Chapter 5

When the blindfold was ripped from my eyes, the heavy scent of rust and mildew instantly choked my nose and mouth.

I was in an abandoned factory, cold ropes digging deep into the flesh of my wrists.

Several figures closed in like predators, their bodies reeking of stale cigarettes, cheap liquor, and sweat, making my stomach lurch violently.

"Help... help..."

I shrieked in terror.

One man grabbed my chin, a lecherous grin on his face: "Little girl, you were moaning like that for an AI. We're real men, we'll make you even happier!"

With that, they ripped my clothes.

I struggled desperately, but my cancer-ravaged body was utterly helpless against their brutality.

Blows and kicks rained down, numbing me.

Finally, I was pinned down hard on the cold, rough concrete floor.

The moment the first man pressed down, my consciousness seemed to detach from my body.

My senses became numb, only a buzzing sound filling my ears.

Humiliation, excruciating pain, despair... countless emotions were crushed, ultimately forging into a single thought:

I just wanted to die, right now.

I don't know how much time passed. I lay curled on the ground, barely clothed, like a discarded, broken doll.

I stared blankly at the peeling paint on the ceiling, until a crisp "tap, tap, tap" sound approached from afar.

Chloe Sterling walked in.

She wore a dazzling, star-spangled dress and delicate rhinestone heels, her makeup perfect as if she were attending a grand ball.

She looked down at me, a high-and-mighty queen, looking down at the pathetic mess I was.

"Oh, Willow, darling," she exaggeratedly covered her mouth, her eyes glinting with venomous glee, "Did you enjoy the little gift I sent you? Isn't playing with real men much more fun than with an AI? It's been a while since you had such a good time, hasn't it, ever since you broke up with Blake?"

I looked at her, my cracked lips trembling, squeezing out a few words:

"...Just kill me."

"Kill you? That's too easy."

She slowly squatted down, her nails, painted a vivid crimson, tapping maliciously on my face. "I want to turn you into the most depraved, disgusting piece of trash in Blake's mind."

"Tomorrow is Blake and my engagement party. I'll bring you there, so everyone can get a good look at what kind of woman Blake's ex-girlfriend really is."