"That's right. Cassandra counts the days, too. Seeing how exhausted Harvey is, she cries every day."

Really?

But I was dying of cancer. There was no future left for me to wait for. I didn't want to keep waiting either.

"I'm sick," I said.

Saying it out loud felt like finally exhaling after holding my breath for too long.

Cassandra, however, didn't believe me. She let out a cold laugh instead.

"You're sick, alright. Fine. You want half a day off? I'll give it to you. But don't think acting unreasonably will earn you anything more. This leave will be made up later. For the next ten days, you'll cut one hour from your sleep each night to compensate."

"Does Xavier have to make up his leave too?" I retorted.

She answered without hesitation, "He's different."

So that was it. He didn't have to make up for lost time.

Her response lit the fuse on everything I'd been holding down. "Is he different, or does he just matter more to you?"

Cassandra studied me for a moment, then sighed. "I didn't want you overthinking this, but since you already are, I might as well tell you.

"Five years ago, when I was working abroad, I ran into trouble. Xavier took 18 stab wounds while trying to save me. He nearly died. I tolerate him because I owe him my life. It has nothing to do with romantic feelings. Do you understand now?"

Five years ago was also when she had returned home, distracted and hollow-eyed, and started her elite training on me.

I'd thought she was shaken by truly exceptional people abroad. It turned out she was only using me to repay a debt.

Even though the lines of text had already hinted at the truth, hearing it stated so plainly still sent a sharp pain through my chest. I clutched at it and slowly sank into a crouch.

Cassandra's expression changed. "What's wrong with you?"

She was just about to help me up when Xavier suddenly rushed over, his eyes red as he pointed at me. "Harvey, you took the flash drive with the confidential files, didn't you? Stop pretending to be sick to dodge responsibility!

"Getting fired is one thing, but if those files fall into a competitor's hands, the company could go under. If you hate me, curse me or hit me, but don't gamble with the company's future."

Cassandra's face darkened immediately. "Where did you hide it?"

The pain had already drained all strength from my limbs.

Before I could answer, Cassandra's hands were on me, searching roughly through my clothes. I stared at her, stunned. "Cassandra, do I really not deserve even a little trust from you?"

She didn't ask a single follow-up question. She believed Xavier without hesitation.

She pulled the neatly-folded diagnosis report out of my pocket. Just as she was about to look at it, she glanced at me, disappointment flickering across her face.

"When we were in school, you used to steal love letters other people wrote to me. I thought after all these years, you'd really changed. Alas, a leopard never changes its spots."

I'd done stupid things back then because I liked her, but I'd admitted my mistakes long ago and apologized to everyone involved.

She'd even comforted me, saying that knowing one's faults and correcting them mattered more, and that she believed I wasn't a bad person at heart.

Yet, even after seven years of dating and five years of marriage, I was nothing more than a thief in her eyes.

Xavier snatched the report from her hand, glanced at it once, and tossed it into the trash. "It's useless."

Cassandra's patience finally ran out. "If it's not in your pants pocket, then it must be in your jacket."

She told Xavier to hold me while she cut open my coat and searched every inch of my body.

In the end, even my undershirt was stripped off.

The cold air was nothing compared to the weight of strangers' stares and the phones raised to record everything.

Suddenly, my symptoms hit me. I broke out in a cold sweat and curled forward, barely able to stay upright.

Cassandra, however, didn't soften in the slightest.

"Do you think playing the victim will make me stop? Don't be naive. If it's not on you, then tell me where you hid it," Cassandra demanded.

At that moment, Xavier handed her his phone and sighed. "Cassie, I noticed Harvey's been chatting with another woman. I didn't want to interfere in your private matters, but I'm worried he might have handed the files to her."

Cassandra scrolled through the screen, her face growing darker with every second. She shoved the phone toward me. On the screen was a screenshot.

"'Good night, Babe. Sweet dreams.' Harvey, have I given you so much rest time that you still have energy to flirt?"

The screenshots were fake.

I wanted to explain, but my body wouldn't cooperate. I forced the words out through clenched teeth. "I didn't do any of that."

Xavier raised his voice. "Harvey, the evidence is right here. Stop denying it."

He then turned to Cassandra. "Cassie, don't worry. Men make mistakes all the time. My friend runs a training center that specializes in correcting disobedient men.

"Sheila's husband used to mess around constantly. After spending seven days there, he couldn't even stand the sight of another woman."

Cassandra was displeased. "Don't compare my husband to trash like them. He wouldn't betray me. He was just misled and had a rebellious bout."

Xavier nodded eagerly. "You're right, Cassie. I misspoke. But don't worry. Leave him with me for seven days, and you'll have your obedient Harvey back."

Cassandra hesitated only briefly before agreeing, "No corporal punishment. Don't starve him either. He's my elite husband. If you turn him into a sick wreck, I won't let you off."

He reassured her, "Relax. We're a legitimate institution. We educate. We don't punish."

