After years of bullying me and even causing my grandmother's death, Jenna Sanders has finally had her life torn apart by Raymond Campbell.

She can no longer hurt me, and I slowly move past my trauma with Raymond's guidance and help.

I think it's finally time for me to be happy when I overhear his conversation with his friend.

"You and Xyla are going to get married soon. When are you going to break things off with Jenna?"

Raymond sounds disdainful. "She's nothing but something for me to pass the time! She's so evil that merely ruining her life isn't enough. I want her to be my filthy plaything and wish she were dead. That's my punishment for her!"

His eyes gleam with anger and hatred toward Jenna, but my hand falls to my side. I no longer want to open the door, and my blood runs cold.

The love I thought was pure turns out to be tainted by filth and cruelty. If that's all it is, I don't want it anymore.

Hans Jarvis, Raymond Campbell's good friend, still seemed uneasy. "Listen, as your friend, I seriously think you should kick Jenna out of Havensport sooner rather than later. You know how much Xyla despises her. If she ever finds out Jenna's still around, she'll never forgive you!"

Raymond gave him a light pat on the shoulder and responded, "Relax. I'll deal with her after our wedding. Once I'm married to Xy, I'll make sure Jenna's gone for good. I don't want her to ruin Xy's mood during our big day."

Hans hesitated for a moment before asking, "You're not… catching feelings for Jenna, are you? Is that why you're keeping her around?"

Raymond's expression twisted with undisguised hatred. His voice was harsh and laced with venom as he said, "Me? Feel something for her? Are you kidding? Jenna almost destroyed Xy; she left her weak and sickly… I hate her! I hate her so much I want to tear her apart!

"I can't bring myself to be rough with Xy, so I can only take out all my desires on Jenna. She deserves every bit of it for what she did to Xy. I want to make her feel the full weight of what happens when she messed with Xy!"

Hans looked like he wanted to say something else, but one glance at Raymond's twisted expression shut him up. He sighed and backed off.

Raymond, still fuming, pulled out his phone and made a call. "You have ten minutes. Get to my office on the top floor. Also, you're only allowed to take the stairs. Don't you dare use the elevator!"

By the time I came back to my senses, I'd clenched my hands so tightly my nail had snapped in half. Blood was slowly seeping from the tear in my skin. But even that pain was nothing compared to the way my chest ached. It was almost as if someone had reached in and ripped my heart apart.

After hanging up, Raymond stepped out of his office. When he saw me, his whole face lit up. "Xy! Did you come to pick me up from work today?"

He strode over and pulled me into his arms. "I've still got a bit to finish up. Let me book you a facial nearby, and I'll be right there with you as soon as you're done! It's perfect timing. Our wedding is just a few days away. You're going to be the most breathtaking woman in the room, Xy!"

He reserved a private suite for me at a luxury spa, took me down in the elevator, and had my favorite pastries brought to me. With him, it always felt like I didn't need to lift a finger; all I had to do was sit pretty and enjoy being his princess.

If I hadn't overheard their conversation with my own ears, I would've still believed I was living in a fairytale.

Raymond planted a soft kiss on my forehead with an apologetic look on his face. After he went back inside, I followed and hid just around the corner of his office.

Right then, Jenna walked into Raymond's office. That face—I'd recognize it even if it were turned to ash.

She stripped off her janitor's uniform, and the arrogance and malice she once wore were now completely gone. Her face was pale, drained, worn down from the stairs she'd been forced to climb.

Back when Raymond avenged me by taking down Sanders Group, he told me that Jenna had been banished from Havensport, left to rot who knows where. And I believed him. I never saw her again… until now.

Turns out she wasn't gone. He'd stashed her away in the lowest rung of his company… as a janitor.

The elevator went straight to his office. But he made her take the stairs. If he wanted, we would've never crossed paths.

Raymond yanked her uniform off and jumped right into it without any foreplay.

Jenna's cries for mercy filled the room. "It hurts!"

He let out a cold, derisive chuckle. The veins on his temple bulged as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her head back violently. "Oh, now you know what pain feels like? Where was that when you were hurting Xy, you worthless bully? The more you scream, the rougher I'll get with you!"

Jenna fell silent, but her choked sobs still echoed through the room like nails driving into my soul. I squeezed my eyes shut. My knees felt weak, and I couldn't get myself out of there.

Why her? Why did it have to be her?

I walked out of Campbell Group like a lifeless zombie.

Memories came crashing back like waves I couldn't hold back. Jenna Sanders had hated me since college. I was poor and apparently too much of an eyesore to share a dorm with someone as wealthy and influential as her.

She got a kick out of tormenting me; she had her friends drag me into bathrooms to beat me up, used a 400 degree Fahrenheit curling iron to burn my arms, glued chunks of my hair together with industrial-strength adhesive, and pressed lit cigarettes against my back over and over again just to watch me cry and beg in pain.

When I refused to break, she spread disgusting rumors about me and had her relative, the dean, expel me.

My grandmother had gone to the school to seek justice for me, but Jenna ran her over with her sports car. It wasn't fatal; my grandmother was still breathing. Without a moment's hesitation, Jenna stepped on the gas and ran her over again and again until she was gone.

The witnesses were bribed into silence. And just like that, my grandmother was taken from me forever.

Before I met Raymond, my world was nothing but darkness. His presence was like sunlight piercing through the clouds.

