Chapter 3

Late at night, the door swung open.

A figure in a lab coat slipped inside, holding a tiny camera.

He wasn't a doctor—he was one of the men my mother had arranged.

For a moment, my heart nearly stopped.

I tried desperately to roll off the bed, but the sedatives kept me paralyzed.

No... please...

I screamed silently in my mind.

What happened next felt like an eternity in hell.

Shame, disgust, and agony—all magnified in that small hospital room.

When the man finally left and locked the door behind him, I felt like I'd died and come back.

At eight in the morning, the door slammed open.

Sunlight spilled into the room, illuminating every corner of this place filled with evil.

A rush of footsteps followed.

"Oh my God! Elena!"

My mother rushed to my bedside, grabbing me in a trembling embrace. "How could this happen... Who did this to you?!"

I stared blankly at the ceiling, letting her hold me.

If I had any strength left, I'd tear out her throat.

Austin followed close behind, his face pale, eyes darting away from mine.

"Elena... don't be afraid, I'm here," he said, voice dry and shaky. "We'll protect you. No one will ever hurt you again."

Protect me?

How ironic.

"It's all my fault, honey. I should've stayed with you last night... taken better care of you..." My mother squeezed my hand, hot tears falling onto my skin. "You suffered so much..."

I glared at her, silently demanding: Is this what you call caring?

Just then, her phone rang. On the screen, Julian's name flashed.

He should have been my last lifeline—but seeing his name only made my heart ache with cold despair.

My mother glanced at the caller ID, and the grief on her face twisted into a fleeting, sinister smile.

She hit speaker.

"Julian, it's Catherine. I know you saw—"

"You disgusting liars!" Julian's voice exploded from the phone, raw and full of hatred. "I saw the video! I saw Elena's face!"

Even through the phone, I could feel the tremor in his voice—the kind that comes from soul-crushing disappointment.

"She treated the hospital like some sleazy motel? I was about to sue those rumor-mongers like a fool! But she was willing! She didn't even fight back in the video!"

He had no idea I was drugged, unable to move.

To him, my silence looked like consent—or even enjoyment.

My heart shattered completely.

My mother's plan was perfect. She exploited Julian's pride, his obsession with my innocence.

"The engagement is off!" Julian's voice turned cold and final. "Tell her it's over. A woman like that will never be welcome in my family. As for the marriage alliance... I'll reconsider Sarah. She's boring, but at least she's clean."

He hung up.

The room fell into a strange, suffocating silence.

My mother slowly put away her phone. She stroked my cheek—this time, her touch was icy.

"See? Men are all the same," she whispered.

The door creaked open.

Sarah stepped in, wearing a simple white dress, her eyes red and puffy, holding a damp tissue. She looked even more pitiful than I did.

"Mom... how's Elena?" Sarah tiptoed to the bed, gaze full of innocence. "I heard Julian was furious... Why would Elena do something so foolish..."

She leaned in, whispering so only I could hear: "Sis, since you didn't cherish your body or Julian, I'll take good care of him for you."

Then she straightened up, turning to the doctor with a look of shock and helplessness. "Doctor, with Elena like this, does she need her uterus removed?"

The doctor sighed and ordered me to be wheeled to surgery.

As they pushed me out, I heard him warn my mother again: "Ma'am, I have to remind you—removing a healthy uterus will damage her body. She'll never be a mother, she'll age faster, and her health will decline. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"