Seraphina POV

Tears welled up in my eyes, but almost immediately, I found it ridiculous.

In my darkest, most terrifying moments, Marco had always been there to say those words.

Those same words that had once given me comfort, courage, and a deep, aching sense of belonging.

But did he really love me?

Just one whispered word from Karen, and he would punish me without a second thought, not caring if I lived or died.

"Don't touch me!"

I thrashed wildly, but his grip on my hands was unbreakable. In a fit of desperation, I bit him.

He frowned and carried me back to his house, and wrapped me in a blanket on the sofa.

I was about to yell at him, but he handed me a cup of hot cocoa.

"Drink this," he said softly. "You need to warm up."

I curled up, keeping as far away as I could, my body still trembling.

"Stay out of my business. Just leave me alone!" I snapped.

He smiled lightly.

"Leave you alone? You really think you can live without me?"

His eyes and the slight curve of his lips were filled with the smug satisfaction of a victor.

I had hoped he would be my beacon, but he had brought me only deeper into the darkness.

Seeing me silent, Macro asked, "You hurt Karen today. What's your side of the story?"

"You saw it," I said flatly. "And you wouldn't believe me anyway."

I had long given up on explaining myself, from my parents to him, no one cared about my side of the story.

"I would believe you," he said. "But Karen is your sister. She's so fragile. Why do you have so much hostility toward her?"

I laughed, letting tears slip from the corner of my eyes. This was his idea of believing me.

"Mind your own business!" I shot back, storming into my room and slamming the door.

For the next two days, Macro ignored me.

From the constant photos Karen sent, I could tell he was there with her, comforting her.

I didn't care anymore. In two weeks, once all the paperwork was done, I could leave.

--

On the day of my college thesis defense, I woke early.

I felt a rush of excitement as completing this step would bring me closer to leaving.

Macro sat among the judges as the college's sponsor. But I knew he wasn't there for me.

Karen went first.

"Good morning, professors. The title of my thesis is..."

I froze. I jumped up and interrupted her.

"This is my thesis! It's exactly the same as mine!"

A murmur of confusion rippled through the room.

"Karen skips class all the time and never puts in half the effort Seraphina does. If their papers turn out the same, guess who's been copying."

"Plagiarizing a grad thesis? She'll get kicked out of college for that! She's got some nerve."

Karen's eyes filled with feigned tears.

"I wrote this myself. I stayed up nights. Don't you dare slander me!"

I was about to argue, but Macro's icy glare cut me off.

"This is a serious occasion," he said, his voice flat. "Don't cause a scene."

My heart sank. I finally understood.

I grabbed my water cup and slammed it into Karen's laptop.

A wisp of smoke rose and Karen screamed, covering her ears.

I ignored Macro and talked to Karen.

"Since you wrote it yourself, you should be able to defend it without your laptop."

A flicker of panic crossed Karen's face.

"The thesis is long... I... I don't remember it all clearly."

"Really?" I smiled. "Then let me go first. Professors, my thesis is divided into the following sections..."

Karen's face turned pale. She stumbled toward Macro and collapsed in front of him.

Marco held her and glared at me as if I were some evil witch.

The moment I finished my defense, Macro shoved me into a car and dragged me into his office.

I was fuming, and I needed an outlet.

"Marco, mind telling me why my thesis showing up on her laptop?!"

His voice was cold.

"Sera, I've spoiled you too much. You went out of line today. How dare you humiliated Karen in front of everyone."

Karen stood behind him. Her triumphant gaze cut into me like a knife, twisting deep in my chest.

Was defending myself "out of line"?

I grabbed a golf club from the corner and swung it hard at his cigar box, the family crest, and every expensive object in his office.

Karen screamed and fled the office, while Macro watched coldly, doing nothing.

Until the office was in ruins, papers and shards of glass scattered everywhere, I dropped the club, panting.

"Enough smashing?" he asked.

"I still want to smash you."

My phone lit up with a flight reminder. I fumbled to cover it, but it was too late.

Macro's face darkened.

"A flight? Where are you going?"

"None of your business! I'm going on a beach trip with a hot guy, so what?" I snatched my phone and stormed out.

He seized my hand, slammed me against his desk, and ripped the zipper on my dress down to the bottom.

"Looks like I haven't disciplined you for too long. You've forgotten who I am!"

My bare skin burned with shame, and for the first time, his body made me recoil in fear.

I sobbed, "Let go... this is the office. Not here..."

Macro leaned closer, voice cold and commanding.

"You need to remember who's in charge. Everything depends on my mood."

A chill ran through me.

I realized, with a sickening clarity, that I was just something for him to manipulate.

