5
I moved into my brother’s private sanatorium.
Three times a day, the nurse would punctually bring medication.
White sedatives, blue anti–anxiety pills, yellow sleeping pills.
I obediently swallowed them, but every night at 3 AM, the nightmares would arrive right on schedule.
In the dreams, that scene would always repeat.
Zack’s shoe tip would grind into my tailbone, those men’s rough hands would roam under my skin, and bystanders would look at me with disgust, saying I was filthy.
“Stop filming, don’t look…”
When I woke up startled, my nails had already dug deep into my brother’s arm as he kept vigil by my side.
He held my trembling body tightly, “I’ll make them beg for your forgiveness on their knees.”
He deleted all the circulating videos, even hacking into the devices of those who shared them, making the data disappear completely.
But I knew some things couldn’t be erased –
Like my sudden trembling breakdowns while showering, or my instinctive nausea at the sight of other men.
My brother gritted his teeth, his voice like ice, “They must pay the price.”
My brother’s revenge came swiftly and brutally.
That small–time thug died in a gutter, Leo was left disabled after being hit by a train.
And Zack found himself in deep trouble.
His most trusted vice president led the core team to collectively jump ship, Yan Group’s stock began to plummet, and banks suddenly tightened their loans.
In the news, Zack stood outside the company building, his face pale as he denied rumors of a “broken capital chain” to reporters‘ questions.
But what was his gaze searching for?
For me?
Did he think I would soften my heart? That I would quietly help him solve problems like before when he was in dire straits?
But he was wrong.
This time, I was the hand pushing him into the abyss.
He came to the luxury downtown apartment he had given me
Only to find just the expensive items he had gifted remained,
all
my things
Zack sat at my vanity, his fingers brushing over the thin layer of dust on the surface.
He pulled open the first drawer, neatly arranged inside were the familiar dozen or so medicine boxes.
Each box was labeled:
“Stomach pain – take after light meal“, “Insomnia – take with milk“, “Hangover – take immediately“.
The handwriting was delicate, showing a level of care his private doctor had never given.
In the second drawer was a leather notebook.
Opening to the first page, it recorded every instance of his stomach pain attacks over
responses.
Flipping further, it listed the preferences of all his business partners:
the past five years, the symptoms and medication
Mr. Wang is allergic to peanuts, Mr. Li only drinks single malt whiskey, Director Chen hates people mentioning his baldness.
Hidden behind the vanity mirror was a photo, taken on our first date.
In the photo, I wore a simple white dress, while he was in a suit and tie.
He remembered complaining about my shabby outfit then, not knowing that dress was one I had designed myself,
The fabric was the last piece of cotton my mother had left me.
Inside the safe was a stack of documents.
He trembled as he flipped through them, discovering they were mortgage certificates for all the properties under my name.
The dates were all from last year when his company’s capital chain was at its tightest.
At that time, he was in Paris buying Vanessa a diamond necklace.
Zack immediately ordered an investigation, then collapsed onto my bed, burying his face in the pillow.
The pillowcase still held the faint scent of jasmine from my shampoo.
His phone vibrated with a message from the financial director: “Confirmed, that lifesaving fund from last year was indeed from Miss Jiang.”
Zack’s eyes instantly turned red. He finally understood the depth of my feelings for him before,
He frantically dialed my number, always hearing the cold prompt tone.
Finally, he called his secretary, his voice hoarse: “Pull up the surveillance footage from the engagement party day. I want to watch it again.”
In the footage, Vanessa’s face wore a gentle smile, but her hand deliberately let go of the jade bracelet on my wrist.
The moment the bracelet fell, Vanessa had already switched to a tearful expression.
4:05
<
Zack smashed his phone screen with one punch.
Zack’s private jet landed in the capital during a downpour.
He went straight to the Jiang family estate.
The bodyguard held an umbrella, speaking through the tightly closed black wrought iron gate, “The young miss is not at the estate.”
“I don’t believe it. Let me see her for ten minutes,” Zack’s voice was hoarse beyond recognition. “Just ten minutes.”
The response was the sound of the bodyguard’s footsteps walking away.
He stood in the rain for six hours, until my brother’s motorcade returned. He rushed up and banged
“Mr. Jiang! Please let me see Aria!”
The window lowered a crack, my brother’s cold profile barely visible in the shadow: “Break his legs.”
When the guards batons landed on Zack’s knees, he heard the sound of his own bones shattering.
Three days later, he appeared at the Jiang Group headquarters on crutches.
