As I watched the two of them put on their heartfelt performance in front of me, a bitter smile crept onto my lips.
How ironic.
The ones who truly destroyed me, who left me in unbearable agony... were you.
I closed my eyes, exhaustion washing over me. After a long pause, I finally asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Brother, when will the surgery start? It hurts so much..."
Hearing my words, Marco slapped himself hard across the face, his eyes filled with guilt.
"I’m sorry, Elaina. It’s all my fault. I couldn’t find the best surgeon to treat you."
"I don’t trust the other doctors. What if they mess up and leave you with lasting damage? You’re still young—you’ll need to marry and have children one day..."
"Don’t worry, I’ll go kneel at her doorstep if I have to. I promise, by tomorrow morning, you’ll have your surgery."
Beside me, Colson called for the nurse.
"Please, give my sister the most expensive anesthesia—she’s terribly afraid of pain."
But when the nurse lifted my sleeve, she froze in shock.
My body was a mangled mess, covered in deep, bloody bite marks. In some places, the flesh was torn away entirely, exposing raw, white bones.
Her voice trembled with anger. "Monsters! I've practiced medicine for over twenty years and have never witnessed such cruelty!"
"Young lady, I need to inject anesthesia into multiple wounds. Try to bear with it."
The next second, a thick needle—wider than my finger—pressed against my festering wounds. The pain was unbearable, and a scream tore from my throat.
Marco quickly shoved his hand into my mouth, afraid I’d bite through my tongue.
Colson gripped my hand tightly, letting my nails dig deep into his arm, leaving crescent-shaped marks.
At that moment, they seemed just like before—full of love and concern for me.
But I felt nothing.
No warmth. No comfort.
Only emptiness.
—
When I regained consciousness, there were only ten minutes left until the graduate school admission results were announced.
From the bathroom, I heard Colson anxiously whispering to my older brother, his voice muffled as if covering his mouth.
"Brother, I’ve already spoken with the school. Sister is ‘voluntarily’ giving up her admission slot. But... but do we still need to release those videos of her being humiliated online?"
Marco’s voice trembled, but his answer was firm. "Do it."
"Only if the entire school knows will Valerie’s acceptance be fully justified. As for Elaina... her reputation is already ruined. A little more won’t make a difference."
Colson hesitated for only a moment before nodding. Then he immediately contacted a media company.
Hot tears streamed down my face.
I could hardly believe it.
My own flesh and blood—Marco and my little brother—were willing to throw me into an abyss I could never climb out of—all for a stepsister.
The nightmares surged back in a torrent. The memories of foreign hands violating my body, the sensation of being touched against my will—like a storm, they swallowed me whole.
My body trembled uncontrollably.
Marco walked in at that moment and saw me shaking. He immediately wrapped his arms around me and pulled out his phone, starting a livestream.
"Elaina, it’s all over now. Let’s watch the admission results together—I know it’s going to be you!"
"When the announcement is made, Colson and I will take you straight to school."
I stared at the fake gentleness in his eyes and whispered, "Brother... can I still go to school?"
"Of course! You definitely can!" But as he spoke, his gaze flickered away, unable to meet mine.
Because he knew better than anyone—hat was impossible.
I would never sit in a bright, clean classroom again.
This brother, who once swore to protect me after our father remarried, had destroyed me with his own hands.
Even the little brother who used to follow me everywhere had become my executioner.
And then, from the phone speaker, the principal’s jubilant voice rang out.
"Let us all congratulate Valerie Johnson for earning this year’s graduate school admission spot!"