Tears streamed down uncontrollably, my body trembling with each sob.

He hesitated for a moment, then zipped up, his tone softening slightly.

"I'll let you off today. but next time, you won't be so lucky."

Seraphina POV

I froze on the desk. It took a while for me to realize that I was safe.

I wiped away my tears and walked out, not even sparing him a glance.

As I reached the lobby on the first floor, I saw Karen.

She sneered, "Did you really think provoking Macro would end well? He'll only hate you more. And I'll make sure you're completely kicked out of the Grant family."

I shot her a glance from the corner of my eye.

"Only trash like you would think that pathetic dump is worth anything."

Karen's face twisted in rage. She grabbed my arm.

"Say that again!"

"I'll say it a million times. You're trash! Now let go!"

As we struggled, there was a loud crash from above.

A giant chandelier detached from the ceiling and came crashing down on us.

Karen's scream pierced my ears.

In that instant, Macro dashed under the falling light and yanked Karen into his arms.

I saw the pure panic and desperation in his eyes, right before a blinding pain consumed me.

The shattered chandelier rained down, its fragments mingling with my blood, staining the floor.

Every nerve in my body screamed in agony.

I lifted my head with the last of my strength.

Macro was bent over Karen, whispering to her.

She was crying, but when her eyes flicked to mine, the smug triumph in them cut deeper than any wound.

I let my head drop, a broken laugh slipping past my lips even as tears burned down my face, my throat choked with blood and bitterness, pain stealing every breath.

When I woke again, I was in a hospital bed.

The room was empty, my wounds burning painfully.

The door to the room across the corridor was ajar, and I could see my parents gathered around Karen's bed.

Macro was there, too, carefully adjusting her bed with meticulous care.

I watched them, tears blurring my vision.

I thought I had no tears left to cry, but my heart still ached, pierced by a thousand needles.

A notification popped up on my phone. Only five days until I could leave.

I clenched the phone, swallowing back my tears.

Later, Macro came into my room.

He stroked my hair and asked, "Does it hurt? You have so many cuts. You've always hated pain the most."

There was concern in his gaze, and even a hint of guilt.

If it had been before, I would have cried, demanded to know why he hadn't come to save me first.

But now, I just closed my eyes, not a word left to say.

Macro was silent for a moment. "It hurts too much, right? Don't say anything if you don't want to. I'll be here with you."

He really pushed aside all his work and staying by my side every day.

But I no longer filled the air with chatter. I ate in silence, slept in silence, and waited in silence for the day I'd finally leave.

Four days before leaving, I overheard Karen on the phone at the end of the hallway.

"Those two idiots love me so much, they'll never know the real Karen died a long time ago..."

I snapped. A horrifying thought seized me, and I rushed forward, grabbing her arm.

"You're not my sister! You're an impostor!"

She feigned a look of surprise and then smiled, screaming.

"Please, don't!" And she let herself fall down the stairs.

In that instant, Macro rushed forward, scooping her up. The way he looked at me sent a chill down my spine.

"How many times have I told you not to clash with Karen? You embarrassed her at your thesis defense, and now you attacked her again. You've gone too far!" His voice pressed down on me.

"She's a fake. She's not my sister!"

Macro's eyes were filled with a chilling indifference. He turned to his men.

"Lock her up for three days so she really thinks about what she's done."

Tears streamed down my face.

"I did nothing wrong, Macro. Don't lock me up."

He lifted my chin, and there was no pity in his eyes.

"Sera, you've disappointed me."

The next three days were the most agonizing of my life.

My father came to the basement where I was locked up and whipped me with no mercy, while Karen laughed, enjoying every moment.

"We gave you all our love, and this is how you treat your sister!"

"Thank God you gave up your engagement to Macro, so you don't have to embarrass our family anymore. I'll give you the money. Take it and get lost. You are no longer a Grant!"

When the whip broke and my father grew exhausted, I lay on the floor, I lay on the floor, bleeding and barely breathing.

Macro came to see me, but he only looked at me from afar.

"Three days here is just a small lesson. If you don't learn, there will be more serious consequences."

My skin was ripped open, and the pain stole my breath.

A small smile tugged at my lips, and my heart no longer ached.

Three days later, I was bathed and dressed, with all my wounds hidden, before Macro came to pick me up.

He probably thought I had just slept in the dark for three days.

But when he saw my face, he paused, a flicker of guilt in his eyes.

"Learned your lesson yet? Three days without food isn't too harsh."

I only nodded, silent, never looking at him again.

As soon as his men dropped me off at the hospital, I slipped out a side door and went straight to the airport.

After checking my bank account, I tossed my phone card into the trash can and boarded the plane without looking back.