"To ensure the purity of tomorrow's stem cell extraction, we need to perform a bone marrow puncture tonight as preparation."

The head nurse's cold voice echoed through the empty hospital room.

My blood seemed to run cold as I stared at the thick puncture needle, more than ten centimeters long.

"I just had surgery. My body can't handle this! You're trying to kill me!"

I desperately shrank toward the corner of the bed, trying to avoid the hands reaching for me.

The head nurse remained unmoved and signaled to the two male orderlies beside her.

They immediately pinned my shoulders and legs down from both sides.

"Miss Hart, please cooperate. Mr. Crowe made it clear that if we didn't use some force, you wouldn't cooperate."

I struggled in sheer desperation.

"Call Julian here! I want to see him!"

The head nurse let out a cold laugh as she picked up the thick needle.

"Mr. Crowe is busy helping Miss Vale try on her birthday dress for next month. He doesn't have time for you. Oh, and Mr. Crowe specifically instructed us that in order not to affect the stem cells' activity, this puncture will be done without anesthesia."

My mind exploded in shock.

No anesthesia?

They were going to drive that needle straight into my pelvic bone?

"Has he lost his mind?" I screamed hysterically.

The head nurse didn't give me a chance to resist and lifted my hospital gown.

Cold disinfectant was spread across my lower back.

The next second, a searing pain shot straight through my bone marrow.

I screamed in agony.

My body jerked violently like a fish thrown onto dry land.

The orderlies held me down firmly, not letting me move even an inch.

The pain felt like someone was dragging a dull saw back and forth across my bones.

My nails dug into the bedsheet until they snapped, blood staining the fabric.

"Hold her tighter. If she moves and the needle breaks inside, we'll have a real problem." The head nurse gave orders coldly, her hands never pausing.

Pain darkened my vision as cold sweat and tears soaked my face.

Julian...

How could his heart be so cruel?

For Serena's sake, he wouldn't even allow me anesthesia.

I had no idea how long the torture lasted.

By the time the needle was finally pulled out, I had already blacked out from the pain.

When I woke again, the surroundings had changed.

The air was thick with the sour smell of mold mixed with disinfectant.

The soft hospital bed was gone. I was lying on a hard military cot.

Above me hung a dim bulb that flickered weakly.

This was the hospital's basement storage room.

I turned my neck with difficulty and saw piles of discarded medical equipment nearby.

The sound of high heels echoed outside the door.

The door opened, and Serena walked in wearing a tailored suit.

She covered her nose in disgust and nudged my cot with her foot.

"Well, well. The once-proud Mrs. Crowe is now lying here like a piece of trash. How pathetic."

I looked at her coldly and said nothing.

Serena looked down at me from above, her eyes gleaming with vicious satisfaction.

"Don't look at me like that. The VIP room is full, and there's nowhere to put all my supplements. Julian said you're basically useless now anyway. It doesn't matter where you sleep, so they moved you down here."

As she spoke, she pulled a delicate invitation card from her bag and tossed it onto my face.

"My birthday banquet is next week. Julian said that to celebrate my new life, he'll announce our engagement at the party."

I stared at the bright red invitation, my heart turning cold and empty.

"So you came here just to show off?"

Serena covered her mouth and giggled softly.

"Of course not. Julian ordered that you must attend next week's party. After all, without your blood, how could I stand beside him looking so radiant?"

She suddenly leaned down, her lips close to my ear.

The sound of leather shoes stepping across the concrete floor echoed outside the door.

Serena's expression changed instantly.

She suddenly straightened up, let out a sharp scream, and threw herself toward the abandoned metal rack beside her.

"Ah! Stella, don't push me!"

With a dull thud, her forehead struck the edge of the metal rack, and blood immediately began to seep out.

At the same moment, the door was kicked open violently.

Julian rushed in with long strides and immediately saw Serena lying on the floor, bleeding.

"Serena!"

His eyes widened with fury as he pulled Serena into his arms.

Serena nestled against his chest, sobbing pitifully.

"Julian, please don't blame Stella. She just hates me too much… she thinks I stole your love. I'm fine. I just feel a little dizzy."

Julian suddenly turned toward me, his eyes dark and vicious.

He strode to my bed, grabbed my collar, and hauled half my body off the mattress.

"Stella! Are you looking for death? Serena came to see you out of kindness, and you dared to attack her?"

His grip nearly cut off my breathing, yet I looked at him with a cold smile.

"I can't even stand. What exactly did I use to push her? Julian, are you blind?"

A sharp slap rang out.

A brutal slap struck my face.

My head snapped to the side. My ears rang as blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.

"You still dare to argue back!"

Julian's furious roar echoed through the basement.

"I completely misjudged you. You're nothing but a vicious woman! Since you love using your hands so much, you won't need them anymore!"

He turned and shouted toward the guards outside the door. "Break her hands."

Two burly bodyguards stepped in immediately and grabbed my arms from both sides.

Serena hurriedly tugged at Julian's sleeve, pretending to plead for mercy.

