Chapter 4

[I’ll send Nathan and the baby away. I’ll cut ties with him for good. Once you’ve recovered, we’ll go on our honeymoon.]

I turned off my phone without a word, feeling nothing but indifference.

I gazed out the window, a hollow ache settling in my chest at the thought of the baby.

I was never close to my family. After my father died, I had no one left in this world. That was why I had always dreamed of having a child of my own, someone who shared my blood.

However, Agnes told me the baby was not mine.

I lay awake, staring at the ceiling until dawn. Then I called a nurse and asked her to arrange my discharge.

That was when Agnes stormed into the room, her face dark with fury. She slapped me across the face without saying a word.

My ears rang. For a moment, my mind went completely blank. It was not until I tasted blood at the corner of my mouth that I realized what had happened.

She shoved her phone in front of my face. A trending headline blazed across the screen: [Pop Star Nathan Gray Exposed as Wealthy Woman’s Toy—Secret Love Child and Scandalous Photos Leak!]

Beneath the headline were photos of Nathan from years ago, showing powerful industry executives groping him.

Agnes’ voice was chillingly cold. “Ian, I’ve already given you everything you asked for. Why would you still do this? Do you have any idea what you’ve done? You’re going to destroy him! I spent ten years helping him overcome his depression, and you’ve ruined everything!”

I listened in bewilderment, shaking my head as I denied it outright, “I didn’t do this.”

However, she would not hear a word of my explanation. She ordered her men to drag me into another room.

The lights were blindingly bright. A line of heavily made-up older women stood before me. Cameras had been set up in every corner of the room.

My heart sank, and I grabbed Agnes by the arm. “What are you going to do?”

Her lips twisted into an eerie smile. “You work in this industry. Surely, you understand how it works. The fastest way to bury one trending topic is to replace it with an even bigger one.”

As she spoke, a wild, almost feverish gleam crept into her eyes. “You’re a movie star. Just imagine the headlines if pictures of you being whipped by a bunch of older women went viral. Think anyone would still care about Nathan’s scandal?”

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. I stared at the woman before me, unable to believe what I was hearing.

I was her husband. I had nearly bled to death because of her. Now, she was willing to force me into the arms of strangers for Nathan’s sake.

Agnes wrenched herself free and strode toward the door. She turned to the women and said coldly, “Make it quick.”

Then she walked out. I lunged after her and pounded on the door with all my strength.

“Agnes! Let me out! I didn’t do it! Let me out!”

Beyond the door, the only answer was the roar of a car engine fading into the distance.

The bodyguards pinned me down as they ripped at my clothes and forced the women toward me.

A whip cracked against my body, tearing into my skin. Blood streamed down my wounds, and the cameras flashed relentlessly. I had no idea how much time passed before the lights finally went dark.

I lay in the middle of the room, lifeless as a fish washed ashore.

There was not a patch of uninjured skin left on my body. Blood continued to seep from my wounds, and I was on the verge of shock.

Through my fading consciousness, I heard the door suddenly crash open.

A familiar figure rushed inside. She gathered me into her arms, her voice breaking as she screamed, “Who did this?! Who did this?! I’ll kill them!”

…

Meanwhile, Agnes had just arrived at the hospital when she looked up at a massive screen outside a shopping mall.

A video was playing. It showed me being whipped, my agonized screams blaring through the speakers until they drowned out everything around her.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. She had only ordered them to take a few pictures to make it look real. How did the video get out?

A wave of panic washed over her. With trembling fingers, she dialed her assistant’s number.

She yelled into the phone, “Take it down! I want every single video of Ian removed from the internet!”

Just then, the giant screen abruptly switched to an emergency news bulletin: [Three-Time Award-Winning Actor Ian Elsher Feared Murdered—Pronounced Dead After Doctors Fail to Save Him.]

Agnes swayed, stumbling as her legs nearly gave out beneath her...