On the day of the wedding, Galen Shaw forces me to crack walnuts with my bare hands for his so-called female buddy.

My expression goes cold, and I refuse outright. "My hands are for holding a scalpel, not cracking walnuts for her!"

He only chuckles and orders someone to hold me down. Then, he glues the walnuts to my palms himself. One by one, he slams them against the ground. "You cheated while studying medicine. Now that you've married me, forget about ever being a doctor again!"

I grit my teeth through the pain. My fingers are aching, but I try to explain. "I went abroad to study medicine for you!"

His so-called female buddy sneers in a shrill voice. "All that talk about the Shaw family's hereditary disease is nonsense! Galen has been perfectly healthy for over 20 years. Don't tell me you just want another excuse to cozy up with your precious senior?"

The moment those words leave her lips, the faint thought of having someone bandage my hand disappears. A shadow crosses Galen's face. "Looks like you haven't learned your lesson!"

He throws me into the basement and locks me there for three days. By the time I crawl out, my hands are completely ruined.

Later, when Galen's hereditary disease finally surfaces, the doctor tries to comfort him. "This disease may be terminal, but there is still a way. Dr. Robinson has just returned from overseas. She's the only one in the world who can perform this surgery.

"I hear that she's your wife."

Walnut shards dug into my flesh, and sharp pain shot through all ten of my fingers.

Galen Shaw's eyes were cold as he clamped my chin, forcing me to look up. "Sabrina, you belong to me! If you dare reach out to him again, don't blame me for what happens! And from now on, you're not allowed to set foot in a hospital!"

The moment I heard that, my mind, which was hazy from shock, snapped back to reality. "No!"

Galen's face darkened, and his grip nearly crushed my bones.

Celine Baker watched with glee, though her voice carried fake concern. "Sabrina, you're way out of line. You just ruined a perfect wedding. The ceremony isn't even over, and look at you already making a scene. How shameful for Galen."

Her words almost made me laugh through the pain. My fingers were broken, and I was being publicly humiliated. Yet, somehow, I was the one being accused of causing trouble. She made it seem like I had ruined everything on purpose because I wanted to escape this marriage.

Galen pulled away, wiping his hands with a tissue. His voice was flat. "If she won't be the bride, then you'll be the bride."

Celine's expression flickered with victory even as she feigned hesitation while slipping her arm through his.

He shoved me aside like trash. I was left on the stage with nothing but the sound of whispers from the guests.

"How could she be so disgusting? She's married, and yet she still carries on with another man."

"Mr. Shaw's far too soft-hearted. I'd never take a cheating woman as my wife. I would've dumped her long ago!"

"Serves her right! And she calls herself a doctor? Imagine her in an operating room. She'd probably kill someone!"

Their words cut deep. Galen didn't look back. He walked away with Celine, heading for the bridal suite.

I watched his retreating figure. The words I wanted to shout lodged in my throat, choking me until all that came out was a bitter, silent laugh.

No matter how many times I tried to explain, he never believed me. He never believed that I had gone abroad to study for him.

I had discovered the truth not long after we got together. His family carried a hereditary disease. It was a rare condition that might lie dormant for years, but once it showed itself, it was fatal. Modern medicine had no cure for it.

The day I found out, I didn't hesitate. I switched my major to medicine. Even if the chances were slim, I wanted to try. I wanted to save him.

However, while I buried myself in research, Celine, his so-called female buddy, took every chance to whisper poison into his ear.

Celine claimed I had only gone into medicine to get close to a so-called genius from our university. "That guy is the university heartthrob. Since the two of them are always together, maybe she has already fallen for him."

Galen believed every word of it. No matter how much I explained, he brushed it all aside as excuses, picking fights with me day after day.

"What hereditary disease are you talking about? Those are just rumors people spread!

"If nothing's going on between you, then why did he drive you home?"

At that time, I had the chance to study abroad. I had heard there were cases in South Anrium. The slots were limited, and I didn't have time to argue with him. I left him a note and followed my senior overseas.

Three years later, when I returned, Galen acted as if none of it had ever happened. He proposed the moment we saw each other again.

I thought he had let go of our old fights. I was overjoyed and threw myself into preparing for the wedding.

However, I was wrong. It was revenge. Even now, he still believed I had betrayed him.

Yet, just moments ago, I noticed his bloodshot eyes. That was the first sign of the disease taking hold.

The jeers of the crowd still rang in my ears when the bodyguards dragged me, bloodied and battered, into the basement.

One of them pulled out a phone, turning on a livestream and forcing me to watch. "You can't be there in person, but you can still witness it. These are orders straight from Mr. Shaw," one of them sneered.

On the screen, Galen slid the ring onto Celine's finger. It was the same ring he had once designed for me. My chest tightened with pain.

I tried to look away, but a guard clamped my head still and pried my eyelids open. "Mr. Shaw said you're not to miss a single second. Don't even think about closing your eyes!"

"Galen, must you humiliate me like this?" I thought.

