Chapter 2

Ever since Luke came into Sandy's life, I couldn't do anything right in her eyes.

Luke was lazy and not particularly bright. I caught him red-handed when he tried to plagiarize my experimental data for his thesis. However, Sandy accused me of being unnecessarily harsh.

When Sandy took Luke home with her and he broke our wedding photo, she blamed me for not putting it away properly.

Even when I was too busy to buy Luke a birthday present and send him money with my birthday wishes instead, Sandy accused me of humiliating him.

Every time I gave in, all I got in return was even more blatant favoritism toward Luke.

It wasn't until this very moment, when Sandy was genuinely trying to drive me to my death, that I finally came to my senses.

I struggled frantically to break free, but the ropes held my hands firmly bound. No matter how hard I fought, my efforts were futile.

Seeing the terror in my eyes grow more intense, Sandy ushered Luke back into the vehicle. A wave of cool air drifted over, carrying the sickly-sweet scent of watermelon.

My throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire, and even swallowing hurt.

Consumed by rage, I roared at the camera, "Hurry up!"

The viewers in the livestream thought I had lost my mind.

"Who's he talking to? Has he been bullied so badly that he's lost his mind?"

"This is the middle of nowhere. Who does he think is going to come to his rescue?"

Sandy and Luke exchanged a smile. Then, she shook her head and said, "Still refusing to back down, huh? Drive! I can't wait any longer. I'd love to see if anyone actually comes all the way out to this godforsaken place to save you."

Luke put on another display of kindness, his face full of concern.

"Are you sure Clifford can do it? What if something happens to him?"

Sandy wrapped an arm around him and led him back to the vehicle.

"Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing," she said soothingly.

The next second, the motorcycle roared to life and shot forward, kicking up a cloud of sand.

I stumbled violently forward. My ankle was already throbbing from Luke's kick, and now the pain was even more unbearable.

But how could someone outrun a motorcycle?

I was dragged across the sand. The skin on my knees, abdomen, and back was torn raw. Scorching sand stuck to my exposed flesh. The blood dried almost as soon as it seeped out, forming a hard scab that was scraped open again and again.

The agony was so intense that it felt as though my insides had been violently displaced.

Sandy drove behind us, her mocking laughter and taunts never ceasing.

"Clifford, you look just like a dog now! Look at you! You're absolutely pathetic!"

Luke kept talking too. "Clifford, how are you holding up?"

It was unbearably hot.

I gritted my teeth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Sweat flooded my eyes.

From inside the vehicle, Sandy continued taunting me through a megaphone.

"Run! Why did you stop running? Remember, this is what happens when you refuse to obey me. This is just a little lesson."

Some viewers in the livestream had even started sending gifts.

"I bet Clifford won't last another five minutes."

"He's covered in blood. How disgusting!"

"No wonder Sandy doesn't like Clifford. Just looking at him is enough to make anyone sick."

I fixed my gaze on the off-road vehicle, unable to tell how many miles I had been dragged.

Sand poured into my mouth, my nose, and my wounds. Even the wind felt like knives slicing through my skin.

A dark red trail of blood stretched across the sand behind me, and it wasn't long before the blazing sun turned it black.

Sandy fell silent for a moment at the sight of my sorry state, then ordered the motorcycle to stop.

Holding a bottle of water that was still beaded with condensation, Luke hurriedly leaned out of the off-road vehicle's window.

"Clifford, why don't you just apologize? As long as you admit you were wrong to Sandy and me, you won't have to suffer anymore," he said, his voice dripping with pity.

I gritted my teeth against the pain. Even though my voice was hoarse, every word came out crystal clear.

"I didn't do anything wrong!"

Luke retreated into the vehicle with a wounded expression. He then squeezed out a few tears and said, "Sandy, I really didn't mean to interrupt your honeymoon.

"When is Clifford ever going to forgive me? I know I shouldn't have kept clinging to you, but I'm really scared to be here all alone in a place where I don't know anyone. Maybe I should just suffer alongside Clifford."

The comments in the livestream grew even more heated.

"Can't a grown man be any less petty?"

"Clifford would rather suffer than swallow his pride! Look how miserable Luke is."

"The person above must have a cuckold fetish. If someone told you to bow your head and apologize to your partner's sidepiece, would you do it?"

Sandy immediately blocked the last commenter.

Through the vehicle window, she shouted something else at me. But I could no longer make out her words.

The blazing sun seared my wounds, sending waves of burning pain through my body. My throat was so dry it felt like it was about to catch fire.

As my consciousness faded, I couldn't help wondering whether the distress signal from my necklace would get through.