terrifyingly cold.
“Grace Academy, and that fabricated
‘secretary,‘ do I need to explain everything?” Jenny’s face went white. “No! Harrison! Let
me explain!”
Before she finished, the bodyguards dragged
her away.
“Take her to ‘Nightfall.‘ Let the guests
‘entertain‘ her.”
7
I opened my eyes to the heavy smell of disinfectant and sandalwood.
A male doctor approached with a
stethoscope; I cowered, screaming.
“Go away! Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!” The doctor retreated awkwardly, looking
towards the door. A tall man stood in the
r
doorway.
“Get a female doctor,” his voice was low.
A week later, the man reappeared. I croaked,
“Why did you save me?”
“My men found you in the river,” he
approached. “This is White City.”
White City…three hundred kilometers from the capital. I closed my eyes. “Wouldn’t it
have been better if I’d died?”
The man frowned, then lifted his shirt,
revealing a jagged scar across his abdomen.
I froze.
“Last year, my rivals stabbed me in the liver,” he said calmly. “The doctors said I’d never walk again.”
“When you’re better, I’ll teach you hand–to- hand combat,” he met my gaze. “As long as
Join the bookshake
<
you’re alive, there’s a chance.”
“If I don’t want to live?” my voice was faint.
“Your life is mine now,” he paused. “My sister
would be about your age.”
“She…” I looked up sharply.
“The kidnappers killed her,” he turned to
leave. “Start rehab tomorrow.”
The female doctor’s eyes reddened. “These
wounds…her face…”
“Treat her,” Zane White simply said.
Rehab at the White estate was an ordeal.
Each time the anesthesia wore off, it was
excruciating.
Bones needed to be reset, flesh to grow. I underwent three surgeries and eight months of rehab. Countless times I fell, Zane
watching silently, neither helping nor
<
comforting, only saying, “Again.”
When I could stand, Zane taught me my first
combat lesson. His hand enveloped mine.
“Remember, strike fast, strike hard!”
The following spring, we returned to the
capital.
The White mansion’s ballroom glittered. I
wore a champagne–colored gown, beside
Zane. It was our engagement party.
Midway through, the doors burst open; a
gaunt man entered.
“Talia?!”
8
00
My blood froze.
Harrison’s suit hung loosely. His face was
gaunt, dark circles under his eyes. He was
meticulously groomed, but couldn’t hide the
<
devastation.
“Talia…” his voice trembled. “It’s…it’s you!
You’re alive!”
I impassively brushed his hand away. “You’ve
got the wrong person.‘
“Impossible!” he raised his voice, drawing attention. “I know it’s you! Your eyes, your…” Zane calmly put his arm around my waist, shielding me. “Mr. Hayes, this is my fiancée. Please show some respect.”
Harrison’s face went white.
After Zane pulled me away, I felt Harrison’s gaze. Dark memories surged; my nails dug into my palm.
“Don’t worry,” Zane squeezed my hand. “I’m here.”
Whispers filled the ballroom:
<
“Is Mr. Hayes crazy?”
“Heard he’s been acting crazy since his wife
died…”
“Wife? He’s never been married…”
“Hush…rumor has it he self–harms, whipping himself…”
After the party, a servant rushed over. “Sir, someone’s
kneeling outside, refusing to
leave.”
Zane didn’t even raise his eyelids. “Let him be.”
A violent storm hit that night. I stood by the window, watching the rain lash against the glass.
“Go,” Zane handed me an umbrella.. “Do what you need to do.”
I went outside.
<
Harrison knelt in the mud, his expensive suit
drenched. His pale face was streaked with
tears when he looked up.
Seeing me, he croaked, “Talia! I know it’s you!”
“Talia! I’m sorry! I was wrong! I was so wrong!”
Seeing him weep in the rain, I recalled Grace Academy.
Tied up, forced to crawl in the rain, for
refusing a man.
He watched, beating me with an iron bar until
I was near death.
He zipped up, giving me a chance to call home.
I cried, begging Harrison to save me, take me home. I couldn’t take it anymore.
<
Harrison’s voice was cold. “Those
inappropriate feelings, this is your
punishment.”
I cried, swearing I’d be good, wouldn’t desire
him anymore, but he hung up.
More men arrived. I collapsed in despair. Memories and reality collided.
“Slap!”