"Julian, don't! If Stella's hands are ruined, how will she take care of me later? She already gave me her stem cells. Her life will be difficult from now on, so I'm willing to keep her around. Let her stay by my side for the rest of her life and serve me as atonement, alright?"

Julian looked at Serena, his eyes instantly softening with tenderness.

"Serena, you're just too kind. Even after what she did to you, you still want to spare her."

When he turned back to me, the warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced by cold indifference.

"Did you hear that? From today on, you are no longer Mrs. Crowe. You're leaving this marriage with nothing. From now on, you are Serena's personal caretaker. And her personal blood donor. If she tells you to kneel, you don't stand."

He pulled a divorce agreement from his suit pocket and threw it, along with a pen, in front of me.

"Sign it."

I looked at the divorce papers without crying or protesting.

After overwhelming despair, my heart had become eerily calm.

There was truly no sorrow greater than a heart that had died.

With trembling hands, I picked up the pen and slowly wrote my name on the signature line.

Stella Hart.

After finishing the last stroke, I tossed the papers back at him.

"Julian, just as you wished. A cheating bastard and a worthless bitch. Perfect match. Hope you stay together forever."

Julian's face turned livid as he raised his hand to strike me again.

I met his gaze without a hint of fear.

For some reason, when he saw the lifeless look in my eyes, his hand froze in midair and never came down.

He let out a cold snort, picked Serena up, and strode away.

The basement fell silent once again.

Supporting my battered body, I slowly pulled out an old backup phone hidden beneath the pillow.

I had hidden it inside the lining of my clothes before the avalanche.

I powered it on and dialed a hidden number.

The moment the call connected, an eerie smile slowly curled on my lips.

"Miss Hart, you finally reached out to us." A respectful, low male voice came through the phone.

I leaned against the cold wall. My voice was weak, yet unwavering.

"The plan moves up. Do it tomorrow, on the way to the nursing facility."

After ending the call, I pulled out the SIM card and tossed it into the nearby drain.

Early the next morning.

Julian's bodyguards roughly dragged me off the camp bed and shoved me into a black van.

"Sit still!" The bodyguard snarled the warning, then locked the door.

The van started and headed toward a private nursing facility on the outskirts of the city.

I leaned against the window, watching the scenery blur past outside.

The route ran along a steep mountain road.

Far below roared the rushing Azurecliff River.

The radio inside the van was playing the morning news.

"Today, Julian Crowe, president of Crowe Group, announced that he will host a grand banquet next week. The event will also reveal his engagement to his childhood sweetheart, Ms. Serena Vale. Sources say Mr. Crowe has already finalized an amicable divorce from his former wife."

The bodyguard snorted and shot me a mocking look through the rearview mirror.

"You hear that? Mr. Crowe is about to marry Ms. Vale. A discarded ex-wife like you should get used to life in that facility. You'll just be their little blood-drawing machine."

I ignored his mockery and simply watched the curve ahead.

Just as the van was about to enter the sharpest U-shaped bend.

A massive cargo truck suddenly swerved out of the opposite lane, completely out of control.

The shriek of brakes tore through the air.

The harsh sound echoed across the valley.

The bodyguard panicked and jerked the steering wheel wildly, but it was already too late.

A violent crash exploded around us.

The impact sent the whole world spinning.

The van smashed through the guardrail and hung over the edge of the cliff.

The front of the van was crushed. The bodyguard slumped over the wheel, blood covering his face.

The vehicle swayed dangerously, ready to plunge into the abyss at any moment.

I calmly unfastened my seatbelt.

From my pocket, I pulled out the surgical blade I had hidden long ago.

Without hesitation, I slashed it hard across my wrist.

Blood burst out instantly, splattering across the window and the seats.

I took off the hospital gown soaked with my blood and hung it on the van's door handle.

Then I pushed open the door on the other side and leapt into the bushes below.

A few seconds later.

A thunderous explosion erupted.

The van finally lost its balance, rolling off the cliff and plunging into the Azurecliff River with a deafening explosion.

Flames shot into the sky as thick smoke billowed upward.

Hidden among the bushes, I lay flat on the ground and watched the blazing inferno below.

Julian's blood slave was dead.

From this moment on, Stella Hart no longer existed in this world.

......

President's Office, Crowe Group.

Julian was personally selecting jewelry for Serena's birthday banquet.

The phone on his desk suddenly began vibrating violently.

He answered the call, frowning slightly.

"What is it?"

The terrified voice of the head bodyguard came through the line.

"Mr. Crowe, something terrible happened! The vehicle transporting Miss Hart crashed on the mountain road and exploded after falling into the river!"

Julian's hand jerked violently. The priceless diamond necklace slipped from his fingers and fell onto the desk.

He shot to his feet, his voice rising sharply.

"What did you just say? Where is Stella? Where is she!"

The captain's voice trembled with panic.

"The vehicle burned down to a shell, and the river current is too strong… All we recovered on the rocks downstream was a blood-stained hospital gown… and—"

Julian yanked his tie loose, breathing hard.