Chapter 2

Isabella's POV

Sebastian grabbed me by the head and forcibly shoved me into a wooden crate.

The darkness swallowed me.

For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

Four years ago, during an assassination assignment, the target's family had played a cruel trick on me. They had locked me inside a wooden coffin with a corpse and nailed it shut.

The coffin was so narrow that I could barely move. I had spent three days and three nights pressed against a decomposing body, trapped in complete darkness, until I was finally released.

I had nearly died.

Ever since then, I had suffered from severe claustrophobia.

"Let me out! I'm sorry! Please, somebody help me!"

I panicked, clawing desperately at the cracks between the wooden planks.

By the time all ten of my fingernails had broken and my throat was too hoarse to produce a coherent sound, someone finally opened the crate.

My face was soaked with tears.

I crawled out and desperately grabbed Sebastian's trouser leg.

"Please... don't lock me up again. I'll die in there!"

Sebastian initially reached out as if to help me, but quickly withdrew his hand.

"Can you stop making a scene? Stop pretending to be pitiful!"

"Every client who hired you for an assassination was personally selected by me. They were only supposed to toughen you up. None of them would actually dare hurt you."

It took me several seconds to process his words.

"Those... those assignments were all arranged by you?"

Memories flooded my mind.

"Get on your knees. Otherwise, you're not getting paid."

"Finish all these bottles. Maybe then I'll consider giving you an extra hundred dollars."

The filthy remarks, the hands that had wandered over my body, and even the most humiliating experiences of my life...

Had my brother arranged all of them?

He answered as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

"So what? I just wanted you to learn to put yourself in other people's shoes."

"Without my training, how would you have gotten the chance to come home today?"

"Besides, Vivian is hosting a charity gala tonight. You're coming with us. Only if you show up can people finally believe that Vivian isn't the daughter of a kidnapper."

Damian spoke with an air of generosity.

"You've always wanted a wedding, haven't you? Once you give Vivian a daughter, I'll give you the wedding of the century."

It was once a promise Damian had made to me beneath the moonlight.

Now, it had become nothing more than bait to lure me into another trap.

A countdown flashed before my eyes.

[12 hours remaining.]

I lowered my gaze, slowly suppressing the hatred surging inside me.

When I looked up again, the panic had disappeared from my face.

"Fine. I'll go."

The moment I entered the ballroom, reporters surrounded me with microphones.

"You haven't appeared in public for years. Everyone is curious about the relationship between the two Sterling heiresses. Have you finally reconciled?"

Mom shoved a piece of paper into my hand and whispered sharply,

"Read it!"

I lowered my eyes.

The paper read:

[I've never been kidnapped. I simply got lost because I was being naughty as a child. Vivian's mother kindly took me in and treated me wonderfully. She's my greatest benefactor.]

[After returning home, I was jealous of Vivian and bullied her constantly. I behaved horribly. I haven't appeared in public these past few years because I've been reflecting on my mistakes.]

Dad urged me impatiently.

"Come on. Read it!"

"Reconciliation?"

My fingers tightened around the paper.

Then, in front of everyone, I tore it to pieces.

"Why should I reconcile with someone who abused me?"

The entire ballroom fell silent.

Even the camera flashes seemed to stop for a moment.

I stared straight at Vivian, gritting my teeth.

"You've stolen my identity for twenty years. Was that not enough? Why did you have to become a mistress and steal my child, too?"

Gasps erupted throughout the ballroom.

Every pair of eyes turned toward Vivian.

Her face went pale for barely a second.

Then her eyes reddened, and she put on her familiar expression of wounded innocence.

"Isabella, why are you accusing me again?"

She bit her lip and pulled a folded marriage certificate from her purse.

"Damian and I are legally married. You're the mistress here."

My mind went blank.

I rushed forward and snatched the marriage certificate from her hand.

The names printed on it were unmistakable.

Damian Blackwood.

Vivian Sterling.

No wonder Damian had always stopped me whenever I asked to see our marriage certificate. He claimed something so precious had to be kept in a bank's safe-deposit box.

The blood slowly drained from my face.

I turned stiffly toward Damian.

"Isabella, a title doesn't matter. All that matters is knowing that I love you."

He looked completely unashamed.

"Besides, you took Vivian's place as the Sterling heiress in the first place. We owed her a proper identity so she could establish herself in high society."

Then he turned toward the reporters.

"I'm sorry you had to witness this. My sister-in-law has been mentally unstable for years. She suffers from delusions. Please don't take anything she says seriously."

The moment Sebastian said those words, the surrounding expressions changed to disgust.

"So she's crazy? I knew there was no way Mr. Blackwood would ever have anything to do with a woman like her."

"You shameless homewrecker! Don't you dare bully my mommy!"

A little boy suddenly rushed out of the crowd and slammed his head into my stomach.

I stumbled backward and fell to the floor.

But I recognized him immediately.

He was my son.

My entire body trembled. I instinctively reached out to embrace him, but Sebastian violently yanked me backward.

His fingernails dug into my arm.

"Vivian isn't like you. She has nothing. I won't let you steal her child!"

My voice shook.

"But he's my son."

Sebastian's expression darkened.

He pulled out his phone and opened a video, holding the screen close to my ear.

"Those scenes were staged. I hired people to act them out. But tell me, if Damian and the boy see this, will they believe it? Do you think a child would want a mother like you?"

The footage made my vision blur.

It showed me three years ago, after finishing an assassination assignment, being dragged into an alley by a group of men and sexually assaulted.

I had struggled until my clothes were torn apart.

Until the very last moment, I had still foolishly hoped Sebastian would come and save me.

Blood rose in my throat.

I could no longer hold back my scream.

"Do you have any idea what those bastards actually did to me?!"

"Enough. Stop acting!"

Sebastian interrupted me sharply, his eyes full of displeasure.

"Those men were actors I paid. They wouldn't dare touch the heiress of the Sterling family!"

"You're only putting on this pathetic performance because you want us to feel guilty and send Vivian away. I honestly don't understand how you can be so intolerant of her!"

My chest heaved.

Who was the one who couldn't tolerate whom?

I bit down hard until my mouth filled with the taste of blood.

The system's countdown continued flashing before my eyes.

[5 hours remaining.]

Forget it.

There was no point arguing anymore.

I'd be free soon.

Just then, someone grabbed my hair and yanked my head backward.

The pain tore through my scalp.