"Including the breakup you brought up yesterday. I'm willing to let all of it go."
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
Something inside my head snapped, like a wire pulled taut until it finally broke.
It took me a long time before I could hear my own trembling voice:
"Are you both insane? Using me as a target? Aren't you afraid you'll actually kill someone?"
"If anything happens to me, my family won't let you get away with this!"
Marina laughed. The sound was grating, piercing.
Dripping with undisguised mockery:
"You're an orphan. What family?"
"You must have lost your mind, conjuring up imaginary relatives."
She toyed with the dart in her hand, eyes narrowing.
She aimed at my heart.
Then she tilted her head and smiled.
"Ready or not, sis. Here I go."
Under my terrified gaze, Marina hurled the dart.
It buried itself in my arm.
Blood gushed from the wound, and a scream tore from my throat, raw and agonized.
My right arm was still bleeding. My face contorted in pain.
But Marina was already pouting at Abraham:
"My aim is just terrible. I actually hurt her."
"Abraham, she won't hold it against me, will she?"
Abraham seemed distracted, barely paying attention.
His response was careless, dismissive:
"There's a doctor outside the door. She won't die. Go ahead and practice."
In that moment, every last shred of hope shattered.
Abraham Simmons, when you treated my life like a weed to be pulled, did you ever once think about the promises you made?
The man who swore he would never let me be hurt ended up being the one who hurt me the most.
A bitter smile twisted my lips.
Marina, on the other hand, grew even more excited. She seemed certain that no matter what she did today, Abraham wouldn't stop her.
So she gave her next order without a shred of restraint:
"Strip her. It'll be easier to aim without all those clothes in the way."
My entire body went rigid. I blurted out before I could think:
"I'm a member of the Summers family of Harborton! If you dare do this to me, my parents will never let you get away with it!"
"The Summers family of Harborton?"
Marina's laughter was wild, unrestrained.
"Don't make me laugh."
"You? Claiming to be a daughter of the Summers family?"
She gave the order directly.
"Do it."
The assistant glanced at Abraham, hesitant.
Abraham was silent for a long moment.
In the instant our eyes met, he still opened his mouth:
"Do what Marina says."
My heart plummeted to the bottom of an abyss.
From love to disappointment to hatred. It had only taken two days.
Marina's face lit up with the expression of a victor.
"What are you standing around for? Didn't you hear what Abraham said?"
"Strip her. Every last piece."
With the order confirmed, the assistant moved in and began tearing off my clothes. One piece after another.
My hands and feet were bound. I couldn't even fight back.
What they stripped away wasn't just clothing.
It was my dignity.
It was everything I had left.
I thrashed with everything in me, clinging to the last piece of fabric with a death grip.
Marina's gaze was obscene.
"Look at you right now. What's the difference between you and a stray dog on the street?"
"The internet is covered in your photos. What do you think would happen if I sent them something real?"
My voice came out raw, shredded:
"You'll regret this."
Marina sneered.
"You're staring death in the face and still putting on an act. I'd love to see how you plan to make me regret anything."
She picked up another dart with a smile, aiming at different parts of my body.
I squeezed my eyes shut on instinct, certain this was the end.
But the pain I braced for never came.
Instead, I heard a familiar, commanding voice from the front door.
"Who dares bully my daughter?"
