A Decade of Love, Exchanged for My Ruin

"Doctor, make it look like the kidnappers disfigured him and broke his legs. Once the surgery is done, take the money and disappear."

As Abigail Hunley spoke to the doctor, her cool fingertips brushed across my cheek.

It was as if she felt regretful and had a lingering attachment. This would be the last time she ever touched the perfect face that she had once obsessively loved.

I fought to keep my body from trembling. I couldn't let her discover that I'd already woken up.

The doctor sighed and said, "Ms. Hunley, the kidnappers tortured Mr. Carmack for three days and three nights. The fact that he's still alive is already a miracle. If you put him through something like this, will he even survive it?"

Abigail let out a bitter laugh and looked up at the doctor. "I don't have a choice. You don't understand. My first love, Noah Jenner, came back. Lorne's face is too perfect. Back then, Noah thought I had married someone else because of the birthmark on his face.

"He harmed himself countless times and even nearly got himself killed. Now that he's back in the country, he might try to kill himself again if he sees Lorne's perfect face. He saved my life once. I can't repay kindness with cruelty."

Hearing those words, the searing pain throughout my body and in my chest became so intense that I nearly passed out.

Even now, Abigail still didn't know that I was the one who had saved her back then. It wasn't Noah!

That incident had become a lasting trauma for Abigail. So, I'd never brought it up, nor had I ever wanted to.

The doctor looked at me with pity. "Ms. Hunley, I don't think Mr. Carmack would fight with Mr. Jenner over you. Why not divorce him and let him live—"

Before he could finish, Abigail cut him off coldly. "Lorne is the man I love the most. In this lifetime, whether he lives or dies, he must belong to me! Go prepare for the surgery. As long as he can't see, he won't realize he's been disfigured."

The doctor nodded helplessly.

The next second, Abigail's phone suddenly rang. She glanced at the caller ID, and the icy look on her face melted away in an instant. She put on a tender expression that I'd never seen before.

As Abigail walked away, she didn't even notice that I'd seen her chat window.

The message was from Noah.

"It's all my fault. I insisted that you come with me to the hot spring trip. I had no idea Lorne had been kidnapped."

My heart instantly sank to the bottom of my stomach.

Three days earlier, the kidnappers had messaged Abigail, but she'd never responded. At the time, I'd thought the ransom was so enormous that she'd been scrambling to gather the money and couldn't reply.

So, no matter how the kidnappers beat and kicked me, I gritted my teeth and held on. I believed Abigail would definitely come and save me.

I never imagined that while I was living through hell for those three days, she was enjoying the hot springs with Noah.

The operation preparations were soon complete.

The moment the surgical light shone down on me, I suddenly opened my eyes.

Ignoring the doctor's panicked expression, I used the last of my strength to say, "If you have even a shred of ethics left, call the police for me. Or help me contact…"

But the anesthesia had already begun to cloud my mind. My hand, which had been gripping the doctor's arm tightly, went limp and dropped abruptly.

When I woke up again, I immediately tried to move my legs.

There was no response at all.