Warning: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of torture and intense physical and emotional distress.Eulalia’s collarbone was exquisitely beautiful, a feature that the man seemed to relish destroying. Lying on a wooden plank, Eulalia was in such agony that death seemed preferable. She begged for death, but her pleas only intensified his brutality.Her speech was slurred due to an anesthetic injection; she couldn’t even utter a word, let alone bite off her tongue in defiance. The man tormented her to the brink of insanity, rendering the polygraph strapped to her head useless. He appeared lost in his cruel game until reminded by his subordinate.Regaining his composure, his eyes narrowed slightly. “Eulalia, answer my questions properly, and if I’m satisfied, I’ll let you go,” he stated.Eulalia, with half-closed eyes and teardrops clinging to her lashes, looked utterly defeated, her eyes devoid of any light. The man, holding a map, interrogated her: “Which direction did Percival
Warning: This chapter contains graphic descriptions of torture and intense physical and emotional distress.Eulalia was forcibly held aloft, her eyes widened as though being drawn upwards, incapable of closing. Her typically captivating pupils had turned blood-red, so intensely hued they appeared on the verge of bleeding.The bindings around her wrists were slackened, followed by those encircling her neck and ankles. The blood-drenched chains clattered to the ground.A scent reminiscent of rust pervaded the air. Eulalia reclined on a wooden plank, her breaths shallow. Her chest motionless; were her eyes not open, one might presume her deceased.The jagged object embedded in her collarbone remained unextracted. At the end of a slender chain dangled a silver hook, akin to a fish hook piercing through gills.Eulalia tumbled from the board to the earth, propelled by the man’s force. Prostrate, blood dripped from the corner of her mouth to the floor.“Summon the fool we apprehended two day
Vincent could do nothing but watch helplessly as steel needles pierced Eulalia’s nails during their torturous ordeal. His emotions gradually crumbled as he crawled forward, his back pressed down by a crushing force, repeatedly falling under the unbearable weight.“Kill me, please! Just kill me and spare Eula, please don’t do this to her...” His memories had only recently returned, with a 15-year gap. The most vivid memory he had was of Eulalia. He knew she was terrified of pain and couldn’t bear the sight of her fingers being pierced by steel needles, watching her nails crack and fall off amidst blood and flesh.The man glanced at Vincent with a mocking look, then turned to Eulalia, asking, “Shall we continue?” Eulalia, drenched in cold sweat from pain, seemed deaf to his words, tremblingly redialing a number on her phone.Still, no one answered. Eulalia’s hands were covered in blood; eventually, she lacked the strength to press the keys, and the man dialed for her. On the tenth call,
The doctor had seen countless patients and injuries, but never had he encountered someone as severely injured as Eulalia.Her wounds were so grave that they sent shivers down anyone′s spine. The person who did this to her would be insulted by being called an animal.After hearing the doctor’s words, Percival felt numb, as if cut off from the world, engulfed in darkness.Exhausted, the doctor continued, “I can’t imagine how she endured until now.”The doctor′s empathy was strong. When Eulalia was being treated in the ICU, every medical staff member furrowed their brows in concern.“Sir, I must tell you in advance, her ten fingers were filled with steel needles. Even if the wounds heal, she’ll be disabled,” the doctor said in an even tone, but the words struck Percival like a dagger.Percival, confused and distraught, asked, “Disabled? What do you mean?”“The nerves in her fingers are destroyed. She can live a normal life, but won′t be able to use her hands as before. Writing or typing
Percival stared at the screen, his heart sinking as he saw Eulalia’s stomach, twisted and overrun with cancer cells. The room fell into a haunting silence.“Is that Eulalia’s stomach?” he whispered, disbelief in his voice.The nurse’s words hit him like a barrage of arrows. “Sir, if you’re still in denial, thinking these medical records are forged, these images fake, ask yourself - have you not seen her in agonizing stomach pain, unable to sleep through the night?”“Have you not seen her vomit blood?!” the nurse pressed on, her voice growing more intense. “Have you not seen her faint from the pain and rushed to the hospital? Normal stomach issues don’t cause such suffering!”Each question was like a bomb exploding in Percival’s mind, sending shockwaves through his entire being. A cold shiver ran from his feet to the nape of his neck. He wanted to argue, to deny, but words failed him. His face, usually so composed, now betrayed a flicker of panic.No matter how much he didn’t want to b
“Stay with Mabel,” Percival’s voice was distant, devoid of the warmth Evadne so desperately sought. She could sense the chasm of coldness in his tone, a confusing contradiction to his actions. He had traded Eulalia’s life for hers, a gesture that should signify her importance to him. Yet, his aloofness since her return spoke a different language – one of indifference and detachment.A wave of hurt swelled within Evadne, her voice quivering with vulnerability. “Percy, won’t you spend even a moment longer with me?”“I’m needed at the hospital, for Eulalia,” Percival responded, his voice strained, betraying the burden he carried.“Eulalia... she’s alive?” Evadne’s words were laced with a mix of incredulity and a subtle hint of resentment. The idea that Eulalia had survived, despite the odds, gnawed at her.The silence on the phone was palpable, and Evadne, realizing her tone, quickly changed the subject. “How is she, really?”Percival, not keen on elaborating, answered tersely, “She’s st
Percival’s tone and expression showed unmistakable impatience.Evadne lifted her tear-stained face, “Percy, I know you’re blaming me. After all, Eulalia is in this state because she tried to save me. I feel so guilty, especially when I think of what I’ve done in the past. I’ve wronged Eulalia and caused her harm.”Hearing this, Percival’s expression darkened even more. In the past, he might have offered her some perfunctory comfort, but ever since Eulalia’s miscarriage a few months ago and after seeing those two surveillance videos, he realized Evadne’s quick to change faces and adept at acting.Whether her intentions were genuine or not, Percival no longer cared.He had traded Eulalia for Evadne’s life, and as far as he was concerned, they were now even.Evadne always played the innocent, while Eulalia, stubborn as she was, never backed down until she was deeply wronged, only then saying, “Percival, you never believe me.”The child who cries gets the candy. Eulalia wouldn’t shed a te
Eulalia’s condition remained precarious, teetering on the brink of danger one moment and in a vegetative state the next.A month had already passed with Percival stationed in the hospital, which had become his makeshift studio. He worked in quiet solitude while vigilantly caring for Eulalia, seizing every opportunity to speak with her.The doctor suggested that talking to her might stimulate her brain to awaken.Percival devoted copious amounts of time to Eulalia, playing her favorite violin music and massaging her. Due to her immobility, her muscles had atrophied, and even if she were to wake up, she wouldn’t function like before.He spent hours each day massaging her legs and moving her limbs to maintain some physical activity.The wounds on Eulalia’s fingers were slowly healing, leaving a tapestry of needle marks even after the bandages were removed, as if they would never fade.Her once delicate fingers had transformed, and Percival’s heart sank at the sight of her bare fingertips