Chapter 5

Selena's mocking words rang in my ears. Each one shattered my heart.

Before long, Yale had carved dozens of cuts into my body. Not a single patch of healthy skin remained.

Cold sweat covered my body. Time after time, the agonizing pain pushed me to the edge of passing out. My throat was raw and hoarse from screaming until I couldn't make a sound anymore.

And Selena just stood there, cold and calm, completely blind to my agony.

The pain was so real and vivid. Why wouldn't she believe me?

Did she really think I was such a good actor? That a man who couldn't feel pain could fake suffering so convincingly?

Why would Selena choose to believe Yale, the man who had betrayed her, over the husband who had been by her side every day?

I looked into her eyes, which were filled with pain and madness.

Several memories flashed through my mind, each one filled with the happy moments we'd shared.

Selena used to smile so softly as she nestled in my arms. She would tell me she wanted to be with me and love me for the rest of our lives.

And now, that same woman was teaming up with another man to torture me.

How did everything go so wrong?

My heart went completely cold, sinking into a dark, bottomless abyss.

Just then, Yale suddenly pulled out something that left me paralyzed with fear.

Inside the glass jar, plump creatures twisted and writhed. They were leeches!

I froze, my heart lurching. What the hell was he going to do with those?

Yale leaned in close, a sinister smile spreading across his face.

"These leeches are a new strain we developed in the lab," he said with a purr. "They're far more bloodthirsty than anything in the wild."

He lifted the jar slightly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "How about we make him swallow them alive? Do you think they'll latch onto the inside of his throat? Haha!"

His wild, psychotic laugh echoed off the walls.

Was he out of his mind? Did he really want me to swallow those leeches alive?

Just imagining that disgusting scene made my face turn deathly pale. I nearly threw up.

But the next moment, Selena suddenly snatched the jar from Yale's hands.

"Wait," she said coldly.

Yale's expression darkened when he saw what she was doing.

"Selena, after everything Martin has done to hurt you, you're still taking his side?" he asked.

I stared up at her in shock. Had her conscience finally kicked in?

A tiny spark of hope flickered in my heart.

But the next moment, Selena shattered that foolish hope.

With a cold, sadistic smile, she opened the glass jar. She pulled out several of the repulsive creatures and dropped them directly onto my open wounds.

"Martin, I won't give you an easy death," she whispered. "For what you did to our baby and me, I'll make you pay for it a thousand times over!"

Even Yale froze for a moment, stunned by her cruelty. Then, he suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

"Selena, that's a brilliant idea! I've heard the pain of leeches gnawing through your flesh is just like the pain of a miscarriage."

His tone was almost playful, but his eyes gleamed with malice.

Selena snorted coldly and continued placing leech after leech into my bloody cuts.

Watching her continue without the slightest trace of mercy, I felt completely hopeless. The sensation of being eaten alive tore through me. I tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Did she really hate me that much? Or had she simply never loved me at all? How else could she be so cruel to me?

An agonizing wave of pain tore through my wounds, and I let out a muffled groan.

Catching the scent of blood, the leeches went wild. They squirmed into my open cuts like ravenous beasts, eager for the feast. I could feel their tiny, jagged suckers latching onto my exposed flesh and gnawing at it.

Every nerve ending in my body burned with agony. My whole body trembled uncontrollably as a layer of cold sweat broke across my forehead.

For years, I'd longed to feel pain like a normal human being. But I never imagined that one day I would experience such inhuman agony.

This was the first day I'd fully regained my ability to feel pain. Ironically, it might also be the last day of my life.

My consciousness began to fade. And yet, in this moment of unbearable pain, images of the old Selena flashed before my eyes.