“I didn’t actually go through with the treatment.” Mrs. Perez felt a deep wave of regret. She had schemed and plotted, yet, in the end, she had outsmarted herself. If she had known it would come to this, she never would have gone down this road.“But it’s all clearly documented in your medical record.”“I didn’t take the medication, and I poured out the IV fluids,” Mrs. Perez confessed, regretting every word as she spoke.The doctor could only look at her, baffled. “If you don’t want treatment, then just go home and save the money. Young people today work hard to earn a living, and it’s embarrassing for our hospital if this gets out.”“No, no! I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll fully cooperate with treatment from now on.” Mrs. Perez was suddenly willing to comply, all traces of defiance gone.Despite her tough talk about dying, the ones who talk about it the most are often the ones most afraid of it. She genuinely wanted to live. Life was good now, with no financial worries, and excep
“Her condition is very severe. Even if she undergoes surgery now, she’ll most likely be bedridden for the rest of her life.” When it came to his mother, Quincy could only think, “she brought this on herself”.In the beginning, Lydia had treated her so well, always considerate and caring, visiting her regularly and even making various nutritious soups. If his mother hadn’t created so much trouble, the family would be happy together, eagerly awaiting the arrival of a new life. But life would not work on “what ifs”; only actions and consequences.Lydia was silent for a long time. “How did it come to this?”Back when they were still married, Mrs. Perez’s health had seemed fine. She looked perfectly healthy. How did things deteriorate so quickly?“She’s been faking her illness for ages, but now she’s genuinely sick, and her condition has worsened fast. She’s missed the best treatment window,” Quincy explained briefly.Lydia nearly blurted out “serves her right,” but held her tongue,
“Then maybe it’s best to just end this cleanly from the start,” Mrs. Fay said, standing firmly on her daughter’s side. “Go on, I’ll transfer the money directly to your account. These items are too heavy for one person to carry, so I’ll have a bodyguard help you out.”Hearing the word “bodyguard” made Eugene feel even more bitter. She was subtly warning him that if he tried anything, there were bodyguards ready to step in and throw him out.He gave Lydia one last look. “Then, I’ll go. Lydia, take care of yourself.”“She’d better stay home as much as possible. If not…” he thought. Of course, he didn’t say this out loud. He had followed her before, and he planned to continue. When the right moment came, he would take her away by force if necessary. Once intimate photos of them together made it online, Mr. and Mrs. Fay wouldn’t have much choice but to reluctantly accept him as their son-in-law. Society was always harder on women than men. Unless her parents truly didn’t care about
Lydia looked outside. The once-bustling street was now eerily quiet. It was rush hour. Vendors should have been seizing the moment to rake in profits, not closing shop all at once. The only explanation? Eugene had orchestrated it all.“You’re truly despicable,” Lydia’s disgust deepened.Eugene, far from being ashamed, looked proud. “Thanks for the compliment. I paid each vendor two thousand dollars to clear out. Now, you have two options: willingly be with me, or be forced to.”One way or another, he was determined to have Lydia.Lydia’s hand moved to her bag’s zipper as she scoffed. “I’m not choosing either.”She was human, not about to be treated like a captive animal. Eyeing her chance, she began to unzip her bag to retrieve her pepper spray, but Eugene moved in, wrapping his arms around her from the side.He buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply. “Mmm, you smell amazing, my dear. You’re getting your divorce next week, right? How about you marry me on the same day?”
Quincy didn’t bother looking back. His fury poured into every punch aimed at Eugene’s face. “If you have a problem with me, fine. But why hurt Lydia? Are you even a man?”A man’s fists should be used to protect women, not to terrorize them.He had originally planned to follow Lydia for a few days, observe Eugene, and see if Eugene was truly someone who could make her happy. If so, Quincy was willing to step back. But now, seeing what Eugene had done, he realized just how wrong he had been. If he hadn’t arrived in time, Lydia would have been at Eugene’s mercy. No amount of punches felt like enough.After watching for a moment, Lydia finally called his name. “Quincy, step aside.”Eugene looked up suddenly. Blood was already trickling from the corner of Eugene's mouth, but he managed a smug smile at Quincy. “See? To Lydia, I’ll always matter more than you. If you know what’s good for you, back off. This is just a little *marital fun* between us.”Quincy couldn’t hold back a curse.
