جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 9

"This lady's tougher than she looks," a woman said mockingly.Shortly after, a sharp, searing pain shot up my left leg, and I couldn't help but let out a muffled cry."Oh, have you finally decided to make some noise?" Her voice grew more excited. When I forced my eyes open, I saw a heavily made-up woman standing over me. Her face twisted with some kind of sick excitement, and she was holding a red-hot iron rod. After waving it in front of me, she abruptly drove it straight into my chest.A scream ripped from my throat. My nerves felt like they were on fire. It was as though my chest was being burned from the inside out."That's more like it. It gets boring if you don't react."The woman grinned in satisfaction before driving the metal rod into the other side of my chest.I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stay silent. I knew that struggling would only spur them on. So, I could only endure the pain while praying that it would all end soon. My limbs had been broken a long

The doctor shook his head and sighed as he continued the surgery. The anesthesia wasn't working for me at all, but I no longer had the strength to even groan.After the operation, I was transferred to a hospital room, and Terrence came to visit me. He sat by my bed and wept. As his tears fell onto my face, he cried, "I'm sorry, Quinn. I'll never let you suffer again."In the past, I would've immediately gotten up and tried to comfort him. But now, the sight of his broken expression only made me feel sick.All of a sudden, the door creaked open. "Are you hungry, Terrence? I brought you breakfast," a voice said.Yvonne had dropped by. Terrence let go of my hand. Without turning around, he rejected her offer. "I don't have an appetite. You go ahead. In three hours, you should board the return flight and head back to Eulasia. It's not safe here," he instructed."I don't want to go alone," Yvonne whined coquettishly. "I'm scared. Can you keep me company on the flight back home?

Terrence dropped the file he was holding before checking the notification in his mind for the third time."What? Quinn is dead?" he muttered in a shaky voice.Then, he contacted John to ask about it again.John fell silent for a moment. Staring at my lifeless face on the screen, he slowly replied, "Yes, Terrence. She's dead."Terrence's eyes widened with panic. "She's the female protagonist. She's supposed to be protected by the Narrative. How can she be dead?"John sighed. In a heavy voice, he replied, "You're too emotional, Terrence. There isn't an infinite amount of Narrative favor in this world. You've transferred most of Quinn's fates and opportunities to Yvonne. It's only natural that she's not protected by the Narrative anymore."A hint of pity flashed across his eyes. After a brief pause, he added, "You even forced her to endure hardships that she was never supposed to bear in the first place. Her Narrative favor had already been drained by Yvonne a long time ago. Quinn S

Where did you go, Terrence? I couldn't catch up to you at all," Yvonne whined. Terrence didn't spare her a single glance. He kicked her to the ground and grabbed a fistful of her hair. Yanking her head back, he forced her to meet his gaze. "Did you give Quinn a sepsis-inducing drug?"Yvonne cried out in pain. Staring at Terrence with terror, she hastily shook her head and replied, "I didn't!"After a brief pause, she continued, "What are you talking about, Terrence? Why would I ever hurt Quinn?""How dare you lie to me?" Terrence snarled.He clamped his hand around her throat and gradually began to tighten his grip."Why did you do it? Talk!" he barked icily."I-I did it for us, Terrence," Yvonne choked out as she struggled for air. "I-If that bitch were still alive, we could never be together. I know you love me. You only restrained yourself because you're married…"Upon hearing this, disgust flashed across Terrence's face. He tightened his grip and snapped, "Bullshit! I do

"There was so much you could've done. But instead, you chose to let me suffer in her place," I said to Terrence. After a pause, I asked him, "Do you actually love me, Terrence?"He was extremely intelligent. If he had truly wanted to alter a key part of the storyline, he should've been able to handle it properly. And yet, he still chose to put me in harm's way. To make matters worse, he had never even considered whether I would survive the entire ordeal.His feelings for me had changed a long time ago. He simply refused to admit it."You're right—I am soft-hearted. However, I only act that way toward the version of you that loves me, not the one who put me in harm's way," I said firmly.I paused and met his gaze. Then, I declared, "I don't love you anymore, Terrence Sawyer."The love that I had for him had become nothing but endless pain and disappointment. I thought that I could move on. But now, I realize that I was still hurt by what had happened."I was wrong. I'm sorry…" T