Stephanie was hospitalized for two weeks, and Jacob stayed by her side the entire time.

During those two weeks, Lindsey packed up her luggage and moved out of the villa that had imprisoned her for five years. She rented a small apartment with the little savings she had left and returned to work at the bar where she used to have a part-time job.

She had to endure these last two weeks before she could officially return to the National Institute of Research. However, she hadn't expected to run into Jacob again so soon.

To celebrate Stephanie's discharge, he booked out the entire bar and invited all the rich young scions of Janderville for a party all night long. The lights in the bar were dim, and the music boomed as loud as thunder.

Meanwhile, Jacob took great care of Stephanie the whole time. His friends surrounded her and fussed over her as well.

Lindsey didn't want to be involved with any of them, so she texted her boss to request leave.

However, Stephanie called out to her just as she was about to leave, "Lindsey, you've done such horrible things to me, yet you don't even have a single word of apology? Now you're trying to run away too?"

Her teary eyes aroused the pity of everyone who saw her, but Lindsey merely cast her a cold glance. "I'll say it one more time. I didn't do any of those things. If you keep spreading lies, I'll sue you for defamation."

With that, Lindsey turned to leave. However, Jacob ordered his bodyguards to block her path.

A glass of strong liquor was dumped all over Lindsey's head, and a wave of humiliation overwhelmed her like never before.

The loud, jarring music was cut off instantly. The group of wild partygoers fell silent at that moment and stared at her gloatingly.

Jacob sneered. "Trying to run away after what you did? Lindsey, why haven't I ever realized what a vicious woman you really are? First, you hurt Grandpa. Now, you dared to lay a hand on Stephie. What's next? Planning to turn me into a puppet and keep me by your side forever?"

His face looked a little pale from days of exhaustion, but his gaze was locked onto Lindsey. His eyes were as sharp as a blade.

Lindsey felt mentally drained from repeating herself. "I've already told you. I didn't push Mr. Whitaker Senior, and I didn't hurt Stephanie either."

Nonetheless, Lindsey knew she sounded unconvincing and powerless even as the words came out of her mouth. The surveillance cameras were broken, human witnesses had been bribed, and Jacob was blinded by love.

She said, "I swear on my life that I didn't stab Stephanie. If I'm lying, I'm willing to be cursed with a terrible death. But Stephanie, do you dare to swear on your life? Do you dare swear that this whole thing wasn't an act you set up?"

"That's enough!" Jacob snapped and shielded Stephanie behind him. "Lindsey, you still show no remorse! Then, don't blame me for disregarding our past and teaching you a lesson about our family's values!"

Lindsey's legs buckled, and the bodyguards forced Lindsey to her knees in front of everyone. She struggled violently, but the threat of death filled her with fear.

Jacob took a leather whip from one of the bodyguards and approached her slowly. "Are you scared now? Did you ever think about how heartbroken Grandpa and Stephie were when you hurt them?"

With that, he swung the whip with a crack. The first blow landed square on her back.

Lindsey's body jerked violently like she had been electrocuted. The pain was so intense that she couldn't speak.

"Speak!" Jacob raised his voice, filled with fury. "Do you admit your mistake?"

"I won't…" Lindsey's voice was weak but stubborn.

Jacob laughed in exasperation and raised the whip again. "You won't? Do you think you could avoid responsibility just by refusing to admit your fault? You're a criminal, Lindsey!"

The sound of the cracking whip and the crowd's jeering laughter suffocated Lindsey, and she found it hard to breathe. But the more they crushed her, the more defiant she became.

Lindsey suddenly burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that tears appeared in her eyes. "I didn't do anything wrong! Why should I admit to something I didn't do? My biggest mistake in this life was getting involved with a beast like you! Jacob, you're the real heinous villain here!"

Stephanie furrowed her brow. "Lindsey, I won't let you insult Jacob like that—"

"And who do you think you are? Do you think you're any better?" Lindsey cut her off coldly, shouting like a madwoman. "You're just a pathetic parasite leeching onto others! What right do you have to order me around?"

Jacob was beside himself with anger. He cracked the whip and struck Lindsey's body ruthlessly.

"This is for Grandpa," he said after the first blow.

"This is punishment for daring to harm Stephie," he growled on the second blow.

And on the third blow, he shouted, "This one is a warning. Don't even dream of becoming the mistress of the Whitaker family!"

…

All 64 lashes seemed to land squarely on Lindsey's heart. A sweet, metallic taste rose in her throat. She spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted on the spot.

Lindsey found herself in a hospital room when she woke up once more. The television in the room was looping a live video of her being whipped. Her agonized screams of pain seemed to spur on their drunken revelry, and her bloodied back was doused repeatedly with liquor by malicious bystanders.

