I shouted, "You can punish me however you want afterward. I'll also explain everything to you!"

Hannah lifted my chin and wiped away my tears. Then, she pushed my face away. "It's too bad you're putting on this act too late. Otherwise, seeing you on your knees and begging like this might have made me feel sorry for you."

She continued, "You probably don't know this, but I work for Gabriella now. Freddie brought me into the team. He saw potential in me and gave me a shot. Cyril went after him more than once, and now he's lying through his teeth again!

"It's a good thing I already knew what kind of guy you were. You're just trying to smooth-talk your way into tearing them apart again."

I rolled up my sleeves and tugged down my collar to show her the cuts and scrapes on my body. I replied, "It wasn't what you think. I was trying to protect you, to keep you far away from all the chaos surrounding our family.

"You saw it yourself that there are people who want Gabriella dead. Meanwhile, Cyril's done nothing but charity work. He doesn't deserve to pay the price for any of this."

I humbled myself as much as I could, trying desperately to explain everything.

Just then, my phone rang. Cyril's weak voice came through the speaker.

Then, an unfamiliar voice said, "We're taking this man with us. Tell Gabriella that since she loves playing games so much, why not guess where we've taken her husband? If she guesses correctly, she can pay us 100 million dollars to get him back. But if she's wrong…"

A chilling laugh followed, and the call abruptly ended.

Hannah's eyes darkened when she heard the voice. "Fine. I'll help you."

I thought that she finally believed what I was saying, but then she looked me up and down and said, "Take off your clothes. For every piece you remove, I'll send one bodyguard with you."

My blood ran cold, but I bit my lip hard and nodded without hesitation. "Fine."

Compared to the pain Cyril endured to protect me, this humiliation was nothing.

Cars occasionally passed by the mansion, and guests from the lively party inside immediately came out to watch when they realized that something scandalous was going on.

With unbearable shame crawling over my skin, I stripped down until all I had left was a thin pair of boxers. My hands rested on the waistband, and my fingertips went completely numb under everyone's burning gazes.

Hannah gave my body a once-over and scoffed. "Not even close to my boyfriend's build. I can't believe I ever had a crush on you. Didn't you say that you'd risk your life to save Cyril? What's wrong? Too scared to keep going? Do you think you can find Cyril with just two bodyguards? Is this what your so-called brotherhood means?"

A surveillance camera above Hannah's head swiveled toward me, and the big screen in the courtyard flickered to life.

Freddie had his arm around Gabriella's waist, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ms. Rutherfurd, so this is the off-site game you mentioned? How interesting! I love these psychological games the most."

Gabriella was seated at the arena. It was now down to the final three rounds of the Squid Game. Like a queen, she looked down at me with disdain.

She said, "Vance, you really have thrown away all your dignity. Did you forget how bad things got the last time you tried getting between us? Do I really need to humiliate you again just to prove that you're still the same fool?"

I jerked my head toward the camera. It immediately hit me that Gabriella had been reborn, too!

She leaned comfortably in Freddie's arms and nodded approvingly at Hannah. "You did well today. I know his stubborn personality better than anyone, and this is exactly how he should be dealt with!"

She added, "When one plan fails, he'll just make another. This time, he even hired actors for the abduction and made the phone call in front of you. What a flawless performance!"

Gabrielle hissed, "Do you think you can scam me out of that 100-million-dollar prize? I only wanted to take Freddie out to relax for a bit, and Cyril kept trying to stop us. Fine, whatever. But to lie to my face?

"Tell him that even if he is genuinely abducted, I won't let a scheming man like him drive Freddie away from me again!"

I was so furious that my head throbbed, and I shouted back at Gabriella, "Cyril was abducted! When you brought your people last time, they were in the middle of beating him. Did you already forget?"

Gabriella's eyes flickered for a moment. Then, she let out a cold, bitter laugh. "Oh, it was such a well-done performance, I nearly believed it myself. So what if Cyril got a little roughed up? Freddie lost his life!

"The fact that I got a second chance proves that I made the wrong choice the first time. I should have stood by the one who was truly worth keeping."

I chuckled bitterly. It was the kind of laugh that spilled over into tears without warning. Ever since Freddie showed up, Gabriella and Cyril had gone from passionate lovers to constantly arguing and fighting every other day.

They finally managed a short period of peace, and Cyril even agreed to take a break from work and focus on the family.

However, Freddie insisted on turning the company's year-end bonus event into a game, which threw all of Brightshire into fear and chaos.

Even Gabriella's old enemies, the ones she'd once silenced with brutal means, began crawling out of the woodwork. Then, just when we needed protection the most, the bodyguards assigned to protect Cyril abandoned their posts, tempted by the 100-million-dollar prize.

All because she wanted Freddie to be happy, Gabriella used both my life and Cyril's as playthings. She even humiliated me in front of everyone.

