I didn’t know how long I lay there,my body pinned under the twisted wreckage.
The sounds of gunfire eventually faded.My consciousness flickered like a dying flame,but I refused to give in.
With the last of my strength,I pushed the chandelier off and stumbled through the banquet hall,stepping over the bodies that littered the floor.
Outside,a sleek black Maybach rolled up and stopped at the front entrance.The driver honked twice.
They’d come to pick me up.
Relief surged through me,and I quickened my pace toward salvation.
But just as I reached the gate—freedom within arm’s reach—someone yanked me back by the collar,dragging me across the gravel and dust.
I was thrown into an open space.
David stood there in the center,gently coaxing the sobbing woman in his arms.
At his feet,two black-clad men knelt,their faces bruised and swollen.They looked up as I was dragged in and pointed at me like hyenas.
“Young Master Clark,it’s her!She’s the one who sent us to kill your wife!”
I blinked.What?
Before I could speak,David’s eyes sharpened with hatred.His sneer cut deeper than any blade.
“Jane,are you tired of living?You dare lay a finger on Anna?”
“I didn’t—”I started,but the words barely left my lips before he barked another command.
“Strip her.”
The order was immediate.Brutal.
Rough hands tore at my clothes,ripping them away until I stood completely exposed under the cold night air,my body bare for all to see.
But what they hadn’t expected—what he hadn’t expected—was what my body revealed.
Dozens of scars.
Old wounds.Some deep,some jagged.The cruel aftermath of torture.All souvenirs from that night two months ago,when I’d been captured while helping David smuggle a shipment and rival gangs tried to lure him out with my screams.
Every single scar told a story of pain—and of loyalty.
The crowd didn’t care.They stared,eyes full of ridicule and glee,whispering and laughing like I was some freak on display.
I tried to cover myself with trembling hands,but it was useless.I felt like an animal in a cage.
My voice cracked,heavy with desperation.
“David,for the ten years I stood by you—heart and soul—please believe me.I don’t know these people.I never sent anyone after her.”
He looked at me then.Finally.His eyes flickered—hesitating as he took in the network of scars across my skin.
Just when I thought he might say something—
“David!My hand...it hurts…Am I going to die?”
Anna's whimper cut through everything.She clutched her left arm,blood soaking through the gauze,staining his sleeve.
David’s attention snapped back to her.In a flash,the doctor was called.
After a quick check,the doctor looked grim.
“Young Master,Madam has lost too much blood.She needs a transfusion immediately.”
David’s face went pale.Without thinking,he grabbed my arm and dragged me toward Anna’s side.
“Take her blood.She has the same rare type as Anna.”
The doctor hesitated.
“But she’s badly injured.If we force a draw now,she could die…”
“Then let her die!”David snarled.“She’s the one who tried to kill Anna!”
Even now…he didn’t believe me.
My heart clenched like it was being ripped apart,shredded by the very hands I once trusted.
A long,thick needle was driven into my vein.My blood was taken against my will—life draining out of me.
And still…he never looked back.
The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the warm,concerned look he gave her.
Then everything went black.
