On the day of our engagement party, Elric Solvain abandoned me to take red-themed wedding portraits with his first love just because I was no longer a virgin.

Not long after he walked away, a group of armed thugs broke in. They choked me, forced seven cups of boiling water down my throat and carved the word slut across my chest.

My adoptive mother rushed me to the hospital. As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I caught fragments of her conversation with Elric.

"Elric, I’ve already arranged for the attackers to be smuggled out of the country. No one will ever trace this back to you."

"For Rosie’s sake, if you want Eloise to stay away from Elowen, just say the word. I’ll persuade her to live quietly in the countryside. But do you really have to destroy her completely?"

"Eloise insisted on proving herself at her biological mother’s company. I had to do this to protect Rosie’s identity. I didn’t have a choice."

My adoptive mother sighed heavily. "Rosie is my real daughter. I can’t let her lose her place as the Morven Family heiress. I have no choice but to sacrifice Eloise."

Elric was quiet for a moment before replying, "Rosie gave me her precious virginity. I promised her I would treasure her for life."

"Eloise may have lost her voice and her career, but I gave her a villa under my name."

"She can still be my wife—the CEO of the Solvain Group's wife. That should be enough for her."

As a tear slid silently down my cheek, I reached for the emergency button on my sat phone and sent a single message to my childhood friend, who was now the commander of an elite top-secret Special Forces unit operating between Washington and New York.

[Are you sure you want to disappear from your fiancé's world forever?]

[Yes. I’m sure.]

——

"Seven cups of boiling water... Damn, we’ve never seen a case this brutal."

Another voice came from within the operating room, a note of relief in their tone. "Thankfully, she was brought in time. Miss Thessaly's throat has been saved and her voice…"

"Who told you to save it?" Elric barked, interrupting coldly. "Remove her vocal cords. Now."

The doctors exchanged shocked glances, frozen in place. When no one moved, Elric stormed over, seized a scalpel and slashed at my throat.

"Mr. Solvain, stop!" a doctor shouted in panic. My adoptive mother gasped, covering her mouth in horror.

"That’s not the vocal tract. You’re cutting into a vein!"

Elric’s lips trembled slightly. With cold precision, he adjusted the scalpel and, without a hint of hesitation, carved straight into my vocal cords.

A doctor rushed forward to stop him, yelling, "Even if you resent Miss Thessaly for not being pure and loyal to one man, how could you do this to her?"

"If she loses her voice completely, she’ll need an oxygen tank to breathe. One wrong move and she could suffocate at any moment."

Elric kicked the doctor to the floor. "Get out! Who are you to question how I feel about Eloise?"

His brows furrowed and he muttered under his breath, "I had promised Rosie she’d be the Morven Family’s daughter for life."

"If it’s for Rosie’s happiness... then Eloise will just have to suffer a little longer."

Because of Elric’s status as a major investor, none of the doctors dared speak up again.

I kept swallowing the blood welling up in my throat, the searing pain unbearable—but with my vocal cords severed, I could not even scream.

Then, my adoptive mother—the same woman who once clutched every penny—took out her entire savings and shoved the cash into the surgeon’s hands.

"Give Eloise more anesthesia. She can’t handle pain well."

The next second, the sealed doors of the operating room slowly opened.

A nurse came in to report that Roselyn had scratched her wrist and needed stitches. Immediately, panic flashed across both Elric’s and my adoptive mother’s faces.

My adoptive mother cried out, "Move the equipment to her room. Treat Rosie first!"

Without missing a beat, Elric barked, "All of you—go stand by in Rosie’s operating room. Now!"

One doctor finally found the courage to speak up. "It’s been over thirty minutes since we gave Miss Thessaly anesthesia. If we delay her surgery any longer, she could lose too much blood and go into shock."

Without a second thought, my adoptive mother reached over and yanked the pain pump from my arm. "She’s always been tough. I’m her mother and I’m not worried about her. So what are you all afraid of? Go tend to Rosie."

