Chapter 4

"Alright, princess, I'll peel it for you. Only because Sabrina is here," Austin said, a subconscious smile playing on his lips.

He held Vanessa's hand, patiently peeling the apple, but the knife slipped, nicking her finger.

He immediately dropped the apple, grabbed her finger, and put it in his mouth.

"Stop it, that's dirty," Vanessa giggled, then turned her eyes to me, frowning.

"Sabrina is the one who caused all of this. I want her to pour the tea and feed me herself."

Seeing me stand there like a statue, Vanessa didn't get mad. Instead, she laughed and tossed her phone onto my lap.

On the screen was a live video feed of my mother lying in the ICU.

"Your mom’s medical bills are getting pretty high, aren't they? I wonder what would happen if..."

My fists clenched. I stepped forward and picked up the thermos.

As I lifted it, I saw the malicious triumph in Vanessa's eyes.

An alarm went off in my head.

The next second, my foot caught on something on the floor.

The scalding hot ginger tea splashed all over my hands and arms.

"Ah!" Vanessa screamed, clutching her hand, tears welling up. "It's so hot! Is my acting career ruined?!"

Austin instantly panicked and pulled Vanessa into his arms.

He didn't even notice that my hands were turning red and blistering.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up, only to realize his words weren't directed at me.

Vanessa sobbed hysterically.

"I need my hands to play the piano, to act! What if it leaves a scar? How am I supposed to get married?!"

"I'll marry you," Austin blurted out.

He paused, finally remembering I was in the room.

His gaze turned incredibly cold and impatient as he looked at me.

"No matter what, I will make Sabrina pay for this."

My mind went blank. I instinctively backed away.

But two security guards immediately pinned me to the floor.

"Austin, what are you doing?!"

"You ruined Vanessa's hand, so you'll pay with yours."

His voice was calm, but it carried a chilling cruelty.

"Doctor, sever her right-hand tendons."

I struggled with everything I had, but it was useless. I was forced onto a gurney, my limbs strapped down tightly.

As the doctor prepared the scalpel, Austin ordered:

"No anesthesia."

Even the middle-aged doctor on Austin's payroll looked slightly hesitant, but he ultimately obeyed the order.

I was forced to keep my eyes open, watching the doctor in the white coat approach me with the gleaming scalpel.

The blade sliced into my skin.

I could feel my tendons being severed, one by one.

Sweat drenched my hair. My vision blurred from the agonizing pain.

I stared at Austin, tears flowing silently, my heart consumed by a mixture of despair and burning hatred.

Austin walked over, looking at my deathly pale face, and calmly announced:

"Sabrina, even after what you did, I will keep my word and give you a wedding."

"But my wedding with Vanessa will also go on. Or, you can choose to remain my secret lover."

He wiped a tear from my eye, his finger stained with my blood.

"Your reputation is already ruined anyway, but you still have value to me."

"It's just one hand. It won't stop you from pleasing me."

The pain finally made me black out.

I was locked in a dark storage room, waiting for the "joint wedding" in a few days.

Every day, I could hear the sounds of Austin and Vanessa's intimacy echoing through the villa.

After they finished, Austin would order me to clean up their mess as a way of "apologizing" to Vanessa.

And the food they threw to me was always mixed with broken glass or moldy leftovers, courtesy of Vanessa's assistants.

But I didn't care. I quietly picked out the glass and ate.

Compared to the three years of hell I had survived, this physical torture was nothing.

Vanessa watched me eat off the floor, her laughter echoing in the room.

"So what if Austin chose you back then?"

"Sabrina, you're just a washed-up, universally hated bitch. You can't beat me."

The night before the wedding, Vanessa came to the villa.

She was wearing a stunning white wedding gown, twirling in front of me smugly.

"Austin is still too soft-hearted when it comes to you."

"To make sure nothing goes wrong at my wedding tomorrow, I think it's better if you disappear permanently."

As she spoke, two sketchy, muscular men stepped out from behind the door.

"She's all yours. Have fun with her. You can break her completely for all I care."

I was dragged into a van and taken to an abandoned warehouse in the suburbs.

Their rough hands began tearing at my clothes.

As they pinned me down, I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, the despair was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating fire.

"Are you guys just going to keep watching, or are you going to help?"