Yasmine felt like she had been thrown into ice-cold water. She froze.

Times had changed. Things were more open now than before, but if one was accused of colluding with foreign forces, interrogation was unavoidable.

Leo knew what happened to the people under questioning. He had told her all about their misery.

Yet for Yara and Noah’s sake, he was handing her over himself.

Guards pushed her forward. Before she was taken away, Leo leaned in close.

“You think faking a letter to study abroad just to play your little game with me would make me send Yara and Noah away? Take this as a lesson. Stop your scheming.”

If he had only looked at her face, he would have seen the last flicker of hope for him die in her eyes.

But he did not look at her.

He had abandoned her many times before. Why would this time be any different?

Yasmine did not fight back. She could not take it anymore.

They locked her in a pitch-black interrogation room. The cold air raised goosebumps across her skin.

The one in charge was Leo’s own subordinate.

His eyes were filled with disdain. He cracked a whip in his hand and brought it down hard.

Snap! Snap!

The whip, soaked in saltwater, carved bloody welts into her skin.

Yasmine screamed and spat out through gritted teeth, “Is this your idea of interrogation? This is nothing but torture!”

Her cries only fueled him. He struck harder.

“Our commander sacrificed his legs for this country, while you colluded with foreign powers! You shame him!

“He told me to make sure you learned your lesson. Whatever happens, he’ll take responsibility. Now, tell me. What was in that letter?”

Did he love Yara and Noah that much?

Leo loved them so much that he was willing to see her beaten like this!

She shook from the pain. She was about to speak, but the man sneered.

“Forget it! You’ll only deny it. Keep beating her! Don’t stop until she breaks.”

Two men dragged her away.

The nightmare lasted four days.

Her body was covered in whip marks, and her fingers were bruised from being crushed repeatedly.

Each time she passed out, a bucket of salt water brought her back.

There was not an inch left on her body that was not in pain.

She thought she really might die here.

Then, the door opened. Yara walked in as she pushed Leo’s wheelchair forward.

Leo looked down at the tied-up Yasmine. For a moment, pity flashed in his eyes.

“Yasmine, it’s been four days. Do you admit your mistake?

“Yara is generous. She’s willing to let go of how you treated her and Noah. If you just apologize, I’ll take you back home.”

Her heart had long turned to stone, yet his words still made her laugh bitterly.

“Fine! I’m sorry.

“I’m sorry for resenting Yara and Noah. I’m sorry for getting in the way of your love for them. I’m sorry for showing up at the Quinton house and disturbing your happy little family. Is that enough?”

Leo saw her teary eyes, and anxiety stirred in his chest.

“Yasmine, that’s not what I meant.

“There’s nothing between me and Yara. I swore to my brother I’d take care of her and Noah. You know that. Why can’t you understand?”

Yara stepped in to add fuel to the fire.

“Yasmine still misunderstands us, Leo. Maybe Noah and I shouldn’t be around you anymore.”

Leo shook his head without hesitation.

“No. Not again. Yara, I don’t want to hear that again. If you leave with Noah, how can I face my brother?”

He turned back to Yasmine, and disappointment burned in his eyes.

“Yasmine, you’re being childish! Stay here and reflect.”

He wheeled away in anger.

Yara did not follow.

She stopped in front of Yasmine, lifted her chin with a finger, and smiled airily.

“See? I put in the slightest effort, and Leo won’t listen to you.”

She then placed a hand on her stomach. Her expression was smug and taunting.

“You haven’t heard yet, have you? I’m carrying Leo’s child.”

Yasmine suddenly looked up and blurted out a question.

“How far along are you?”

Yara smiled. “Three months.”

Three months. One month older than the baby she had lost.

Yasmine remembered that Leo had told her he was away on a mission at that time. In truth, he had already taken in Yara to “take care of her.”

How shameless could he be? How could he claim there was nothing between him and Yara and accuse her of being paranoid?

A wave of nausea hit her.

She forced herself to remain calm so as to not show any weakness in front of Yara.

But Yara was not about to let her off.

She clapped her hands, and several burly men stepped inside.

“This is Yasmine Silva, the famous TV host. You all know her. She’s now a traitor accused of colluding with foreign powers.

“I’ll let you have your fun. Just don’t kill her.”

One of Leo’s men hesitated. He was unsure if this had gone too far.

Yara’s next words stopped him cold.

“This is all Leo’s idea. He wants to teach her a lesson so she won’t dare betray her country again.”

Yasmine shouted in fury, “I didn’t! You framed me! I never did any of this! Call Leo here! I want to confront him face-to-face!”

“Denying it won’t help. Leo won’t save you. He already promised me and Noah a trip to the islands. You can stay here and enjoy yourself,” said Yara viciously.

With that, Yara slammed the interrogation room door close behind her and left.

The men drew closer. Yasmine could already smell the stench of their bodies.

Rough hands grabbed at her arms, her legs, and other places she did not want to be touched.

She shut her eyes, and tears of despair streamed down her cheeks.

She regretted everything.

Why had she fallen for Leo’s lies? Why had she ever tied her life to someone like him?

After returning to the past, she should have stayed far away from the Quinton family and their mess. At least then she would not have ended up here.

Yasmine bit down hard on her tongue.

If this was how she was to be humiliated, she wanted to die.

The taste of blood filled her mouth. At that moment, the door burst open.

Emma rushed in. When she saw Yasmine’s condition, her eyes turned red with anger.

“Yasmine is the star of our provincial TV station! How dare you torture her without evidence?!”

The man in charge protested.

“Commander Quinton said she’s a spy. He even showed us her letters. How could that be false?”

Emma nearly laughed in fury. She threw an official document in his face.

“Those are letters from her university supervisor abroad! Don’t tell me you didn’t even bother to find someone to translate them?

“This is a personal attack! Just you wait. I’m going to file a formal appeal!”

She helped Yasmine, who was barely conscious, out of the room. No one dared to stop her.

Yasmine’s voice was weak but firm as she said, “Ms. Larson, please take me away from here.”

“But you’re injured, and you don’t even have your belongings.”

Yasmine glanced at her battered body and smiled wryly.

“It doesn’t matter. I just want to leave as soon as possible.”

Wounds could heal, and belongings could be replaced.

Her mother’s keepsake was already destroyed. There was nothing left for her here.

Emma had no choice but to put her on the private plane herself.

Before leaving, she looked at Yasmine’s pale face and sighed.

In only a few years with Leo, this spirited young woman she had mentored had faded from a lively person to a lifeless shadow of her past self.

“Yasmine, do you want me to help you file for divorce?”

Yasmine shook her head. Meeting Emma’s disappointed eyes, she said slowly, “We were never married. So, there’s no need for a divorce.

“I have nothing to do with Leo anymore.”

Those few words carried the weight of fifty years of bitterness across two lifetimes.

After saying goodbye to Emma, she buried the cherished broken jade bracelet in the soil of her hometown.

From then on, she would go her own way.

She swore never to see Leo again.