Everyone in Eimport knew Ethan as a ruthless tycoon. Yet this same man humbly loved me. When his enemies kidnapped me for revenge, he charged bare-handed into an inferno so fierce even firefighters hesitated. I was unconscious but unscathed, while Ethan's right arm bore grotesque burns that would never fully heal. Unbothered, he even declared to the world that these scars were proof of our love. I was touched and browsed positions for couples online while he worked late. But everything shattered when I stumbled onto a video. The man's face was blurred, but the scar snaking up his wrist was unmistakable. The woman trapped in his gilded cage bore a striking resemblance to me. My heart hammered, torn between terror and devastation. That very night, I decided to leave and not ever see him again.
Lihat lebih banyakI never expected to have a chance to open my eyes again.The white ceiling loomed before me, as if everything were just a fleeting dream. The soft beeping of the machines echoed around me at regular intervals.The door opened. A doctor stepped in, a look of surprise and relief on his face. "Ms. Melton, you're finally awake. The surgery was a success, and there are no signs of rejection so far."'Surgery... Rejection?' I instinctively touched my chest.The anesthesia must still be wearing off as I felt no pain, but the stitches were unmistakable.What Ethan had said before I passed out flashed across my mind. I shot up in bed, panic rising within me.The doctor rushed over and tried to push me back down. I struggled, ignoring his desperate attempts to stop me. In a panic, he pressed the emergency call button, and soon, a whole team of doctors and nurses rushed in, holding me down.They injected me with a sedative. Slowly, my emotions began to settle, but a deep ache throbbed in
Chiara's face, pale as the sheet from years without sunlight, had lips as red as blood. She looked as terrifying as she always had.I remembered the first time I'd asked her if she wanted to leave. She had innocently asked back just like this.An odd term popped into my mind—Stockholm Syndrome.After spending seven years in the basement, she had likely grown to love the twisted affection that came from it.My teeth chattered. These two people were both insane.I had once hoped that if she managed to escape, she might come back to rescue me. Now my last hope was dashed.My heart felt as cold as ashes, and my hand dropped slowly at my side.Suddenly, a cold glint caught my eyes. I instinctively raised my hand to shield them, but an intense pain spread from my chest.A dagger was driven deep into my chest. Chiara twisted it cruelly, and I could feel my heart being torn apart.The pain surged like an overwhelming tide, making it hard to breathe."Die, you bitch. Don't even think
Ethan's expression twisted in agony.He dropped to his knees. Just like the day he proposed, his entire body tensed with anxiety."You've got it all wrong. Chiara was the substitute," he explained. "I love you. I love you so much that I've lost my mind. I wanted to chain you to me and break your limbs so you couldn't leave me. But I couldn't bear to see you in pain or tears, so I locked Chiara away and tortured her in your place. Everything I said to her was meant for you."His explanation didn't make any of this right. If anything, his desperate form only filled me with deeper dread."A month ago, when you went out drinking with that guy from your company, I lost control and broke Chiara's leg. But I would never do that to you. Forgive me, please," he added.A wave of nausea rolled through me. My voice shook. "That was our marketing director. I was out with him for a client dinner. I told you about it. Afterward, he got into a car accident and quit his job. Were you behind that?"
[I'm sorry, we have to prioritize our safety.]No matter how many messages I fired back, the other end stayed silent.I wanted to scream, but there was no time. I rushed back into the house and started packing up.If Ethan found me, the consequences would be unimaginable.The tour bus to the station was my only way out, but the moment I stepped on it, I felt predatory gazes from a group of people.I clutched my bag tighter, shrinking into my seat. As the bus neared its final stop, they struck.Hands grabbed at me from every direction, tearing at my bag, my clothes, and even the cheap gold-plated earrings I wore.Blood trickled down my neck, staining my collar. A gun barrel pressed against my forehead.I regretted it immensely. I should have escaped under the cover of the night, when no one was around.A large hand, carrying an unpleasant odor, reached toward me. I wanted to dodge, but there was nowhere to run. I could only squeeze my eyes shut and brace for the worst.Suddenl
Chiara crumpled to the floor and sobbed dramatically. Yet no comforting words came from Ethan.His mind had spiraled into a whirlpool of memories."I wish I could break your legs so you'd never leave me.""Don't cry. It hurts me to see you like this.""Can't you only have eyes for me? If you look at another man again, I'll gouge them out.""Do you know how much I want to make you cry like this?"But those words had never been meant for Chiara. They were for Clara Melton, the woman who had been his everything.Chiara was just a stand-in. Yet she had the audacity to act like she was his true love and confront me with her lies.Ethan unleashed his fury on Chiara. She screamed, but it couldn't evoke any sympathy.To him, she was nothing more than an object.I had been his partner through thick and thin, the one who had endured so much for him.He had never dared to hurt me, but yearning and jealousy festering inside him had twisted into something dark.So, he found Chiara, a gi
The car sped through the night, and I quickly boarded the ship.I didn't breathe easy until the horn blared and the coastline vanished into the horizon.Finally, I ran away from that lunatic. But my mind kept circling back to the handcuffs Ethan had carried all day.'Did he plan to chain me too?' I wondered.The image of Chiara's broken body flashed before my eyes, and I shivered.Ethan might love her, but his love was twisted. Just because he got jealous, he had brutally broken her leg.The sight of the bruises on her body had blown my mind in that basement. His possessiveness was extreme, as if he wanted to carve his presence into every inch of her.The salty sea breeze tangled my hair, pulling me from the memory.Seven days and eight nights on the open ocean finally brought me to Noswood.The operations team worked miracles, giving me a new name, a new identity, and a fresh start.I immersed myself in work, watching the aurora together with my colleagues.Everything felt
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