Chapter 7

Liam grabbed my slender wrist.

He roughly dragged me back into the room, slammed me onto the bed, his tall figure looming over me.

"Rose, are you really that desperate?"

He demanded, his voice laced with venom.

I didn't want to explain anymore.

"Yes! Whose fault is it that you can't satisfy me? If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being so useless!"

Those words completely ignited Liam's fury.

He leaned down and bit my lip hard, the heavy taste of blood instantly spreading between our mouths.

A metallic, sweet taste in my throat, I turned my head, and another mouthful of blood spewed out.

Staining the pristine white bedsheet a horrifying red.

That dazzling red patch made Liam pause, his gaze frozen for a moment.

But quickly, that flicker of hesitation was replaced by deeper mockery.

"Your sins aren't atoned for yet. Want to die? Not that easy!"

He said coldly,

"I'll torment you for life! Until death do us part!"

He dragged me, wearing only a thin nightgown, outside the villa, ordering me to kneel in the early winter wind.

In the middle of the night, freezing rain began to fall.

Rain mixed with tears, soaking me completely.

I knelt on the hard gravel path, freezing until my consciousness blurred, eventually losing all sensation.

One afternoon, I struggled out of bed to get water, only to hear Chloe's panicked cries from downstairs.

"Liam! What do I do... I... I think I hit someone with my car!"

I leaned on the wall, struggling to reach the top of the stairs.

I saw Chloe throwing herself into Liam's arms, trembling with tears.

She recounted in terror how she had been drunk driving and hit a pedestrian, who was now critically injured and unconscious, and their family had already called the police.

After a brief silence, Liam comforted her:

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Liam's gaze fell on me, standing at the top of the stairs.

"You go."

I stared at him in disbelief.

Liam's tone was unquestionable:

"You take the fall for Chloe."

Looking at this man who would personally send me to prison, my heart ached to numbness.

I remained silent, accepting all this absurdity.

I was taken to the detention center, taking the blame for all of Chloe's crimes.

In that dark, damp environment, I spent the longest three days.

Repeated fevers, full-body pain, but I said nothing, just quietly waited for my life to ebb away.

On the third day, Liam's assistant picked me up.

The assistant looked at my emaciated, almost unrecognizable appearance, a flicker of pity in his eyes.

"Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Miller has been diagnosed with severe heart failure, her condition is critical. Mr. Hayes is scouring the world for a suitable heart donor for her. He asks you to behave yourself lately and stop causing trouble."

Heart failure? Needs a heart donor?