At the very same moment, in another part of the city, Stephen was staring at the same headlines flooding the internet. His brows drew together as he phoned his assistant, ordering them to suppress the rumors as quickly as possible. Seraphina leaned into his chest, her tears soaking into his sleeve, while his hand closed firmly around her shoulder, that familiar dangerous calm settling over him.
“Tell me straight — is anything they’re saying online actually true?” His tone was low, edged like a blade.
Seraphina pressed her face into him, trembling.
“Stephen, please… don’t dwell on it. What’s done is done. Don’t blame Amelia. She never meant any harm. She’s the reason I’m still alive today. If she told me to die, I wouldn’t even hesitate.”
His arms tightened around her.
And then—
The impact came without warning.
The car spun violently, metal screaming as it overturned. My body was slammed sideways, breath crushed out of me. Before I could even scream, the door was torn open and I was dragged out by rough hands, my body crashing hard against the asphalt.
I tried to crawl away, but a boot drove into my back, pinning me down.
“Ever wonder how it feels when your luck finally runs out?” a man mocked. “You’ve lived a charmed life, hurting people and getting away with it. Tonight you’re going to learn what real pain is.”
“I didn’t—” The words barely left my lips before a slap sent my head snapping sideways. Blood filled my mouth. The world tilted.
They bound my wrists to the back of the vehicle. The engine roared, and suddenly I was being dragged along the road. Stones ripped into my skin, my clothes shredded, my already failing body screaming in agony. I tried to cry out, but my throat was torn raw, the sound nothing more than air. My arms felt like they were being ripped from their sockets, my knees scraping until I couldn’t tell where the pain ended. Inside the car, they laughed and filmed everything like entertainment.
I don’t know how long it lasted. My awareness slipped in and out until I was no longer sure if I was alive. When the car finally stopped, they cut me loose and dumped me like trash on the roadside.
When I regained consciousness, silence wrapped around me.
Gravestones glittered faintly beneath the moon. I should have been terrified, but after what I’d just endured, even the dead seemed kinder than the living. Shaking, I dragged myself toward the highway.
At dawn, my strength vanished completely and I collapsed at the edge of the road.
“Can you hear me? Where does it hurt?”
I opened my eyes to a nurse adjusting my drip. Every breath felt like knives.
“You were rushed in as an emergency case. We’ve been unable to contact any family members. We still need to process your admission and payments and keep monitoring you—”
“I understand,” I whispered, interrupting her. I pulled the gown tighter over my wounds, hiding the truth beneath fabric.
She offered me a wheelchair. I refused. Walking out of the ward was like stepping on shattered glass, but I left anyway. No one came for me that night. Stephen never even called.
I remembered the day I’d learned about my heart disease, kneeling alone at my parents’ graves for hours. Back then, the internet had exploded with rumors about my disappearance. When Stephen finally found me, he’d cried into my shoulder. Now I wondered — had any of that been real?
His eyes no longer held room for me.
I stood in the hospital payment line in silence when a familiar voice froze my blood.
“Stephen, don’t worry so much. I’m fine,” Seraphina said gently, almost playfully.
I didn’t turn around. Out of everywhere in the world, she was here.
Stephen replied, his voice soft yet stern.
“The doctor said there are signs of possible miscarriage. You have to be more careful.”
She cut in quickly. “I know. And Amelia… yesterday was my fault. I was careless.”
My fists clenched until they hurt. I turned to leave — and met Stephen’s stunned stare.
“Amelia?”
The surprise vanished, replaced by anger. Seraphina hid behind him, shaking.
“Please don’t frighten me anymore,” she pleaded. “I didn’t do anything online. I’m in my final months. The doctor said I can’t handle stress.”
“Once the babies are born, you can punish me however you want. I’ll accept it.”
Stephen stepped squarely between us, his face ice-cold.
“She nearly lost the children because of you yesterday. I’m here to make her answer for that.”
I wanted to scream, to rip open my clothes and show him every wound. But the revulsion in his eyes stole my voice.
Seraphina doubled over suddenly. “Stephen… my stomach… it hurts.”
Without hesitation, he swept her into his arms and rushed toward the doctor’s wing. His shoulder slammed into mine, sending me sprawling across the marble. He didn’t look back once.
I stayed there for a long time, watching them disappear. When I finally stood, numb and shaking, I rejoined the line. I had nowhere else to go.
When my turn came, I signed the discharge form silently. The nurse glanced at my chart, worry darkening her face.
“If you leave like this,” she said gently, “you might not survive the next few days. Three at most. Your condition has deteriorated badly.”