The wedding march played as my tears spilled over. Through the blur, I noticed his eyes again, which were more bloodshot than before.

I had sworn I would leave him, but as a doctor, I couldn't ignore what I saw. Saving lives was my duty.

Swallowing my grief, I forced myself to speak. "Galen's hereditary disease is already showing symptoms. If he doesn't get treated, it'll only speed up the onset. You'd better tell him to get a full examination immediately!"

The bodyguards froze, then burst into laughter. "Still trying to trick us? I've worked for the Shaw family for years, and I've never heard of any genetic disease. Maybe you fooled Mr. Shaw, but you won't fool us."

Pain shot through my crushed fingers, but I gritted my teeth and warned them anyway. "With his temper, if you delay his treatment and he finds out, none of you will walk away alive!"

The guards faltered. Unease flashed across their faces. Just as one was about to run off, the door swung open.

"Nobody leaves this room! If anyone ruins this wedding, I'll make them pay!" Albert Swift, Galen's assistant, stormed in. His expression was dark. The bodyguards shrank back immediately.

"Mr. Shaw and your niece make the perfect couple. Who'd dare to ruin the wedding?" one flatterer chimed in.

His words made me freeze. "Albert, is Celine your niece?"

The truth hit me like a blow. When I had gone abroad, Galen had been too angry to answer my calls. He had blocked every way I had to reach him. Desperate, I had written a letter and entrusted it to the man he trusted most, Albert.

Little did I know, he was Celine's uncle!

The realization must have shown on my face, because Albert's expression twisted. He lashed out with a vicious kick to my stomach. "If it weren't for you, Celine would've married into money years ago! That department manager's position should've been mine!"

His features contorted with rage as he stomped down hard on my already mangled hand. "This is all your fault! You ruined everything for me!"

The pain was so blinding that I almost fainted.

I heard the sharp crack of breaking bones. My heart seized with terror. My hands were the most precious thing I had.

Five years of clinical experience had forged these hands that could hold a scalpel for 27 hours without trembling. Only such hands could perform the craniotomy to remove the hematoma pressing against Galen's cranial nerves.

Cold sweat ran down my forehead as I glared at Albert. "Galen's condition can only be treated by me. Take me to the hospital now, and I'll forget everything you've done!"

Albert smirked. "Celine told me you only went to medical school to seduce some guy! You don't deserve to hold a scalpel."

Then he barked at the bodyguards, "Destroy her hands! Let's see how much more arrogance she can show!"

Before I could protest, the sticks rained down on my fingers like hail. The pain drilled into my bones, and I nearly fainted. By the time they stopped, my hands were mangled beyond recognition.

White bones jutted through torn flesh, and I crawled desperately toward the door.

Jacob Butterfield, my senior, who was a genius in orthopedics, could save my hands if I reached a hospital in time.

I initially pursued medicine for Galen, but once I realized I could save countless lives, healing became my life's purpose.

Patients were waiting for surgery even now. For their sake, I had to take care of these hands.

I dragged my injured body toward the door, but a pair of shoes suddenly blocked my path.

I clutched at the person's pants like a lifeline. My voice trembled. "Please, take me to the hospital, find Dr. Butterfield..."

Before I could finish, a familiar cold laugh cut me off. "Sabrina, even now, you haven't forgotten Jacob!"

Galen lowered his gaze. A storm was brewing behind his eyes. Like an enraged lion, he yanked me off the ground. "Do you love him that much? Even now, you're still thinking of another man!"

My hand slammed against the doorframe with a dull thud. Catching sight of my twisted fingers, Galen's expression faltered slightly, and he eased the pressure of his grip. "How did you get so badly injured?" he asked, frowning.

Just then, a 2-year-old child came running, clinging to his leg. He called him 'Daddy'.

Celine appeared, dressed in matching pajamas with Galen, looking like she had just woken up. "Galen, what are you doing here this late? Your son's waiting for you to put him to bed." Her tone was playful yet scolding.

Then, when she noticed me, she tugged at her collar, but the fresh bite marks on her neck were impossible to hide.

I felt as if I had been punched. I was dizzy and disoriented. "What… What is going on with this kid?" I asked.

Galen stiffened, but Celine quickly explained with an apologetic expression. "Sabrina, I didn't say anything before because I didn't want to affect your relationship with Galen.

"But rest assured, he and I were just fulfilling each other's physical needs. Three years ago, there was an accident, and this child was born."

She carried the boy and crooned, "Baby boy, this is your dad's wife. Say 'Sabrina'!"

I could only watch in disbelief. I had been abroad for three years, and Galen already had a two-year-old. That meant that he had slept with Celine before I left.

When I confronted him, he snapped, impatient. "If you can sleep with another man, why can't I have a child with another woman?"

Seeing his smug, self-righteous face, any lingering affection I had for him evaporated. While I stayed up all night in the lab trying to save his life, he had been in bed with Celine! "No wonder you suspected me of cheating all those years. You were guilty yourself!"

With a loud slap, pain flared across my cheek as blood trickled from my mouth.