When Joy woke up, she was already lying on a hospital bed.

Leon was sitting beside the bed, working on his laptop. As if sensing something, he looked up at Joy.

Their eyes met, and Leon subtly breathed a sigh of relief, but his tone remained as icy as ever. "Does it feel good to be bullied? Remember this lesson and don't give Charmaine trouble ever again."

Joy silently turned her head away, a tear quietly sliding down from the corner of her eye.

In the past, she had viewed Leon as her savior. However, how was his behavior now any different from that of her bullies?

Leon looked at the silent girl on the hospital bed and felt uneasy for some reason. He thought, 'She acted out of jealousy and harmed Charmaine. She deserves to be in this state. However, why do I feel heartbroken when I see her crying?'

Just then, a young nurse pushed the door open. "Mr. Scott, the air conditioning in Ms. Quinn's ward broke down..."

Leon frowned. "If it's broken, just fix it. Do you need to inform me of such a trivial matter?"

"We've already reported it for repair, but the repairman will only arrive in an hour. Ms. Quinn keeps saying she's cold, and the hospital has no extra wards for her..."

Hearing this, Leon immediately stood up. "Is this how the hospital handles things? Does it take this long to fix an air conditioner? Charmaine has always had poor health and can't handle the cold. Have Joy go over there and switch Charmaine to this ward." He frowned deeply.

"Well..." The young nurse looked at Joy on the bed, somewhat hesitantly.

Joy was allergic to chili peppers and was fed so much chili pepper water. She survived, but her esophagus and gastric mucosa were severely injured. Any slight mishap would put her in danger again.

Charmaine just had some nuts. Getting some allergy shots would make her better. However, the suffering Joy endured seemed to be insignificant to Leon.

Leon asked, "Why are you still standing there? If Charmaine freezes, this hospital can forget about continuing operations!"

Now that Leon had said that, the young nurse could only obey.

Soon, Joy was transferred to Charmaine's ward.

Leon went to accompany Charmaine, leaving Joy lying alone in a daze in the huge ward.

Recalling everything she had experienced during this period, she could no longer suppress her emotions and broke out in tears. A chill came over her as she cried. Looking toward the chill, Joy suddenly discovered that the air conditioner was on and was blowing out cold air!

She instantly understood everything.

Charmaine deliberately said that the air conditioner broke down just to switch her over so that she could suffer in the cold and so that Charmaine could vent her anger.

As the temperature in the ward lowered, Joy felt the cold seeping into her bones. Even her teeth were trembling.

She tried to call for help, but her throat was so swollen that she could not make a sound.

She reached for the call bell, but her arm was weak and fell back down after a few seconds. Joy lost all hope and could only curl up, trying to hold on to the last bit of warmth.

After an unknown amount of time, someone finally found her, who was forgotten in despair.

When Joy tried to open her eyes, she saw Charmaine's gloating face.

"Joy, look at you. What's the difference between you and a stray dog?

"Leon made you suffer just to help me get justice. Now, everyone has photos of you being abused. They're all making fun of you.

"By the way, a pornography company just contacted me and asked if you would like to be the heroine of their next film. Hahaha..."

Charmaine laughed as she spoke. When she stopped laughing, she suddenly grabbed the most severely ulcerated part of Joy’s arm and pinched it hard.

Blood gushed out and Joy felt her vision go black.

"So, do you finally understand who he loves? If you know what's good for you, admit that your mother is a homewrecker and disappear from my sight. Spare me from feeling nauseous every time I see your face!"

The light in Joy's eyes faded, replaced by endless silence.

Disappear?

She would.

Soon, she would go to a foreign country and never look back.

The day before she would leave abroad, Hector sent someone to pick up his two daughters from the hospital.

Joy and Charmaine got into the same car. Unexpectedly, halfway through the ride, the driver suddenly changed directions onto a small road.

By the time Joy sensed something was off, the car had already stopped in front of an abandoned factory. The driver opened the car door, and two fierce-looking abductors rushed up and dragged her and Charmaine out.

Terrified, Charmaine shouted at the top of her lungs, "Help! Let me go!"

Joy was also stunned.

Their father had arranged the driver. How could he have been bribed by the abductors?

While she was deep in thought, the two were thrown into a shoddy room.

The abductor said icily, "One of you is Leon's fiancée and the other is Leon's future sister-in-law. It's not too much for me to ask him for a ransom of 100 million dollars."

Charmaine widened her eyes. Before she could speak, the abductors had already dialed Leon's phone number and put it on speaker.

"Hello?" Leon's deep voice came through the receiver.

The abductor gave Charmaine a look, and Charmaine immediately sobbed, "Leon, it's me. I'm Charmaine! I... I've been abducted. They're demanding a ransom of 100 million dollars..."

Leon's tone instantly turned cold. "Don't touch Charmaine! Send the account number over and the money will be transferred immediately."

Hearing this, the abductor held the phone to Joy's mouth again. "Say a few words too. If Leon adds another five million dollars, we can release you too."

Joy clenched her fists.

Leon hated her. He would not be willing to spend money to save her.

Just as she was thinking about what to say, another abductor came up to his accomplice and whispered, "Boss, didn't Ms. Joy say 100 million dollars? Why..."

Although the abductor's voice was not loud, Leon, on the other end of the phone, heard it.

Leon's fingers grasped the phone tightly. His face was so gloomy.

He thought, 'It turns out that Joy and the abductors were in cahoots! It’s no wonder the driver was bribed and the abductors asked me for 100 million dollars.'

Leon answered coldly, "Whether Joy lives or dies has nothing to do with me. Do whatever you want!"

Since Joy wanted money so much, he would give it to her to end their ill-fated relationship.

