Chapter 5

“Holy cow, in the middle of the night, there’s actually a woman here, and a real beauty at that! Bro, we’re in luck tonight.” The man holding the flashlight spoke, his sticky gaze fixed on me.

The other man was already somewhat impatient and walked straight towards me. “What are you talking about? Let’s go! We’ve been patrolling these mountains daily, checking power lines, and haven’t seen a single female. This one’s just handed to us, why wouldn’t we take it?”

Listening to their strange words, a chill ran through me. Most likely, I had run into some power line workers from the mountain.

But these two had ill intentions.

Instinctively, I wanted to run, but after my fall, I couldn’t even take a step, nor did I have a chance to speak.

My mouth was covered.

The two men dragged me to a nearby cave. To prevent me from making any noise, they completely gagged me.

Then, like hungry wolves, they began to tear at my clothes, while excitedly muttering obscenities and threatening me to cooperate.

Otherwise, they said, they would kill me and abandon my body in the cave, assuring me that no one would ever find me in this place.

I didn’t want to die. I kicked and struggled with all my might, but they were like madmen. After tearing off my clothes, they pinned me to the ground.

The moment my skin was exposed to the cold air, my stomach churned with nausea, and I felt utterly desperate.

Listening to their sneering laughs and panting breaths, an endless wave of unwillingness surged within me. Just as I was about to struggle free from the two beasts and bash my head against the wall to end it all,

A violent, bloodthirsty voice roared, “What are you doing?!”

Then, through my blurry vision, I saw Liam, who had found me. His face was dark and terrifying, his eyes blood-red.

He rushed forward, grabbed the man on top of me, and slammed his fist into him. The other man, seeing an outsider, grabbed a tool and swung it at Liam.

Liam dodged, then his fists fell. Neither man was a match for him. His eyes blazing, he beat both men to the ground, almost to death, his punches lethal.

I cowered in the corner, trembling all over. When Liam looked at me, before he could even get close, I couldn't hold on any longer. My vision went black, and I passed out.

I woke up again in a hospital bed.

Mrs. Sterling was by my side. Seeing me awake, she called the doctor to check on me.

I learned from the doctor that I had only fainted from fright and was fine now. I asked Mrs. Sterling to handle the discharge papers, ready to leave.

Mrs. Sterling mentioned that Liam had hurt his hand helping me beat up those two animals and was getting his wounds treated in the surgical department.

Thinking about Liam in the cave, almost like a madman, fiercely attacking those two men.

My heart was a mix of emotions.

After a moment of hesitation, I still got out of bed and went to the surgical department to see Liam.

Outside the department, just as I was about to push the door open, I heard the voices of Liam’s friends.

“Liam, those two workers were just caught up in the moment. Weren’t you a bit too harsh, trying to kill them?”

“Yeah, and besides, you personally pushed our sister-in-law down the hill, planning to leave her to freeze and get scared overnight so she’d become even more dependent on you and wouldn’t agree to any more blind dates arranged by your parents. Later, even if you broke up with her, she’d still be grateful and available whenever you called. Even though those two workers messing up your plan, they actually helped you stage an even better hero rescue. It's a win-win.”

“Exactly! The effect is way better than Liam’s original plan. Our sister-in-law saw you appear out of nowhere to save her with her own eyes. From now on, she’ll give you her life if you ask, let alone those ‘thrilling things’ you want to try, Liam.”

I froze outside the door, my hands and feet turning instantly cold.

At first, I thought that moment I was pushed, falling down the hill, was just my imagination.

It turned out Liam had pushed me.

My nails dug into my palms, but the conversation inside continued.

“But those two men deserved it. Good thing Liam reminded us to protect Daisy at the campsite. If Daisy had accidentally run into those two, forget about them treating her like they did our sister-in-law – Liam would have torn them to shreds just for looking at her.”

“Nonsense, can our sister-in-law and Daisy be compared? Putting everything else aside, Liam wouldn’t even dare push Daisy. He’s treasured Daisy like a baby all these years. He was only risking the bad luck he believed I brought, using me to gain experience, fearing he might be too rough with Daisy when he eventually marries her. Otherwise, what do you think Liam has been faking such deep love for our sister-in-law all these years?”

“Alright, stop comparing Daisy and Ivy. They’re not the same.” It was Liam’s voice.

Not the same!

Biting my lip hard, my chest felt choked, I wanted to laugh, but couldn’t.

Ha, from beginning to end, it was all a scam. Four years of "loving me fiercely" was an act. The so-called "hero rescue" was a deliberate plot.

Taking a few steps back, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. I turned and walked away.

###