Chapter 4

She laughed, a profoundly bitter sound:

"Do you think I'm joking?"

I didn't answer.

She slammed the door and left.

That night, divorce papers were shoved in front of me.

I was to leave with nothing.

I picked up the pen to sign.

But she grabbed my wrist, stopping me.

"Think carefully before you sign."

I nodded: "I have thought about it."

Then I slowly began to write, her hand still gripping my wrist, slowly lowering as my signature formed.

The moment the agreement was signed, she snatched it away, a quick, defiant gesture.

Her face was full of disappointment:

"I misjudged you."

I closed my eyes.

That very day, I was driven out of the estate.

With no money to spare, I found a small 300-square-foot rental room.

And I quietly waited for the moment of my judgment.

I could almost see Serena being brought to justice on the day I died.

My breathing became erratic, my hands trembled.

Then, I could finally go to Leo, bringing with me the justice he deserved.

But that moment didn't come. Instead, Eleanor’s bodyguards arrived.

They dragged me back.

The first thing I saw was Noah, covered in blood, lying on a bed.

Blood covered his lower body.

Dark circles rimmed Eleanor's eyes; she hadn't slept in what seemed like ages.

Seeing me, she slapped me hard across the face:

"Didn't you say you didn't care if I kept the baby? Didn't you say you'd accept anything?

"Why did you destroy his dignity as a man!"

I was utterly stunned.

Noah trembled in pain:

"Bro… if you didn't want me to have a baby with Eleanor, I could have left. Why did you have to torment me in such a cruel way, to completely destroy me?"

Eleanor kicked me hard in the knee, forcing me down to the ground:

"I will find those thugs you hired and ensure those animals who did this to him die a horrific death!

"But… you, I can give you a chance."

She lifted my chin, squeezing my jaw until it ached:

"As long as you're willing to testify, I can have my team defend you, reduce your prison sentence by a few years."

Cold sweat streamed down my face from the pain. I managed to speak with difficulty:

"I'm afraid… I can't do that."

"What do you mean?"

"Because I'm dying."

She laughed, a harsh, furious sound:

"At a time like this, you're still protecting that vile woman, Serena?

"Let me tell you, I won't give you another chance. You will testify, whether you want to or not!"

With that, she grabbed my hand and viciously snapped my ring finger.

My wedding ring was still there.

I let out a heart-wrenching scream.

"Will you speak?"

She gripped my chin:

"What exactly did Serena do to my brother that night?"

I was drenched in sweat:

"You'll know when I'm dead."

Her eyes turned bloodshot.

She seemed to think I was challenging her.

"Do you really think I wouldn't let you die?"

My index finger, too, was broken.

"Will you speak?"

"Kill me."

Tears streamed down my face:

"Kill me, and you'll know everything."

Her eyes were terrifyingly red.

She nodded:

"Fine, I'll grant your wish."

She picked up a wrench.

And aimed it at my fingers.

"No… Eleanor, wait… Ahh!!"

One by one, all ten of my fingers were brutally smashed.

But what hurt even more was my heart.

I lay on the ground, my lips turning purple.

Eleanor's hand, holding the wrench, trembled slightly:

"If I hurt you, I'll go to jail with you."

I coughed up a mouthful of blood, my mangled fingers using their last strength to rip off my shirt buttons.

"You want to know the truth? I'll give it to you."

Seeing the hideous scar on my chest, Eleanor's wrench clattered to the floor with a "thump!"

"Callum?"

She stared at the gruesome scar over my heart, utterly stunned.