Every doctor. Every piece of medical equipment. All were redirected to someone who had nothing more than a surface-level scratch on her wrist.

And me?

What about me?

After my vocal cords were removed, no one came to check on me. Even the only pain pump I had was taken away and given to Roselyn Morven.

It turned out that all the love and affection I once believed I had were nothing but scraps—leftovers their beloved Rosie did not want.

The operating room was eerily quiet. I stopped fighting the rare resistance my body had to anesthesia and let the numbness pull me under…

I had no idea how long I drifted in that darkness. Somewhere outside the door, I heard Elric and my adoptive mother arguing with the doctor.

"Mr. Solvain, if she takes this medication long-term, it will corrode her tongue and esophagus."

"I can’t, in good conscience, prescribe this to Miss Thessaly."

"No, Rosie can’t lose control of the Morven Family’s company."

"You’re not the one enduring this. I know she’ll understand."

"This is the only way to stop Eloise from needing an electronic voice box and from ever going back to the company to steal the spotlight again."

So that was what my voice and career meant to Elric Solvain—just a threat, something that might upstage Roselyn.

Moments later, Elric and my adoptive mother walked in, their expressions cold, only to freeze when they saw I was awake.

"As a mother, I failed to protect my daughter… What good is this hard-earned promotion now?" my adoptive mother said dramatically, clutching a promotion letter and pretending to tear it up in sorrow.

"It was my fault for not being there when you needed me. Let’s skip all the public attention. Just the two of us, quietly, a wedding for us alone," Elric added, his voice thick with fake sincerity.

Staring at the hypocrisy of the two people I once trusted most, I could only smile bitterly, tears gathering in my eyes.

But Elric, there won’t be a wedding. There’s no future for us.

I picked up a pen and wrote on the message board. [I don't blame you and I don’t want a wedding.]

After reading it, Elric seemed to mistake my words for forgiveness. A flicker of guilt passed through his eyes and he said quietly, "From now on, we’ll live a peaceful life, just the two of us. I’ll be your voice forever."

My adoptive mother came forward with a cup of dark medicine. "My poor girl… Drink this while it’s still warm."

A single tear slid down my cheek. I only had myself to blame for being so blind—for mistaking wolves, tigers and leopards for beloved family.

I kept writing on the board, [I don't want to drink it. Don’t worry, I won’t try to speak.]

My adoptive mother’s expression hardened. "What nonsense are you writing? This prescription was carefully sourced to help recover your voice."

Elric frowned and said, "Can’t you just be well-behaved and obedient for once, like Rosie? Do we really have to coax a grown woman to take her medicine?"

In the end, despite all my resistance, Elric forced the medicine down my throat.

Afterward, I blacked out. In my hazy state, I heard unfamiliar voices whispering nearby.

"I heard that gold-digger in the bed tricked Mr. Solvain into dumping Miss Morven. She pretended to clean up her act and almost married him. Thank God the engagement party was ruined or she would’ve gotten away with it."

"Mr. Solvain’s wedding with Miss Morven is tomorrow. He specifically ordered extra anesthesia for that woman, just to punish her."

A stabbing pain tore through the backs of my hands and feet. My mind was a blur of disbelief and confusion.

That confusion did not clear until I heard my adoptive mother and Elric’s cold exchange, "I leaked a story online saying Eloise had undergone seven private surgeries to restore her virginity just to marry into money and claimed she got engaged to you to strike it rich."

"I deleted the original post. Now public opinion thinks Eloise’s greed and shamelessness are what led those men to carve that word on her during the party."

"If Rosie hadn’t repaid the favor by leaking the Morven Group’s trade secrets to save my company, I’d never have agreed to marry her or help her escape that arranged marriage."

"Still, I don’t want Eloise being called a gold-digger... or having the entire internet come down on her."

So, as long as Roselyn needed to be the victim, I would be the one sacrificed.

