Chapter 1

“Vixen! Thought you could hide from us?”

They dragged me out of the basement as easily as if they were hauling away a discarded rag. Then, they hit me with a metal pipe, and I heard the sickening thud of metal striking my bone.

“This woman sure is stubborn. We bent the pipe from hitting her, and she still hasn't made a sound!”

They laughed, their eyes gleaming with excitement. Following that, a burst of agony shot through my left hand. The pain was so unbearable that a muffled groan finally escaped my lips.

One of the thugs raised a bloodstained knife and tossed aside the finger he had just severed.

He said excitedly, “Heh. She finally cried out in pain. Now this is satisfying.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and bit down hard on my lip. My face was deathly pale, and I no longer had the strength to make a sound.

“Hah, it looks like she's challenging us.”

One of them pulled out a red-hot iron rod and waved it in front of me.

“I’d like to see how you stay quiet after this.”

When the glowing metal slammed into my chest, a scream tore from my throat, and the men looked thoroughly pleased.

“Oh my God, listen to that scream! Get over here and look at this!”

“I can't watch…” Lucien's voice sounded from the connection. There was pain in his tone, yet it was mixed with something cruel. “It'll be over soon. As soon as they throw her into the chemical pool, I'll enter the storyline and save her.”

“That's a toxic chemical tank! She could die in there, Lucien! I think this has gone far enough. The story’s mission doesn't necessarily require her to suffer through every single torture scene–”

“No!” Lucien cut his friend off immediately. “I have to make sure the entire storyline plays out exactly as written. If the mission doesn’t go as planned, then Emily will be the one forced to suffer all of this instead, and she'll die. Olivia is the protagonist. The story will protect her. As long as I show up in time, she'll be fine.”

His friend sounded confused. “If you care so much about Emily, why did you marry Olivia in the first place? Why didn’t you be with Emily and protect her instead?”

“I love Olivia. She's the only woman I've ever loved. As for Emily, I’ve failed her once, and I can't let her die because of me.”

Lucien let out a sigh. He sounded so guilty and helpless.

Lying in a pool of my own blood, I laughed until tears spilled from my eyes. He said he felt guilty, so he forced a fate that was never mine onto me. He said he loved me, yet he was the one who sent me to hell. He said he couldn't bear to fail Emily again, so was that why he chose to fail me instead?

Splash.

The stench of chemicals flooded my nose. The corrosive liquid burned my skin and every open wound. However, I didn't struggle. I floated in the dark, foul-smelling pool like a dead fish.

“Just two more minutes.” Lucien's voice trembled, as though he were trying to convince himself. “As soon as the storyline is complete, I'll pull Olivia out.”

A warm stream flowed from my body, and the water around me slowly turned red. With my consciousness fading, I could no longer tell whether the voices I heard belonged to the other world or the thugs surrounding me.

“Oh my God! Why is she bleeding like that? Wait… is she pregnant?”

“Lucien! Stop waiting! Your wife is miscarrying in that pool! Go save her!”

In my haze, I felt someone pull me into their arms.

Then, I heard Lucien's voice, thick with tears. “Olivia, it's okay now. You're safe. I'll heal your hand and your injuries. We can have another child. Once the mission is complete, I'll stay in this world forever. I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you by loving you.”

Love? Make it up to me?

I didn't want either of that anymore—not his love, his guilty conscience, or his promises.

A tear slipped silently from the corner of my eye. Then, I lost consciousness.