My heart turned as cold as ice. Through gritted teeth, I asked, "Since Freddie came into your life, how often have you even been home? Do you know how many death threats we've received since this game started? Cyril's been living in constant fear. His depression keeps coming back—"

Gabriella impatiently interrupted me, "I hired Dr. Jerome Manning to check on him and look after him 24/7. If Cyril insists on running out and getting himself into trouble, that's on him, not me!"

She added, "Your little script had holes from the start. He's surrounded by top security and world-class therapists. I don't care if he is my husband. If he's lying to me like this, I'm done with him!"

I was filled with resentment and hatred. "Then call the mansion and see if they're there today!"

Gabriella's expression gradually turned cold as she picked up the phone and dialed. After a sarcastic chuckle, she hung up and showed me the footage from the home surveillance cameras.

The footage showed Cyril surrounded by his bodyguards, receiving psychological counseling while a therapist gave him a massage.

She said through gritted teeth, "Is this what you call being tortured? He's living such a luxurious life, so what more could he want? Why does he have to scheme with you to drive Freddie away?"

Hannah's gaze toward me turned ice-cold. She kicked me in the stomach with disgust and spat, "I'd love to cut you open and see what kind of rotten garbage you've got inside! Gabriella thinks you're just a spoiled brat, but I say you're way past saving!"

I collapsed to the ground, my whole body shaking. Two of my ribs were broken, and the pain was unbearable. Sweat rolled into my eyes as I forced myself to look at the footage again.

"It's fake! Gabriella! That footage is fake!"

I noticed that it was drizzling steadily outside the large windows in the footage. However, I knew that the past week had been sunny.

Gabriella's face was cast in shadows as she shut off the surveillance without hesitation. "You think you can twist the truth with a few lies, Vance? I fell for your tricks once. Did you really think that I'd be stupid enough to fall for them again?"

I pleaded desperately, my elbows scraping bloody against the steps.

I yelled, "Ella, please trust me! Cyril said that you two had an agreed signal and that you could find him no matter where he went. That's the vow you made together! You've been married for a decade. Were all those years you spent together a lie?"

Gabriella narrowed her eyes, studying my face. She thought for a moment before saying, "My game is about to reach its final peak, but I don't think 100 million dollars is enough anymore. Since you're so stubborn and won't admit that you're wrong, come to the arena and see how cruel the world is without me protecting you."

She added, "It'll give you something to tell Cyril—that lying and playing the victim will never bring me back. And he needs to stop using our past to manipulate me."

Gabriella ordered Hannah to tie me up tight. After injecting a sedative and blindfolding me, they transported me straight to a deserted island where the final game was being held.

I woke up to the deafening roar of a crowd. Suddenly, someone ripped off the cloth over my eyes. My wrists were bound behind a post at one end of the oval arena. Below me were eager crowds of desperate people with murderous gleams in their eyes, holding various bloody weapons and sizing me up like prey.

Gabriella cleared her throat, and the entire venue immediately fell silent. "We're raising the stakes for this final round. Whoever wins not only gets the 100-million-dollar grand prize but also gets to spend the night with Vance."

The eruption of cheers was like a tidal wave, shaking me to my core.

Freddie stepped forward and announced, "The rules are simple. Whoever slices that man's head off first wins!"

Only then did I notice the man tied up on the high platform at the other end of the field. His face was covered, but his white shirt was drenched in blood, and his body trembled weakly.

I recognized the shirt immediately. It was Cyril's.

My heart skipped a beat, and I struggled violently, my eyes wide in horror. However, my mouth had been stuffed with cloth, blocking off every scream.

Hannah, who was watching over me, warned me to stay quiet. She said, "It's too late to admit your mistake now. Gabriella has already decided to give you away as a prize as an apology to Mr. Morgan for today's farce."

With the sound of a whistle, the game began. I watched in despair as the bloodthirsty players scrambled up the platform, their blades randomly slashing hundreds of cuts across Cyril's body.

Before long, blood poured from the platform like a waterfall, staining everything crimson as the metallic smell filled the entire venue.

I desperately looked toward Gabriella, hoping she would quickly realize that the man tied on the platform was the one she'd known since childhood and married.

However, Freddie was so excited that he could barely contain himself. He passionately kissed Gabriella and exclaimed, "Ms. Rutherfurd, I've had such a wonderful time this holiday. Thank you for spending it with me!"

Gabriella leaned lovingly against the man's shoulder and took his hand. "A man as wonderful as you deserves the whole world."

From beginning to end, she only focused on Freddie's emotions and never once looked toward the platform.

"The winner is Contestant 461!" With the cold, mechanical announcement, a severed head rolled down from the platform and landed at Gabriella's feet.

The blood-soaked cloth that once covered the face had already been torn off during the struggle, revealing a pale, lifeless face that was all too familiar.