Chapter 2

James laughed. It was cruel and cold.

"You've got a death wish."

"No, I didn't send that message!" Sophia shook her head frantically, her voice raw. "It's a setup!"

James crouched down slowly. His long fingers gripped her chin, so hard it felt like her bones might crack.

"A setup?" His lips barely moved, each word colder than ice. "Ray set you up with her own life? Are you worth that much?"

Every word was a blade driving straight into Sophia's heart.

She wasn't worth it. In his eyes, she didn't measure up to a single strand of Raina's hair.

James released her suddenly and stood. "Killing you would be too easy."

"I want you alive. Suffering. Living worse than death, atoning for what you did to Ray."

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

Two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, hauled Sophia off the floor, and shoved her roughly into another car.

---

The hospital hallway glowed with harsh fluorescent light.

Sophia stood outside the emergency room, flanked by two guards. Her chest throbbed, her cheek swollen, the corner of her mouth split open. She looked like she'd been dragged through hell.

James stood a short distance away, lighting one cigarette after another. A pile of butts littered the ground at his feet.

Time crawled. Every second felt like torture.

Finally, the emergency room doors swung open.

The doctor pulled off his mask, exhaustion etched into his face. "I'm sorry, Mr. Russell. We did everything we could. By the time she arrived, her heart had already stopped..."

Sophia couldn't hear the rest. She only saw James standing frozen in place for a long moment.

Then he spun around.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto her with a look that could tear her apart.

"Are you happy now?"

He walked toward her, raising his hand as if to slap her again. But his hand stopped mid-air. He lowered it.

He just stared at her, voice quiet and vicious. "Starting today, you're nothing but a dog to the Russell family."

"I'll lock you up. Let you live in agony every single day until you die."

Sophia was taken back to the Russell Villa. What awaited her was a dark, damp basement.

The heavy iron door slammed shut with a deafening clang, cutting off all light from outside.

James kept his word. He really did treat her like a dog.

Once a day, a maid brought her food—usually scraps and leftovers.

Sophia's stomach problems worsened. Every time she ate, pain twisted through her gut until she was curled up on the floor, drenched in cold sweat.

She lost track of time. One day? Two? In this lightless pit, time had no meaning.

In the darkness, she often thought back to the car accident three years ago. She'd forgotten so much. The only thing clear in her mind was James's face.

After losing her memory, he was the only lifeline she had.

And now, that lifeline had shoved her straight into the abyss.

Sometimes, she couldn't stop thinking about painting. It was instinct, etched into her bones.

She used to be an artist, hadn't she? A revered master had once called her a genius.

But now, her hands couldn't even hold a brush.

Suddenly, the basement door opened. Blinding light flooded in. Sophia instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.

James stood in the doorway, backlit and shadowed. He'd lost weight. He looked haggard, stubble darkening his jaw.

But the hatred in his eyes hadn't dimmed one bit.

"Get out."

His voice was ice.

Sophia stumbled to her feet. She hadn't moved in so long that her legs tingled and went numb.

She was led to the living room. James tossed a document in front of her.

"Sign it."

Sophia looked down. A property transfer agreement—James wanted everything in her name transferred to Raina as compensation.

Including the old house he'd given her before they got married.

"No..." Her voice was faint but steady. "Everything else, fine. But not the house."

"You don't get to say no."

James's gaze turned glacial in an instant.

He pulled out his phone and made a call on speaker.

"How's Mrs. Grey doing at the hospital?" he asked coolly.

Sophia's heart clenched.

Her mother had been hospitalized for heart disease.

"Mrs. Grey's condition isn't good. She needs bypass surgery immediately. The procedure will cost about two hundred thousand dollars. But..." The voice on the line hesitated. "There's not enough money in the account."

James hung up.

He looked at Sophia's ashen face with casual satisfaction.

"Your mother's life or your property. Pick one."

Despicable. Shameless.

Sophia screamed it in her mind, but her body trembled with fear.

She knew James meant every word.

"I'll sign..."

She picked up the pen and scrawled her name at the bottom of the agreement.

James took the document, looking pleased.

But the torture didn't stop.

He pulled out something else and tossed it at her feet—a black mourning dress.

"Tomorrow is Ray's funeral." His voice was flat, emotionless. "You're going to kneel at her grave all night."

Sophia's head snapped up, disbelief flooding her face.

He wanted her to kneel at Raina's grave in the most humiliating way possible, atoning for a crime she didn't commit.

What was his heart made of? How could he be this cruel?

With his resources and the Russell family's power, uncovering the truth about Raina's death would be easy. But he refused to believe her. He wouldn't even look into it.

When she didn't move, James's patience ran out. "Or I can stop your mother's treatment right now."

"I'll go."

Sophia closed her eyes.

For her mother, she could endure any humiliation.

Watching her submit so easily, James felt no satisfaction. Instead, a strange irritation stirred in his chest.

"Remember. All night."

"One minute less, one second short, and your mother pays double."