Chapter 3

I blinked a few times, shifting my gaze toward an apple that had smashed to pieces on the floor.

Looking up at Ethan, I offered a submissive smile.

“You misunderstand,” I said. “I was merely preparing your breakfast. Please do not worry. A stab wound to the abdomen like this won’t kill me.”

Ethan looked visibly shaken by my words.

Just as he was about to ask me something else, Hudson called out to him, “Ethan…”

Ethan turned his head to look. When Hudson had wrestled the knife away from me earlier, he had accidentally pulled back my sleeve, exposing the inner side of my bare arm, which was covered in all sorts of hideous scars. Some wounds were so deep that it was obvious a great deal of force had been used to cut deep into the flesh. They were all marks of self-harm.

Faced with the panicked stares of the two men, I smiled apologetically.

“Did I disturb you both?” I asked. “I am so sorry. I will be quieter next time.”

Ethan and Hudson exchanged a tense look, remaining silent. Without a word, Ethan instructed a servant to take me back to my room and ensure that I got some rest.

The very next morning, Ethan woke me up. He looked as though he hadn’t slept a wink all night. The dark circles under his eyes were heavy, and his expression was unusually somber.

“Eva, I’m taking you to the private hospital on the fifth floor of the manor house. Hudson brought a team of specialists here. We need to give you a thorough physical exam.”

I was very obedient. I followed closely behind Hudson, going through one examination after another. From blood draws to ultrasounds and CT scans, the doctors meticulously examined the shocking scars covering my body, taking notes and photographs. There was also a gentle female doctor who sat directly across from me. In an incredibly soft tone, she asked me questions about my sleep, my appetite, my moods, and those deep scars.

I behaved perfectly. If I knew the answer, I answered. If I didn’t, I apologized. The matron had always taught me that apologizing on my knees showed the most sincerity. It was a shame that my legs were crippled now, so I could no longer be on my knees.

Once the checkup was over, the three of them gathered around a table to review my medical reports. I didn’t know what was written inside, but I watched as their faces grew paler and more grim by the second.

It wasn’t until the numbers floating before my eyes ticked down to “25 hours, 18 minutes, 3 seconds” that Ethan finally set the paperwork down and walked over to me.

His voice was incredibly gentle, as if he was terrified of startling me. “Eva, the doctors say you have a weak constitution and need proper recovery. Those wounds… the doctors have looked at them too. They are pretty serious, and it will take time and patience to heal them. Don’t be afraid. Here, no one will ever hurt you again. I will hire the best doctors and use the finest medicine for your recovery. We will heal all of this.”

I raised my hand and pointed a finger directly at him. Instinctively, I wanted to say that they were the ones who would hurt me here. However, Ethan misunderstood my gesture. He gently caught my fingertips, drawing my hand against his chest.

“Don’t be afraid. Eva, we won’t hurt you.”

Listening to him, I found it both absurd and bizarre. Those three years, those endless days and nights where I lived a life worse than death… Wasn’t it all of them, together, who inflicted that torment upon me?

When we returned to the living room, Vanessa had brought her young son, Sonny, back. She had clearly caught wind of my situation. Stepping forward, she immediately pushed the little boy into my arms, offering me a comforting smile.

“Eva, I heard you haven’t been feeling well lately. Here, let the little one cheer you up. Children have the purest energy. Just looking at them can brighten your mood. Besides, you are pregnant now, and you will have your own child to hold soon enough.”

I stared at Vanessa’s smiling face. She looked like an entirely different person compared to the arrogant, ruthless woman who had stood in the way of the cabin door the other day. I thought, had she traveled through time as well? However, I quickly dismissed that idea. Ethan and the others would never allow her to suffer such a fate.

On top of that, Sonny was pinching me. A toddler had no concept of boundaries or restraint, so he had likely been coached by Vanessa beforehand.

“Aunt Eva, hold me!” While he cried out sweetly to me, his tiny hands were digging into my flesh.

His fingernails had been intentionally clipped into sharp, jagged points. With just a little pressure, it felt no different than a small knife slicing through skin. He dug into me again and again, and the sharp, agonizing pain was more than my broken body could take.

I could feel my old wounds reopening and bleeding. Left with no choice, I tried to hand the child back to Vanessa.

“I'm too weak, and I am afraid I might drop him,” I said. “It is better if you hold him.”

Vanessa nodded, her tone remaining soft as she agreed, “True, your body is still frail, and you really should rest. Come to Mommy, sweetie.”

Just as she reached out to take him, her grip loosened, and the boy crashed straight onto the hard floor. Before I could even process what had happened, the child’s earth-shattering wails erupted through the room.

Vanessa slapped me hard across my face, screaming with tears streaming down her face, “Eva! Why would you throw my baby to the ground?”