The receptionist smiled politely: “You can’t see Mr. Jiang without an appointment.”
the car window:
“I’ll wait for him.” Zack sat on the lobby sofa, watching the elevator open and close 999
times.
When it got dark, security came to clear out: “Mr. Jiang said if you don’t leave, he’ll have you carried
out.”
He began using all his connections, begging for help from people with some influence in the capital, even reaching out to the Jiang family’s distant relatives. Everyone shook their heads:
“Adrian has given the word. We can’t help you.”
A private investigator gave him an address after two weeks: “Miss Jiang may be here.”
Zack evaded my brother’s bodyguards‘ control and snuck into the private hospital, but was caught by patrolling guards on the first floor.
This time they broke one of his arms.
After the fifth beating, he finally managed to intercept Adrian’s car near the hospital.
ミケット
The once arrogant Zack knelt directly in front of the car. The black Maybach screeched to a sudden halt, the tires making a harsh sound against the ground.
Rain mixed with blood flowed into his eyes: “Mr. Jiang, please… let me see her once…”
My brother got out of the car and punched him directly in the face.
The gold–rimmed glasses flew off, shattering into pieces on the ground.
“This punch is for the bruises on Aria’s neck.”
Before Zack could fully get up, a knee strike hit his abdomen. He doubled over retching in pain.
“This kick is for her three broken ribs you kicked.”
Adrian’s shoe ground hard into Zack’s lower back, his spine making a sickening cracking sound.
Zack’s scream was cut off by the next punch, two bloody teeth falling onto the marble ground.
“These blows are for her injured abdomen.”
4:05 PM
<
A bodyguard handed over a golf club.
Adrian tested its weight, then swung it violently at Zack’s knee.
“Ahh-!” Zack’s scream pierced the sky.
1141
He curled up on the ground convulsing, his expensive suit soaked through with blood and cold
Adrian crouched down, grabbing Zack’s hair to force him to look up:
sweat.
“You know what? She vomits at the sight of male doctors now. She trembles
at
sound o
to ruins.”
He leaned close to Zack’s ear, “The only reason you’re still alive is so you can watch with your
own
your proud business empire turns
When passersby sent Zack to the emergency room, his mouth was full of the taste of rust.
His left eye was swollen shut, his right eye’s vision blurred by blood. Every breath felt like knives twisting between his ribs.
“Fractured ribs, shattered tailbone, dislocated knee joint.” The doctor frowned at the X–rays. “Immediate surgery is needed.”
As the anesthetic was pushed into his vein, Zack suddenly struggled.
The needle tore his blood vessel, and the nurse hurriedly held him down.
“Don’t… use anesthesia…” he said hoarsely, “Let me… remember this feeling…”
He suddenly remembered, that day when I was beaten by him in the basement, I had the same expression.
He suddenly felt immense heartache. I didn’t even have painkillers then.
The moment the scalpel cut into his flesh, Zack finally broke down crying.
So pain really could be this concrete –
Concrete to the point that every nerve was screaming, concrete to the point of making one wish for immediate death.
And what I had endured before was far beyond this.
The day after emergency treatment, Zack’s confession video topped the trending list.
He spoke of our first date, of me staying up late waiting for him to return from business dinners,
Of me secretly learning eight major cuisines to surprise him, of all the little moments in our five years of love.
In the last few seconds, he said: “I was wrong, Aria. Give me a chance to atone…”
When I saw this post, my phone dropped to the floor.
A familiar cramping pain shot through my abdomen, as if someone was twisting a knife inside.
I curled into a ball, my tears soaking a large patch of the pillow.
What’s wrong?” The nurse rushed in, and upon seeing Zack’s photo on the tablet, immediately pressed the call button,
“Quick, prepare a sedative!”
As warm herbal medicine was applied to my stomach, I heard them whispering:
“She just had a miscarriage, can’t take any more stress…”
When my brother came in, I was staring blankly at the ceiling.
4:05 PM
<
–
He gently wiped away the tears on my face: “Don’t think about him. Your brother will deal with him soon.”
The next day, Yan Group received seven contract terminations, banks began freezing assets, and the Securities Regulatory Commission suddenly launched an investigation.
At the same time, my brother called the special investigation team he had set up.
He said to the other end of the phone, “I want them to never have a chance to turn things around.”
“Miss Aria, your PTSD symptoms have improved significantly,” Sean closed the medical record, encounter any triggers, you can contact me anytime.”
41577-14 411
gentle yet firm. “But remember, if you
past three months, he had used
I nodded slightly.
This internationally renowned psychotherapist was specially invited by my brother from Switzerland. Ove his professionalism and patience to help me rebuild my shattered mental world.
H
