Chapter 4

As soon as Lumina finished speaking, she was met with a savage barrage of punches and kicks. Her body was already quite frail; before long, she collapsed on the ground and lost consciousness completely.

When she woke up again, she found herself back in the hospital bed, though she didn't know who had moved her there.

Jackson sat beside her, his expression cold. "I told you not to mess with Celia. She's got someone to protect her. Now that her guardian has taught you a lesson, have you finally learned from your mistake?"

Lumina was stunned for a moment, then suddenly started laughing through her tears.

She had nothing but hate.

She hated that she had loved the wrong person, hated that she devoted everything to her first relationship. In the end, she didn't meet someone worthy at all!

Jackson watched Lumina sob quietly. For some reason, he felt a twinge of regret.

But Lumina had nearly destroyed Celia's family in the past years. How could he feel any sympathy for a woman so brutal?

Lumina stared at Jackson. She hesitated for a few seconds, then tried to tell him the truth.

"I never bullied Celia. It was always she who…"

Before she could finish, Jackson's phone rang. It was the leader of the Celia Guards.

"Sir, Miss Price just contacted me and asked me to thank you on her behalf, but… Well, she…"

When it came to Celia, Jackson couldn't care less what Lumina was saying. He rushed out of the room. "What happened to her?"

"Miss Price just broke down crying. She said that Lumina sent her a provocative text this morning, saying that if she'd known, she'd let Miss Price die three years ago. Miss Price is upset and wants us to put ants on Lumina's wounds to teach her a lesson."

Jackson's gaze turned cold. "Lumina really is vicious. Do as she said. Make sure Celia feels better."

"Understood."

An hour later, the Celia Guards barged into the hospital room again. Lumina saw the group of men and understood instantly.

The phone call Jackson had just answered… It was about Celia. There was no way Celia would let her off that easily.

The man in charge took out four ropes and tied Lumina to the bed, her arms and legs spread wide. The others immediately poured syrup onto her burned arms and legs, then released jars full of live ants onto her wounds.

Countless ants crawled up Lumina's limbs, feeding on the syrup from her burns. The combination of pain and itching was unbearable… This cruel torture made her convulse, her limbs twitching as she let out a scream of despair.

Yet, they still didn't let her go.

They recorded everything on their phones, only leaving after Lumina finally passed out from the pain. She didn't know how long she had been out.

When Lumina finally came to, she was slapped awake…hard.

Celia stood by the bed, slowly withdrawing her hand, her face twisted with contempt.

"Oh, how Mr. Hunter spoils me! Whenever I'm upset, he'll protect me no matter what. Oh, and Lumina… I heard from him that you stripped down to your underwear at a bar for some guy! How pathetic can you get? By the way, I sent your striptease video and the footage of you screaming like a banshee just now to the university group chat. Guess what your classmates said? They said you're such a tart! They're wondering just how wild you get under a man, how hard can you cry?"

Celia laughed maniacally and ground her cigarette butt into one of Lumina's burn wounds, leaving a black hole in Lumina's wrist.

"Are you finally getting it, Lumina? If you know what's good for you, keep your mouth shut about me and get out of Arriva City. Never show your face to me again! Word is, Mr. Hunter is going to confess to me on my birthday. Soon, I'll be Mrs. Hunter. We'll always be worlds apart!"

Lumina stared at the hospital ceiling, her eyes dull and lifeless.

She would leave.

She would go to Crown City soon and marry the person she was supposed to marry…

Three days later, Jackson came to take Lumina home from the hospital. She stared out the window, lips pressed tight all the way. Her face was expressionless, like a lifeless doll.

Jackson noticed her mood and deliberately went out of his way to buy her favorite peach strudel. When they got home, Lumina frowned slightly at the three wedding dresses hanging in the living room.

Jackson walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slim waist. "Lumi, I picked out the wedding dresses myself. We'll get married in three days."

Lumina pushed his hands away, her voice trembling. "Does it have to be in three days?"

Jackson paused, then reached up to ruffle her hair. "Didn't we already agree to it? That's the best day. Besides the wedding, I have an extra surprise for you."

Lumina looked at the man who breathed lies so easily and forced a smile. "What a coincidence. I have a surprise for you that day, too."

"What kind of surprise?" Jackson asked, curious.

Lumina opened his laptop and smiled faintly. "It's a secret…but for now, I'll need to use your computer."

Jackson thought Lumina was still head over heels for him, so he let down his guard and typed in his password.