Chapter 4

Dr. Petrova brought me lunch, but it was just a sticky, foul-smelling gruel. I refused to eat it.

This clearly angered Damien.

Soon, a new "treatment" began.

It wasn't just sedatives anymore.

The medication Dr. Petrova injected no longer brought drowsiness, but intense headaches, severe stomach cramps, and uncontrollable nausea.

The orderlies' movements grew rougher too. Each injection or "examination" felt like torture, leaving large patches of ugly bruises.

"Mrs. Lockwood, Mr. Lockwood hopes you can 'recognize reality' and 'sincerely apologize' to Miss Hayes."

Dr. Petrova said flatly after an injection, though her eyes seemed to hold a fleeting, imperceptible hint of something complex.

"Your 'delusions' and 'aggressiveness' are very detrimental to your recovery."

"Dream on!"

"I, Avery Reed, will die here before I bow down to that pathetic woman and her pathetic lapdog!"

My defiance seemed to enrage Damien.

The torment escalated.

The unidentified drugs were injected more frequently, in larger doses.

My consciousness often teetered on the edge of extreme pain and oblivion.

Vomiting became a daily occurrence. Even when my stomach was empty, I could only retch bitter bile.

On the huge screen, the malice in the comments also escalated with my "misery," filled with words like "serves her right" and "good riddance."

That afternoon, after another injection, a sharp abdominal pain seized me.

Cold sweat drenched my entire body. I curled up on the cold floor, barely able to breathe.

The comments instantly flooded with mockery:

**[She moved! Starting to go crazy?]**

**[Sign of a mental breakdown? Grab your popcorn!]**

**[Who is she putting on a show for? Does she think anyone pities her?]**

Just then, a warm gush, without warning, surged from between my legs!

My body stiffened. I looked down in disbelief. A small, striking patch of dark red had spread across my light-colored pants!

Blood?!

My mind went blank.

My period? No, the timing was completely off! And this feeling was entirely different from usual!

The comments clearly caught my abnormality and my action of looking down, immediately exploding:

**[WTF! What’s wrong with her pants? What’s that red stuff?]**

**[Could she be on her period? How disgusting! Polluting the camera!]**

**[What does a crazy person care about periods? Maybe she self-harmed!]**

**[Tsk tsk, so dirty! Mr. Lockwood, divorce her already!]**

Panic instantly seized me! This wasn't right! Something was terribly wrong! The bleeding from my lower body, coupled with a constant, heavy ache in my lower abdomen, instinctively filled me with immense unease.

"Blood… I'm bleeding! Dr. Petrova, help me!"

I ignored the humiliation, my voice trembling uncontrollably with fear, as I called for Dr. Petrova.

"I don't know what's happening! My stomach hurts so bad! I need a doctor! A real doctor! I need to go to a hospital!"

Dr. Petrova, who had rushed over, also froze.

She saw the rapidly expanding dark red bloodstain, and for the first time, her brows genuinely furrowed.

She quickly walked over, knelt down, and swiftly examined me with gloved fingers. Her face instantly turned grim.

She motioned for the orderlies to step back, then stood up and walked to the room's corner, to the communicator connecting to the outside world, pressing the call button.

Her voice was barely a whisper, but in the silent cell, it was still clearly audible:

"Mr. Lockwood, Avery's condition is not good! She—she's experiencing heavy bleeding from her lower body!"

"This exceeds the expected scope of 'treatment'. I recommend immediately stopping the current medication regimen and conducting a detailed examination, or sending her to the hospital! Any longer, and her life may be in danger!"