Chapter 4

When Cynthia regained consciousness, the pain tearing through her body left her gasping for air. She lay on the hospital bed, and the slightest movement of her finger sent a sharp stab of pain through her.

Alexander pushed the door open, his expression icy.

"Cynthia, you got lucky this time." His voice was devoid of warmth. "Evelyn is unharmed. If she were, you'd be joining her in the grave."

Evelyn leaned against his side, her eyes rimmed with red, her voice trembling with a pitiful sob. "Alexander, please don't be so harsh. Mrs. Turner must not be thinking straight. Luckily, your people showed up in time, so I wasn't... I wasn't really hurt."

She trembled slightly, pressing closer to him. "Thank goodness I have you. Or I wouldn't have known what to do."

Alexander put his arm around her shoulders, his tone gentle. "Don't be afraid. I'll have more people watching over you from now on. Under my watch, no one will harm you again."

One of his men came in and whispered a report. Alexander nodded and turned to leave the room, leaving Evelyn and Cynthia alone.

The moment the door closed, the look of fragility and helplessness on Evelyn's face was gone in an instant.

She strolled over to the bed and ran her perfectly manicured fingers lightly over Cynthia's bandaged arm.

When her fingertips touched Cynthia's wound, Cynthia flinched in pain, her teeth gritted against the pain.

"Does it hurt?" Evelyn leaned in, whispering in Cynthia's ear, her voice full of satisfaction. "That's what I want. I put on a little show, and Alexander had you beaten up for me.

"Cynthia, now you should see who really matters to him. Be smart and leave him before it's too late." She deliberately dragged out the words. "Or what happened to Luella is what's waiting for you next."

She paused, as if savoring the memory, a vicious smile curling at the corners of her mouth. "Oh, right, about that night. It's a shame you didn't see what Luella has gone through.

"A bunch of men had their way with her one after another. She was really having a good time."

Every word was like a poisoned blade, stabbing deep into Cynthia's battered heart and twisting again and again.

That was Luella, her sister, whom she'd treasured and protected since childhood.

Hate boiled in Cynthia's chest like lava, burning away all her reason.

Evelyn was about to keep talking when, out of nowhere, Cynthia, fueled by rage, grabbed the glass vase with wilted flowers from the nightstand and hurled it straight at Evelyn's smug face with everything she had.

The screech of shattering glass and Evelyn's scream filled the room at once. Splinters slashed across Evelyn's cheek, and blood gushed instantly.

Just then, the hospital room door was pushed open, and Alexander saw everything unfold.

His eyes widened in fury as he rushed forward, pulling Evelyn, who was clutching her face and screaming, into his arms. When he saw the blood on her cheek, rage flashed in his eyes.

He turned to Cynthia, his gaze icy enough to freeze her. "Cynthia, how dare you hurt Evelyn again and again? You're hopeless."

He gave the bodyguards a cold look. "She seems pretty fine and energetic to me. She doesn't need to stay here to recover."

The bodyguards immediately stepped forward and roughly dragged Cynthia, battered and barely able to move, off the hospital bed.

"There's an empty doghouse in the backyard at the Schultz residence. Take her there and make her reflect on what she's done." With that, Alexander scooped Evelyn up and rushed out of the room. "Evelyn, don't be afraid.

"I'll get the doctor to patch you up right now."

Cynthia was mercilessly dragged out of the room and thrown into the car.

She felt every jolt of the car tore her wounds open again, making the agony unbearable.

Cynthia was tossed into the abandoned doghouse in the Schultz residence's backyard like she was nothing but trash.

They called it a doghouse, but it was really a low, cramped concrete cell, damp, cold, and filled with the stench of mold and animals.

Her wounds had split open in several places, blood mixing with cold sweat, soaking her flimsy hospital gown, and clinging to her skin.

Every breath sent waves of agony through her body, forcing her to curl up tightly, like a wounded, helpless creature on the verge of death.

Her mind floated in and out, tossed between the pain and the biting cold.

She couldn't wrap her head around how Alexander had changed so much.

She remembered the Alexander who once defied his whole family to marry her, who stood in the rain all night, begging her parents for their blessing. Once, he cherished her as if she were his whole world, swearing to give her everything good in life.

She didn't understand why he became a ruthless monster, hurting her for another woman and tossing her aside like she was nothing.

Everything changed the moment Evelyn came back from abroad.

Alexander was always saying Evelyn had saved his life.

But Cynthia knew it was never about gratitude.

Every time Alexander looked at Evelyn, his eyes held that blind indulgence and habitual tenderness. She recognized it all too well.

That look was once meant only for her.

Her heart was already dead inside. Even hatred was meaningless and powerless to her.