I lay on that hospital bed like a lifeless puppet, the sharp tang of blood rising in my throat. My heart felt as if it had been sawn clean in half.

A year ago, I accidentally discovered that I was Elowen Morven’s biological daughter.

Around the same time, Elric’s company came under sudden attack from a rival. With no capital to recover, it teetered on the edge of bankruptcy.

That was when Roselyn came to me, smiling sweetly like a friend, with an offer.

She handed me clues that could help me steal confidential files from the Morven Group and those secret documents could save Elric’s company. However, the price was steep. I had to take full responsibility for the theft, give up my claim as the real Morven Family's heiress and swear never to reveal the truth.

The calculating glint in her eyes made it obvious—it was a trap.

And yet, when I thought of Elric’s pale and worn-out face, I nodded without hesitation and jumped right in.

Now, his company not only escaped its crisis but also used the opportunity to devour its competitors and rise even stronger than ever.

Roselyn was still hailed as the precious daughter of the Morven Family, basking in the spotlight of high society, attending luxury events like a star.

And me? I was publicly denounced by my biological mother for stealing company secrets, cut off entirely from the Morven Family and ridiculed by the entire social circle.

When I opened my eyes again, I was in a quiet, empty hospital room.

Roselyn stood at the foot of my bed, smiling smugly.

"So what if you gave everything up?" she sneered. "In Elric’s eyes, it’ll always be your fault. He’s still going to marry me. And you? You’ll live the rest of your life mute."

I turned away. My heart sank with a quiet kind of devastation.

I had once given everything for love. Now that love was gone. I had nothing left to give and nothing left to hold me back.

"It’s just that, Eloise Thessaly," she went on, voice low, "you’re still a risk to me. So I might as well make sure there’s no way back for you."

There was something chilling in her eyes and the smile on her lips only deepened. A deep sense of unease crept over me.

"Did you know?" she whispered. "Elowen has this one useless son who doesn’t even aware that you, his own sister, exist…"

"If your own brother sleeps with you, even if the truth comes out later, do you really think Mom—or Elric—will ever accept you again?"

The door suddenly creaked open. "Rosie, who do you want me to deal with?"

The sound of that lazy voice made panic surge through me like ice in my veins.

"Toby," she said sweetly, her smile turning venomous, "help your sister ruin this little bitch."

Rip! A cold draft hit my bare shoulders as Toby yanked open my hospital gown.

Please…

I don’t need the Morven Family name. I’ll leave this city. I’ll never appear in front of you or Elric again…

Yet, I could not say a word. I could not even cry out in pain. All I could do was laugh bitterly—silently. Because I was mute.

My helplessness only made Roselyn look more pleased.

"Eloise, what are you doing in this room?" Elric’s voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Roselyn’s eyes turned red instantly. She threw herself into his arms and began to cry.

"Elric, Eloise suddenly ripped off her clothes and tried to seduce my brother when she found out you’re marrying me tomorrow."

"She probably just wanted to sleep with him since she couldn’t marry you."

Elric turned toward me, his eyes filled with disappointment and cold judgment. "Are you really this desperate, Eloise Thessaly?"

My adoptive mother did not even care how I looked—half-conscious, terrified, my gown in disarray. Without hesitation, she raised her hand and slapped me across the face.

"You’ll throw yourself at anyone now? I don’t have a daughter this shameless!"

A nurse at the door scoffed and muttered with disdain, "Gold-diggers like her make me sick. Can’t keep their legs closed around any man with a pulse."

I didn’t seduce anyone! Roselyn framed me!

I tried to explain, but my ruined throat could only let out a hoarse, guttural wheeze.

"Eloise probably just lost control for a moment. Let’s not make a scene in front of outsiders. We can go home and talk about the engagement later."

Roselyn said with mock concern. She looked like she was doing me a favor—saving face.

Elric gave me one final glance, filled with disappointment and disgust.

"Eloise," he called, "I wish I had never met you."