“Alright.” Right now, Quincy didn’t even care what Lydia was saying. Whatever she told him, he would simply follow it. She was always right in his eyes.Seeing him like this, Lydia was momentarily reminded of when they had first fallen in love. Back then, when they had just begun dating, Quincy would look at her with the same silly smile every day. She once asked him what made him so happy, and he would only replied, “As long as you’re by my side, nothing else matters.”But now, they would not be seeing each other anymore. The child in her belly would have her love, her parents’ love, but would never know a father’s love.“Lydia, do you resent me for following you?” Quincy asked, breaking the silence. “I know you don’t want to see me, but I was genuinely afraid something might happen to you, worried he wasn’t a good person, so I followed you.”“No,” Lydia shook her head.“No? You don’t resent me, or…?”“I don’t mind seeing you,” Lydia interrupted him. “We loved each other deepl
Lydia continued to reassure her parents, “I’m really fine. Quincy showed up just in time and saved me. Plus, I had pepper spray in my bag, and it worked like a charm. One spray and he was down.”Eugene was still unconscious.“How’s Quincy doing now?” Mr. Fay asked, wanting to go in and see him.Lydia led them into the hospital room where Quincy was having his wounds treated. When he saw them enter, he quickly stood to greet them.“Sit down and let them finish tending to your injuries,” Mr. Fay said, feeling a mix of emotions. He had never been pleased with Quincy as a son-in-law. Especially during the divorce proceedings, he had wished Quincy would disappear from their lives for good. But after today, seeing how Quincy had risked himself to save Lydia, Mr. Fay found himself warming up to him.Mrs. Fay felt the same way. She approached Quincy, examining his wounds closely, then told the doctor, “Use the best treatment to avoid any scarring.”The doctor nodded.She wanted to say
At the police station, Lydia saw Eugene once more. When he caught sight of her standing with Quincy, his eyes turned red with rage, and he tried to charge at them, only to be stopped by the officers.“Lydia, how could you betray me?” he shouted furiously. “You two are already divorced. Are you really planning to get back together? Why would you hurt me like this?”To anyone unaware of the situation, he might have sounded heartbreakingly sincere, as if Lydia had wronged him.“Let’s be clear,” Lydia replied coldly, “we were just friends, never anything more. And for the record, Quincy and I haven’t finalized our divorce. Even if we did divorce and chose to remarry, that’s none of your business. My life choices are my own.”Just because Eugene had feelings for her didn’t mean she was obligated to reciprocate. What did he expect? That she would stick around just for him until he decided he was done with her?“Lydia, I won’t allow you two to be together,” he said, seething. “He’s not
Yelena quickly lowered her arm, letting her sleeve fall over the mark to cover it. “It’s nothing. Here’s your cocktail. Please enjoy.” “Yelena.” Hunter grabbed her wrist without warning. He pulled up her sleeve, revealing the deep, ugly scars on her arm. His brows knitted together instantly. “Who did this to you?” The force behind it was brutal—downright inhuman. Yelena remained silent. Who else could have done this besides Liam? But she had agreed to this. She had willingly accepted Hunter’s request and entered Liam’s world. She had no right to complain. Her silence gave Hunter all the confirmation he needed. “Liam did this to you, didn’t he?” Yelena nodded. “It’s nothing. The wounds have already started healing. They look worse than they feel. Give it some time, and they’ll fade.” “Wait here.” Hunter stood abruptly and walked away. Yelena had no idea what he was doing, but since he told her to wait, she didn’t argue. A few minu
Then again, it made sense. How could a normal person possibly empathize with a lunatic? If Yelena could understand Liam, that would make her just as twisted. *For the next few days, Yelena stayed home to recover. During that time, Liam came back a few times, bringing her flowers and food. Like a child showing off a treasure, he placed the food in front of her. “Yelena, these are your favorite honey crullers. I got them fresh from the bakery. Try them and see if you like them.” “I’m not really hungry.” She didn’t want to eat anything he gave her. She couldn’t even stand looking at him. But she had made a promise. So, she had to force herself to stay. Liam’s expression darkened. “Are you really not hungry, or do you just not want to eat what I give you?” For someone like him, once he had lost his temper once, the second time would only come faster and smoother. With a heavy thud, he slammed the honey crullers onto the table. “Yes, I hit y
If Liam had been a normal person, Hunter never would have sent her here in the first place. But of course, Yelena could only think that. She wasn’t suicidal enough to say it out loud. Instead, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “I was really just messaging an old classmate. If you don’t believe me, go ahead—check my phone.” She wasn’t worried. Whenever she contacted Hunter, she deleted each message immediately. She had even forged an entire fake conversation just in case Liam ever got suspicious. So, no matter how thoroughly he checked, there would be nothing for him to find. Liam narrowed his eyes. “Is that so? Then why do I still feel like you’re lying? Women like you—nothing but liars, every last one of you.” Then, he struck her again. Yelena screamed. The pain was relentless, merciless. She had no idea how long it lasted—only that by the time he finally stopped, she was barely breathing. Her body slumped against the floor
