Chapter 4

Summer POV

For three full days and nights, I was locked in the basement without a drop of water or bite of food, until I finished the last invitation.

When I leaned against the wall and stumbled to push open the living room door, the harsh sunlight stung my already blurred eyes.

On the sofa, Evelyn was trying on a lavish diamond wedding dress. Nathan sat nearby, flipping through documents. The scene was so warm it was blinding.

Hearing movement, Evelyn turned her head and covered her nose in disgust. "Summer, why do you look like such a mess? You reek of mold. Stay away from my wedding dress."

I ignored her and walked to Nathan, my voice so weak it seemed ready to break. "Ten thousand invitations. I've finished them. Mason's medical expenses. You should transfer them to the hospital now."

Nathan looked up. His gaze fell on my deathly pale face and cracked lips. His brow furrowed slightly.

Before he could speak, Evelyn suddenly stood up from the sofa and walked to my side. She deliberately stepped on the long train of her wedding dress, then cried out and fell backward.

"Nathan, save me!"

Nathan reacted quickly and caught Evelyn in one swift motion. Evelyn took the opportunity to clutch her stomach, tears streaming down her face. "Summer, I know you're jealous I get to marry Nathan, but you can't push me!"

"I didn't push you." I stated the fact calmly.

A heavy slap struck my face hard. Nathan's face was icy cold, the viciousness in his eyes undisguised. "Summer, you never change! If anything happens to Evelyn, I absolutely won't let you off!"

The slap knocked my head to the side. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. My ears rang. The whole world seemed to spin endlessly.

"Nathan, my engagement ring is gone!" Evelyn suddenly shrieked, pointing at the outdoor pool beyond the floor-to-ceiling window. "When she pushed me just now, the ring flew off and fell into the pool! You gave me that ring!"

It was now frigid December. The outdoor temperature had dropped to ten degrees below zero. The pool's surface had even formed a thin layer of ice.

Nathan looked at me coldly and ordered mercilessly. "Go fish it out."

I stared hard into those bottomless black eyes, trying to find even the slightest trace of reluctance. But there was none. Only endless indifference and hatred.

"Nathan, I'll die in there." My voice was extremely soft, stating a fact.

"Then go die." The man spat out those five words ruthlessly. "That life of yours was owed to the family anyway."

Yes. I owed him.

I smiled. I turned around, pushed open the floor-to-ceiling window, and walked into the biting cold wind.

Under Nathan's and Evelyn's watchful eyes, I stepped into the freezing pool without hesitation.

The bone-chilling water instantly submerged my calves, then my waist, then my chest. That cold wasn't just cold. It was like countless red-hot needles stabbing into my marrow all at once.

The nerve pain from the brain tumor erupted completely under the extreme cold's stimulation. My face went white as paper. I groped underwater, diving into the ice water again and again.

Through my hazy vision, I saw Nathan standing by the floor-to-ceiling window on shore, watching my body rise and sink in the ice water. He bit down hard on his teeth. His hands seemed to unconsciously clench into fists.

Three hours later.

I finally found that sparkling diamond ring on the filter screen at the bottom of the pool.

My whole body was as stiff as an ice sculpture. My legs had completely lost all sensation. Relying on the last instinct for survival, I forced myself to crawl ashore.

"The ring. I found it." I collapsed on the floor, trembling as I held that diamond ring out to Evelyn.

But Evelyn stepped back in disgust, covering her nose. "After falling in that dirty water, I don't want it anymore. Nathan, let's just go buy a new one, okay?"

"Fine. Since it's dirty, throw it away."

Nathan's voice came from above my head. Immediately after, the ring I'd traded half my life for was kicked mercilessly into a nearby trash can by the man.

I lay on the cold floor, staring at that sparkling ring in the garbage, and suddenly let out a hoarse, low laugh.

The laughter grew louder, mixed with violent coughing. I felt everything inside my body tearing apart.

Nathan, you've not only trampled my dignity, you've personally killed the last faint glimmer of love I had.

My vision plunged into complete darkness. In that icy cold, I lost consciousness entirely.