I wanted to resist, but I was completely drained of my strength.

As my eyes closed, the last thing I saw was Cassandra's back as she walked away without looking back.

…

When I woke up again, I was in a basement.

Xavier grabbed my hair and forced a spoonful of writhing insects into my mouth, clamping a hand over my mouth, so I had no choice but to swallow.

"I had people catch these straight from a latrine. They're packed with protein. I wouldn't even eat them myself. I'm treating you so well, and you won't even thank me?"

The insects squirmed against my tongue, bitter and rancid, making my stomach churn.

I looked at him coldly and rolled my eyes.

Xavier flew into a rage. "How dare you glare at me? Fine. Turn on the shock. There isn't anyone I can't train!"

The switch came down. Electricity surged through my body, and my scream tore out of me.

For seven days straight, I drifted in and out of consciousness under the current. Even when my body gave out, even when my lips were bitten raw, I never gave in.

"Harvey, don't be afraid. Seven days will be over soon. Cassandra will come save you."

"Once Xavier's true colors are exposed, Cassandra will avenge you. Hang in there!"

When I still refused to break, Xavier ignored everyone's protests and turned the machine all the way up.

Foam spilled from my mouth, and the pain faded into numbness.

In my haze, I saw Cassandra from our high school days. Her hair was pulled into a ponytail, her expression distant and proud.

"Harvey York, you'd better think twice if you want to confess to me," she said. "After all, my partner has to be better than me."

If I could start over, would I still choose her?

I tried to open my eyes and think it through, but I was too tired.

I just wanted to sleep.

The lines of text scattered and vanished as my world went quiet.

Third Person Point-of-View

"So you're pretending you can't talk now?" Xavier snarled. "You think staying silent will save you? Do you want me to shock you until you really can't speak anymore?"

He completely lost control. He slammed the switch down without hesitation, pushing the machine to its absolute limit.

Harvey's body went slack on the electric bed, consciousness slipping away again as the current tore through him. He lay there motionless, like a corpse, allowing the electricity to surge through him.

The room was filled with a nauseating smell. It was a mix of waste and something faintly burned.

Several staff members rushed forward in panic, trying to stop Xavier. "Mr. Lynch, you've been running the highest current for two hours straight. If you keep this up, he's going to die!"

"And whose fault is that? His mouth is too damn stubborn!" Xavier growled. "Anyone else would've begged for mercy the first time they got shocked, but he refuses to give in. If we let him walk out like this, everything we've built will be ruined!

"So what if he's not afraid of electricity? Add something else. I refuse to believe I can't break him!"

The others hesitated.

At that moment, Xavier's phone rang. He answered it, and an urgent voice came through the speaker. "Mr. Lynch, Ms. Solis says she wants to check on Harvey. She's already waiting in the reception room. We can't stall her for much longer. You need to think of something."

Xavier's pupils contracted. "Got it. Keep her busy. I'll deal with things here and be there shortly."

After he hung up, the staff gathered around him. "Mr. Lynch, what do we do now?"

He snorted. "He's lucky. Turn off the power. Call a doctor and have him checked thoroughly. Make sure there are no visible injuries. Also, change his clothes, and let me know as soon as he wakes up."

With his orders given, Xavier showered, changed, and sprayed on cologne. When he stepped into the elevator, the obedient and harmless expression settled back onto his face.

"Cassie, why are you here so early?" he said warmly when he saw her. "I just woke up."

Cassandra glanced at the time.

It was already 2:00 pm. Sleeping this late suited a good-for-nothing like him perfectly. A man like this could never compare to her elite husband.

She suppressed the disgust rising in her chest and asked evenly, "Where's my husband? Why didn't he come with you?"

Xavier's expression shifted. "Harvey's been severely brainwashed. Seven days weren't enough to correct him. I'm sorry, Cassie. I overestimated myself. If you give me a little more time, I can—"

Cassandra raised a hand and cut him off before he could finish. "If you couldn't correct him, that's because you're incompetent. Give him back to me. I'll handle it myself.

"I shouldn't have trusted you in the first place. If your friend's institution could really turn regular people into elites, you wouldn't still be a useless nobody."

She shook her head in disdain. "Someone who isn't an elite has no business trying to train one. When my husband was still last in his class, I trained him myself and sent him straight into Dalvea University. That year, the entire school was shaken. Even the principal came to me asking for my methods."

As she spoke of the past, Cassandra grew animated, her eyes bright with pride.

Xavier was more than happy to stall for time. Swallowing his pride, he played along and echoed her praise. "That's incredible. As expected of you, Cassie. Only someone like you could do that."

His tone sounded light, but his heart was pounding with anxiety.

Seeing that his subordinates still hadn't replied, he typed furiously on his phone. "Where is he? If he hasn't woken up, splash cold water on him. You can't even handle something this simple. What use are you people?"

The chat window showed that the other side was typing, then stopped.

Xavier wrote furiously. "What happened? Answer me!"

At his behest, a reply finally came through.