He helped me lay my grandmother to rest. Then, he held me and swore that he'd make Jenna pay for every bit of pain she'd caused me.

And he did; he kept his word. Within a few years, I watched with my own eyes as Jenna's life crumbled. She went from a wealthy, spoiled heiress of the Sanders family to a desperate beggar, always scrambling for money.

But somehow, despite it all, she and Raymond still had that sick, twisted thing going on between them.

…

I hadn't realized I'd made it home until I was already at the door.

Raymond's face was filled with concern when he spotted me. "I'm sorry, Xy. I lost track of time. I made you wait, didn't I? That's why you came back on your own.

"Don't be mad at me. I have something for you. The wedding dress I designed for you is finally done! Come try it on and see if it fits!" He looked so proud, like a child showing off a prize, as he had someone bring the dress in.

He'd designed it himself. Had it altered over and over, obsessing over every little detail, all to hide the scars on my body.

When I put it on, all the scars on my body disappeared beneath delicate lace. My skin looked beautiful and flawless. I looked… untouched. Pure, like how our love was supposed to be.

But I knew better. Underneath the surface, everything was rotten.

"Do you know how I got these scars?" I asked softly, looking into his eyes.

His eyes narrowed as a hint of resentment flashed in them. "Of course I do. If it weren't for Jenna, you'd never have had to carry all these scars!"

He traced them gently, his fingers tender and careful. "Don't worry, Xy. The Sanders Family are gone. No one will ever hurt you again. I'll protect you, always."

He took my cold hands and placed them against his chest to warm them. Then, he had someone bring hot water and began massaging them himself.

Raymond knelt in front of me, gently placing my feet in his lap and pressing slow, reassuring strokes into my skin. His kisses trailed down from my cheeks, getting bolder.

But all I could feel was nausea. His breath, his touch—it all made my stomach churn.

"Darling… I've missed you so much," he whispered, his voice thick with desire. He fumbled with the buttons of my blouse, desperate to feel more of me.

I screamed. My whole body trembled. Suddenly, the man in front of me wasn't Raymond anymore; it was those men Jenna had sent all those years ago. Tearing my clothes off, exposing me completely, snapping photos of me in the most humiliating ways.

I curled up, shaking violently. "No… please don't take my clothes off… I'll do anything, just don't…" I kept repeating the same thing over and over, begging for mercy.

Raymond froze. Then, he pulled me tightly into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Xy… I should've been more careful. I made you remember those things again, didn't I? But that was just an illusion, Xy. I've already made all those people who hurt you pay!"

I didn't respond, and he didn't push any further. He just held me close as we lay on the bed, gently patting my back. "Don't worry, you're safe now," he murmured. "You've got me."

The next morning, I secretly followed Raymond to his company. From the hallway, I watched as Jenna barged into his office, her face pale and filled with desperation. "Mr. Campbell, please don't make me entertain your clients! I know I was wrong. You can punish me however you want, but please don't send me to them!"

I had seen the messages on Raymond's phone the night before—one of his business partners had been hinting at wanting a taste of Jenna. Hence, I pretended to recall those bad memories last night. I knew it would stir up his anger and guilt.

Later that night, Raymond responded to the man. "Do whatever you want with her. Just don't kill her."

Raymond grabbed her chin, his eyes cold as ice. "You had no problem letting those men humiliate Xy. Now it's your turn to experience what she went through," he spat.

With a wave of his hand, Jenna was dragged away. However, he didn't look gratified. In fact, he seemed conflicted and unsure.

Jenna got what she deserved. I didn't feel sorry for her. But a question lingered in the back of my mind. Did Raymond genuinely not have any feelings for her?

I gave him a call and asked if he wanted to have dinner together that evening.

"Name the restaurant, darling. I'll have my assistant make a reservation right away," he responded cheerfully.

As usual, he showed up right on time with a bouquet of carefully chosen flowers.

Yet, during dinner, he seemed off. Distracted. He kept knocking things over. His phone kept ringing, but he kept declining the calls.

"What's wrong? Is something going on?" I asked softly.

He responded warmly, "Nothing in the world matters more than having dinner with you, Xy."

But then his phone lit up again. This time, he took one look at it and sprang to his feet.

I offered him an out. "Is it work? It must be urgent. Go ahead. I understand."

He hastily masked the panic in his eyes. "Yeah, there's something urgent I need to take care of." He planted a kiss on my forehead, grabbed his suit jacket, and hurried off.

I watched him rush out, a knot forming in my throat. I swallowed it down and followed him.

…

Raymond carried Jenna out of the hotel.

In the middle of the street, she shoved him away and broke into tears. "Weren't you the one who wanted to throw me at your business partners to avenge your fiancée? What the hell are you trying to do now?"

He still looked furious, but his actions were filled with concern. He took hold of her hand and barked, "I can't believe you would slit your own wrist just to avoid being with Mr. Lester! Have you lost your mind?"

"I have lost my mind!" she yelled, laughing bitterly through her tears. "I must be crazy to fall in love with the man who destroyed my family! I must be crazy to refuse to give up my purity!"

Her voice cracked. "If you really don't care about me at all, then let me go back inside! I'll stay with Mr. Lester until you've had your fill of revenge for Xyla!"

Raymond slapped her hard. "Who do you think you are? Being with Mr. Lester is too light of a punishment for you!" Without another word, he threw her over his shoulder, forced her into his car, and drove her straight back to the cage he'd built just for her.