Suddenly, footsteps sounded behind Yelena. She spun around, her heart hammering in her chest. Liam was walking toward her, a faint smile on his lips—but the coldness in his eyes told a different story. Memories of his past cruelty flashed through her mind, sending a shudder down her spine. She forced herself to stay calm. “Who are you messaging?” He was getting closer. So close that when he finally stopped, they were nearly pressed against each other. Then, without warning, his fingers clamped around her chin, gripping tighter and tighter. Pain shot through her jaw, and Yelena winced. “No one. Just an old classmate. I ran into her a few days ago while I was out.” “Oh? Is that so?” Liam’s voice softened, almost gentle. To anyone watching, he might have seemed like a kind, easygoing man. But Yelena knew better. He would never let her off that easily. And sure enough— In the next second, he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her hea
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.“Haven’t I been just fine lately?“Or do you think my hand isn’t injured enough? If that’s the case, go ahead—do it yourself. “You already know I wouldn’t fight back no matter what.” Without warning, Yelena stretched out her injured hand, an act that instantly enraged Liam. “What the hell is wrong with you?” He snapped. “I was just making a casual remark. Is that really what you think of me? I already told you—I’m not going to lay a hand on you.“It wasn’t intentional before, and you know it. We both do. Stop acting like you’re above all this when we both know who sent you here.” Yelena felt a pang of sadness. They had spent so much time together, yet this was how he treated her—always choosing to hurt her. “I know—I wasn’t someone you chose, and none of this was intentional. But after all this time we've spent together...“I thought maybe I was a little different to you. But I guess I was wrong. Nothing has changed at all.
“Why do you even care about what happens to other people? Haven’t I made myself clear enough already?“Whose card is this—yours or mine?” His assistant immediately apologized upon hearing Caleb’s tone. “I hope you won’t hold this against me. I really wasn’t thinking clearly at the time—I should have considered this more carefully.” Caleb didn’t bother responding. After hanging up, he focused entirely on investigating Vera’s brother. *Meanwhile, Vera was deeply worried. If things had been somewhat under control before, now they were completely off track. The situation on both sides was far more complicated than she had anticipated. “Don’t worry. That’s exactly how it is. If you don’t want to go in person, I can go for you—but it won’t be cheap,” the private investigator said.Since Caleb had warned her about the private investigator, Vera started testing him, probing for inconsistencies. And sure enough, his story had too many holes. “Why are you so sure my b
As Caleb spoke, he looked at Vera with a hint of helplessness. After all, her hand had been injured because of Luna. “Don’t feel guilty about this. Honestly, it’s nothing to me.“And I’m not the type to carry burdens over things like this.“Besides, it’s been so long. If this had happened back then, I might have cared. But now? I just don’t think it matters anymore.” Vera’s voice was steady and sincere. But Caleb’s expression darkened. “Why would you say that? Why do you think it doesn’t matter? Do you really see me as just the same as everyone else?” For some reason, at this moment, Caleb took it personally. Vera couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course not. You’re different from the rest—so obviously, I wouldn’t see it the same way.“You’ve helped me so much. The least I can do is acknowledge that, instead of stubbornly nitpicking about what’s right or wrong, don’t you think?“Besides, whatever happened between you and Luna, that’s none of my business. It’s in
“I didn’t mean to just now. Besides, you’ve been acting all sneaky lately—so really, who else is to blame?” Seeing Yelena in tears, Liam, who had been furious just moments ago, felt a small pang of guilt. He was never good at expressing emotions. But watching her like this made him a little uncomfortable. “Go get your hand treated. Otherwise, people who don’t know any better might think I’ve been abusing you.” With that, he turned and walked away. Yelena watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit helpless. This wasn’t something she could decide on her own. Installing surveillance? It wasn’t as easy as it sounded. Liam was naturally suspicious. If he caught wind of it, the consequences would be disastrous. But she had no choice. She had a mission to complete, and there was more at stake than just this moment. Letting out a deep sigh, she finally decided to head to a clinic to get her hand treated. *“What happened to you? That’s a serious injury. You
And just like that, the conversation fell into a brief silence. Meanwhile, on the other side, Hunter received a call from Yelena. “What did you just say?” Yelena told him that her hand was broken, and on top of that, Liam seemed to be getting suspicious. She wasn’t sure what to do, so she called Hunter for advice. “I don’t really care what happens to you, but at the very least, take care of yourself.“Otherwise, if something else goes wrong later, I’ll have to step in and clean up the mess. Don’t you think so?” Hearing this, Yelena was a little taken aback. “It’s not just about my injury. The real problem is, I’m scared of what he might do now.” Sure, she had taken the two hundred thousand dollars, but she had to stay alive to spend it. At this rate, she wouldn’t even make it through in one piece. “I already told you—protect yourself. If you need anything else, I’ll try to provide it. But right now, I need you to do something for me.” Hunter had been look