Hearing this, Joy's heart sank to her stomach.

It turned out that Leon really wanted her dead... He never loved her and only felt endless hatred toward her.

...

Not long after, there was the sound of emergency brakes outside the warehouse.

Leon rushed into the warehouse and hugged Charmaine in his arms.

Then, he glanced at Joy in the corner as if he was looking at trash and said to the abductors, "The money has been transferred. You can do whatever you want with Joy. Whether to sell her to a remote area or kill her is up to you."

Joy watched Leon walk away with Charmaine in his arms.

After the two left, the abductors stopped pretending and displayed a mocking expression. "I heard that you slept with Leon before. I thought he would have some feelings for you. Who knew he would be reluctant to pay a mere five million dollars? It shows that your status is worse than a pet to him!"

Joy looked at the abductors indifferently. "You got the money. Can I leave now?"

The abductors seemed to have heard a joke. "Leave? We've got the money, but our job isn't done. Just wait and enjoy yourself!"

The two men rushed toward Joy with a sly smile and tore off her clothes.

The next second, a hot cigarette butt burned her skin!

Joy screamed miserably, and cold sweat and tears streamed down her face.

Seeing her in such a disheveled state, the abductor became even more excited. "I heard that this is how you were bullied in school. Today, we'll help you relive that experience."

"Boss, why don't we brand her?"

"Sure, what word shall we use?"

"Slut. It's perfect for her! Hahaha..."

The cigarette butt pressed against her legs, her waist, and her back. Joy was sweating profusely from the pain and almost lost consciousness.

After some time, the two finally stopped and walked away, laughing maniacally.

Joy curled up, her body twitching from time to time.

It was not until the sky darkened and the piercing pain gradually faded that she struggled to get up. Holding herself against the wall, she staggered forward.

Joy flagged down a car by the roadside and made her way home.

Little did she know that she would see a heart-wrenching scene as soon as she entered the building.

Wrapped in a blanket, Charmaine was curled up on the couch, looking like a wounded kitten.

Leon was beside her, cautiously feeding her soup, spoonful by spoonful. Out of the corner of his eye, Leon saw Joy. His gaze was like a sharp knife, carrying an almost tangible sense of disgust.

"How dare you come back!" Hector strode forward and slapped Joy hard.

Joy felt the world spin and almost lost her balance.

"I know you're unhappy about Charmaine's return, but she's your sister after all. Aren't you afraid of traumatizing her with such a prank? If Leon hadn't arrived in time, who knows what would have happened?!"

Charmaine was inwardly gloating but hypocritically advised, "Dad, don't hit Joy. I'm fine, aren't I?"

"Don't speak up for this brat!" " Hector's chest rose and fell violently, looking extremely furious.

Joy stood still, her ears buzzing.

The next second, Leon, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "Apologize to Charmaine." The man's tone was icy.

Joy gritted her teeth. She did not know where she got the courage from, but she retorted, "I won't apologize."

She understood it when the kidnappers tortured her. Charmaine had arranged the kidnapping to frame her and make her the vicious sister.

She did nothing wrong. Why should she apologize?

Charmaine sighed and pretended to be generous. "Forget it, Leon. Joy probably didn't do it on purpose. I don't want to ruin our bond as sisters..."

"She almost killed you. Is it too much to ask for an apology?" Leon stared at Joy, the disgust in his eyes intensifying.

When did Joy become so wild and unruly?

Hector was also angered by Joy's stubbornness. He grabbed Joy's arm and dragged her over to Charmaine. It was when Joy groaned in pain that he noticed that her arm was densely covered with burns. Hector frowned.

Just when he was about to ask what happened, he heard Leon say icily, "You put yourself in such a state to frame Charmaine. Joy, you really took the words 'by any means necessary' to a whole new level."

Hector heard this, and his confusion instantly dissipated, replaced by a stronger sense of fury. He grabbed Joy's shoulders and pressed down hard, forcing her to kneel heavily on the ground. "You exist because of me, but it seems that you have completely forgotten this!"

Joy raised her head numbly and met Leon's icy gaze.

He hugged Charmaine, looking condescending as if he was examining a prisoner, while Joy knelt in front of him, her dignity long since crushed.

Leon was inexplicably uneasy about her stubborn gaze. He repeated coldly. "Joy, as long as you apologize to Charmaine, I can let this matter go."

Joy burst into laughter when she heard that. She glared at Leon with red eyes and uttered, "Let me repeat myself. I won't apologize. You can kill me or cut me up as you like."

Leon froze, and the little pity left in his eyes disappeared.

After that, Hector continued to beat and scold her.

Joy was already very weak, and she soon lay on the ground and lost consciousness.

...

Joy had no idea how long she had been unconscious. When she woke up, the living room was empty. She endured the excruciating pain all over her body, supported herself on the couch with both hands, and staggered back to her room to check her luggage.

Before closing the suitcase, Charmaine's voice came from behind.

Charmaine leaned against the door frame with a contemptuous smile. "Do you like the farewell gift I prepared for you? I wanted to keep you until the engagement party so that you could give me and Leon your blessing, but unfortunately, Dad refused.

"He felt that you had humiliated the Quinn family and didn't want you to stay here for a second longer.

"Joy, never come back after you leave. After all, this family is only complete without you. Also, thank you for being my husband's free plaything for two years. You made sure that he wasn't so lonely without me.”

Joy pursed her lips tightly and said nothing.

The suitcase closed with a thud, also sealing her last trace of nostalgia she felt for this family.

Before dawn the next day, Joy boarded a flight to go abroad. She left resolutely. Before boarding the plane, she deleted all of Leon's contact information without hesitation.

The plane flew across the vast sky, leaving white chemtrails and completely ending her disgraceful past.