She lay there like a piece of ragged cloth, forgotten and discarded in a corner. Lindsey was finally saved when the bar owner came to check the place and found her barely alive.

There was no sorrow greater than a broken heart.

Despite her sadness, Lindsey couldn't even shed a tear.

Suddenly, a voice called out, "You're awake?"

The door to Lindsey's hospital room had opened at some point, and Stephanie strolled in leisurely. Her complexion was healthy and rosy. She didn't look at all like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.

Lindsey sneered, "The two weeks you spent at the hospital… It was all an act, right?"

"So what if it was?" she replied smugly. "Jacob would kill or die for me as long as I put on a pitiful act. Very soon, I'll be standing proudly by his side."

With that, she threw a plastic bag at Lindsey. Inside was the urn that held Jenny's ashes.

Lindsey felt as if her blood had frozen in her veins. She opened the urn with trembling hands, only to find it empty.

"What… What did you do? Where are my mother's ashes?"

Stephanie gleefully admired the devastated look on Lindsey's face. She said, "By the way, it was my suggestion to have the hospital stop your mother's treatment. See? Jacob could ruthlessly take the life of your closest family with just a single word from me. What else do you have to compare yourself to me?"

As if trying to flaunt Jacob's affection for her, Stephanie raised her left hand. A dazzling diamond ring sparkled on her ring finger.

Lindsey recognized it immediately. It was the pink diamond that Jacob had bought at an auction six months ago for 100 million dollars.

At that time, everyone thought that good news was on the horizon for both of them. The entire venue had erupted in cheers, urging Jacob to propose to her.

However, he retorted coldly, "It's not for her."

Stephanie gloated smugly, "Jacob said that I deserve all the rare treasures of the world, including him. Only I am worthy of a man like him!"

Lindsey couldn't hold back any longer. She raised her hand and slapped Stephanie across the face and grabbed her by the throat. "You're the one who killed my mother! You should die! Die!"

The desire to avenge her mother's death made Lindsey's eyes turn bloodshot. It was a stark contrast to the smug smile lingering on Stephanie's face.

Suddenly, a vase came crashing down on the back of Lindsey's head. Warm blood trickled down her forehead and onto the floor.

Jacob pushed Lindsey away and slapped her across the face without mercy. "You crazy woman!"

Lindsey's heart felt as if it were being crushed by an invisible hand. The pain in her chest was unbearable.

Crazy?

She could be crazier.

Consumed by hatred, Lindsey picked up a broken vase shard on the ground and lunged at Stephanie, aiming for the vital spot in her neck. However, Jacob gripped her wrists tightly and restrained her.

"Both of you killed my mother! You two deserve to die!" Lindsey screamed with reddened eyes.

Jacob finally noticed that something was wrong with her. He was utterly shocked when his gaze dropped to the urn in her arms. "What do you mean by that? Your mother…"

Past memories flashed in his mind and landed on something he had said a month ago, "Didn't she just have surgery last week? One less surgery won't kill her, right?"

Stephanie quickly interrupted his train of thought when she saw the shock and disbelief surfacing in Jacob's eyes.

She said, "Jacob, don't believe what she says! I saw her mother taking a walk outside the hospital two days ago. How could she suddenly be dead? Lindsey, how could you even lie about your mother's death to make Jacob feel sorry for you?"

Hearing this, the guilt in Jacob's eyes vanished immediately and was replaced with icy disdain. He ordered that Lindsey be thrown into a psychiatric hospital and gave explicit instructions for her to receive "special treatment".

On her first day at the psychiatric hospital, Lindsey broke a window and tried to escape. However, she was caught and beaten up.

On the second day, she was forcibly strapped to an operating table and had shock therapy without anesthesia.

Lindsey finally gave in on the third day and begged to see Jacob. However, she was greeted by a group of filthy beggars. They fixed their gazes on Lindsey the moment they entered the room, and sleazy grins spread across their faces.

"Sure enough, Mr. Whitaker was right. She looks really fine!"

Color drained from Lindsey's face. "Did Jacob send you?"

"Who else?" The beggars surrounded her and approached menacingly. "Mr. Whitaker said that we could enjoy your company tonight…"

Lindsey was seized by terror and backed away in fright, but the group descended on her like a pack of wolves. She kicked and struggled violently, but her terrified screams only seemed to excite them more.

Slaps rained down on her face. The group of beggars pinned her down and tore at her clothes violently. "Why are you still putting on an act? Those private videos of you and Mr. Whitaker are everywhere. Your moans sounded so lewd, and now you want to act all pure? Who would believe you?"

