I save her?!"

But his grip only tightened, desperation flashing in his eyes.

"Danica, please! Lorraine jumped because of what I said. I can't let her die—she's still so young! A little blood won't harm you. Don't worry. I'll get the best doctors to help you recover. I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

I screamed, fought, kicked—but it didn't matter. He still dragged me into the operating room and pressed me down on the cold metal table.

"Renald! I hate you!"

That was the last thing I managed to shout before the anesthesia numbed everything—my body, my voice, my heart.

...

When I woke again, it was already the next morning.

Renald sat by my bedside. The moment I opened my eyes, he rushed over.

"Danica, you're awake?"

He pulled out expensive tonics and gifts, trying to appease me. But I just stared blankly at the ceiling, my expression void of life.

Later that day, while he went out to buy me porridge, Lorraine slipped quietly into my hospital room.

"Well, if it isn't my savior," she said with a smirk.

"Poor thing—you've been unconscious for so long! You nearly drained yourself dry to save me. Honestly, if it weren't for you, I'd be dead by now."

My stomach churned. My voice was hoarse.

"Get out."

Her smile vanished, her eyes flashing with venom.

"What's with that attitude, blood bag?" She scoffed and stormed out.

A few minutes later, Renald burst into the room, his face dark with fury.

"Danica! Why did you bribe the nurse to poison Lorraine's medicine?!"

I blinked, stunned. "What?"

"Lorraine said you were angry that I forced you to save her. She claims you paid a nurse to tamper with her medication—she went into shock and barely made it out of the ER alive!"

His voice was sharp, full of accusation.

"I didn't!"

At last, my restraint shattered. I shot up from the bed, tears spilling down my face.

"Renald! I've had enough—do you hear me? Enough!"

"You always believe her. Always take her side! I nearly died because of her again and again—look at me, I'm covered in scars!"

"And you—what have you ever done for me besides force me to sign, to bleed, to suffer, to die for her?!"