The blood in Lindsey's body rushed to her head in shock. She felt a heavy sense of impending doom.

Jacob had a hidden fetish that no one knew. He liked taking private videos whenever they made love.

Lindsey was overcome by shame when he brought out the camera for the first time. "Can we not record this?"

Jacob chuckled lazily and persuaded her in a gentle tone, "Just trust me. These will be our most precious memories."

Their wild and shameless acts were completely recorded on camera, from the bedroom, to the study, the bathroom, and even in his office.

But Lindsey had never imagined that one day, the so-called precious memories would become the very weapon he used to destroy her.

Just when she was about to give up on all hope, the door to her room was suddenly kicked open. Jacob stormed in like a monster from the inferno, fury and wrath burning in his eyes.

He grabbed one of the beggars by the collar and began raining heavy punches on his face. Loud wails and screams pierced the night as the room was filled with the stench of blood.

After all these years, Lindsey finally felt the warmth of Jacob's body temperature once more. She trembled involuntarily before everything went black, and she passed out in his arms.

Lindsey found herself lying on a bed in the villa when she woke up once more.

A shrill scream came from the living room. She struggled to get out of bed and opened a crack in the door. She saw Jacob sitting expressionlessly on the couch with the group of beggars kneeling before him.

There were wounds all over their body, and they were trembling in fear. They mumbled their pleas through bloodied mouths, "Please let us go!"

However, Jacob gave his verdict like a decisive judge. He ordered his bodyguards to break their arms and had their tongues cut out to keep them silent.

"She's not someone you're allowed to touch!" he declared.

Then, Jacob gave his bodyguards a signal before they dragged the beggars out.

This scene felt surreal to Lindsey, as if everything that had recently happened was nothing but a nightmare. But the searing pain nearly made her lose her balance. The injuries on her back had reopened, and she couldn't help but inhale sharply from the pain.

Jacob heard the sound and came into her room. His expression was unexpectedly gentle, but his words were still heartless and cruel.

"Stephie accidentally leaked those videos to the public. I've already had them deleted. Since you hadn't suffered any harm, just let it go and don't find fault with her."

He threw a waiver letter at Lindsey and ordered, "Sign this letter of waiver immediately and swear that you'll never use this matter against Stephie. I'll write off the 2.08 million you owe, and I'll also have the doctors give your mother the best care possible."

As if worried that she might misunderstand, Jacob added, "Don't overthink it. The one I love will always be Stephie. But owing to the fact that we were together for five years, you won't have to worry about food or clothing all your life."

Jacob exuded a sense of superiority while he said all this. He looked just like that day at the bar when she asked Richard for money.

Did he think of her as a beggar on the street? Someone who should be eternally grateful for any crumbs he threw her way?

Maybe she used to be like that back then. She could endure anything for her mother. But now, she had no weaknesses left.

Seeing that Lindsey wasn't responding, Jacob left the waiver letter behind before getting up to leave. "Send it to my office after you sign it."

Lindsey's heart was completely numb as she tore the letter to shreds with a mocking smile. After that, she called the police without hesitation and made a report against Stephanie's crimes.

At the stroke of midnight, Lindsey glanced at a calendar hanging on the wall and a grandfather clock in the corner. In ten more hours, she would be gone from this place forever.

Lindsey packed her luggage and took a hot shower. Before she left, she made one last stop at the cemetery. She buried the urn deep into the soil, paid her respects, and kneeled before Jenny's tombstone.

The emotions she had kept suppressed for so long flooded into her body, and her voice choked up with sobs. "Mom, I'm going to chase my real freedom now. I'm sure you'll be happy for me too if you can see me now, right?"

A firefly landed on her fingertip and fluttered its wings gently. The faint glow from its body lit up the photo on Jenny's tombstone. Her smile was as elegant and poised as ever, her eyes overflowing with warmth and gentleness.

Stephanie lay down by the grave and quietly gazed at her mother's face. It felt like the old times when Jenny used to comfort her softly. "Lindy, you're all grown up now. Why are you still crying like a child?"

…

Lindsey slept peacefully that night.

By the time she woke, sunlight had streamed into the room and spilled across the floor. Her future had finally arrived.

At that moment, her phone buzzed briefly. She received a wedding invitation from Stephanie and a text from the police station. "Ms. Johnson, your case has been accepted and is now under formal investigation."

A rare smile appeared on Lindsey's face. She deleted the digital wedding invitation quietly and blocked all channels of communication from Stephanie and Jacob.

Half an hour later, Lindsey boarded her flight. Her tensed nerves finally began to unwind once the plane soared above the clouds.

"I hope I never see you again, Jacob," she muttered. "From now on, I'm free to soar across the vast skies."