My stomach was in knots, and my throat tasted of blood.

I gulped back the blood in my mouth before pulling a lowly smile at Dylan.

“Got it, sir.”

Dylan’s eyes widened.

His mind was probably stuck on the old me when I was obnoxious and hot-tempered.

The moment I discovered that Dylan had been bleeding my family’s assets dry, I flipped the table, ready to fight him to the end.

One step ahead of me, Dylan teamed up with outsiders to set my parents up and bury them in debt. The humiliation was too much for my parents to bear, and they stepped off the ledge.

The funeral was barely over when Dylan showed up with Tammy at my home to take over everything.

As blood rushed to my head, I confronted them with the determination to end everything, even at the cost of my life.

Before I could even get close to Dylan, his security detail pinned me down.

It took one supposed psychiatric evaluation, and Dylan had justification to exile me to a desert island in the middle of the open sea.

Apparently, it was for my rehabilitation when in truth, Dylan simply wanted to break me.

Meanwhile, Dylan and Tammy lived off the wealth and social standing tied to my family’s legacy.

Following a stabbing pain from my gut, I coughed out a mouthful of blood. I clung to the ropes to get out of the ring.

Dylan observed me with a mix of emotions before uttering icily, “Go and sort out your injuries.”

I nodded and saw myself to the domestic quarters, oblivious to the menacing look on Tammy’s face in the ring.

The door clicked shut, cutting off the sounds in the outside world.

I stared at my bruised face, along with the cuts and scrapes on my body, in the mirror.

Wiping the blood off my lips, I dabbed alcohol on my open wounds.

That night, Dobie went mad again when I was feeding it.

Dobie jumped on me while Tammy stared at me with the vilest look.

She only spoke up when Dylan showed up. “Sarah! What is wrong with you? Did you give Dobie something weird again?”

“By the time Dylan had his men pry Dobie off me, my skin was torn open in multiple places.

It took the last of my strength for me to stand up, and I was quick to admit fault.

Dylan withdrew his raised arm.

Back in the domestic quarters, the sting of the alcohol cut across my skin like broken glass.

Tammy opened the door to my quarters and kicked the dog bowl across the floor toward me in disdain.

“Dobie’s leftovers are premium meat. Don’t let it go to waste.

“Just what you need to build yourself back up.”

I held the bowl up respectfully and offered my gratitude with my head down.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

Tammy smirked in silence, her gaze never leaving me.

I knew exactly what she expected of me. Taking big gulps, I stuffed the meat in my mouth.

In between, I even barked like a dog.

“Woof! Woof!”

Happy with my compliance, she said, “Now, that’s a good girl. You’re coming with me in a bit.”

I cleaned the scraps off my face, not wasting a second of Tammy’s time. My injuries ripped open, and the pain made me break out in a cold sweat.

In the living room, Dylan sank his back into the sofa and enjoyed his drink.

As I emerged with a discolored complexion, his wine glass halted mid-air, and his voice turned husky.

“Sarah, don’t start barking like a dog again.

“No one is going to punish you so long as you behave and do as you’re told.”

Back when we were dating, Dylan quit drinking on the very first day just to please me.

I once complimented another guy for his gentlemanly side, and Dylan took it as motivation to learn the piano for six months. He never once voiced his complaints when his fingers were raw and blistered.

“I’ll do whatever it takes for you to fall in love with me, Sarah.”

The vows of everlasting love echoed in my ear, but the past was long gone.

Outside the entrance, Tammy slammed on the gas, pulling me back to reality with a loud vroom.

“What’s the holdup, Sarah?”

Shivering all over, I raced to the door while Dylan’s muffled voice came from behind.

“You’ve changed, Sarah.”

Well, Dylan had a point.

I had changed. No longer was I the cocky, big-spending socialite of Hedgewood’s upper crust.

Now, I was a lapdog, circling Dylan and Tammy at their feet.

Stepping into the car, I sat in the back.

The city blurred past the window as I tightened my grip.

The road seemed to lead to the cemetery in the western suburbs.

The moment the car came to a halt, I flung the car door open and lunged out.

I was taken aback by what I saw.

The orderly headstones were gone, replaced by rows of boxing bags and training equipment. Several young people in gym wear sparred across the grounds.

I staggered forward and grabbed ahold of one of the staff members.

“Where are the graves? Where are the graves of the Todds?”

The staff member stared at me in bewilderment.

“The graves are moved to a different location. Mr. Crewe bought the land to build an open-air boxing gym, just for Ms. Bates to train at.”

“I know, right? Dylan gives Tammy the world. Apparently, there’s a great vibe to the place. A former billionaire chose it as a prime site before.”

Not too far away, Tammy sneered.

“Sarah, I made sure to dump your parents’ graves on the back hill in case you couldn’t find them.”

As a shrill noise pierced through my head, I dashed to the hill like a madwoman.

Heavy rain poured down without warning. The slippery slope nearly buried me under a wall of mud.

Time was a distance as I clawed away the stone and dirt pinning me down. My nails cracked open as my new and old injuries ripped open in the rain.

I was a bloody mess.

An hour later, I finally spotted the headstones with my parents’ names on them.

As my chest tightened, I dug with my mangled fingers and wailed hysterically.

Dylan’s voice echoed from a distance. “Sarah! Get here right now!”

Tammy was the first to track me down. With rage taking over, she kicked me down and stomped on my head, grinding her heel back and forth.

“Sarah, why can’t you just die?

“Dylan would have been mine had you died on the island.”

Drained, I sprawled across the floor as Tammy took out her anger on me.

As my lungs gave out, I caught Dylan approaching.

Tammy leaned close to my ear and laughed menacingly.

“Let’s take a guess on who he is going to save this time.”

Holding me tight, Tammy rolled off the cliff. She forcefully switched positions with me so that I would bear the brunt of the fall.

My back slammed into the jagged rocks, and the sharp edges cut through my shoulder and abdomen.

The last thing I saw was Dylan darting over to embrace Tammy in a panic.

The moment brought me back to when there was an office fire. He rushed to bring Tammy to safety without hesitation while locking me in the office.

As the last of my body heat dissipated, I reached my hand out with a struggle.

“H-Help me…”

Dylan cocked his head back, his eyes widened. Tammy nestled in his arms, waving her vulnerability right in his face.

“I think I sprained my ankle, Dylan…”

Dylan shifted his gaze away from me.

“Hang in there, Sarah. I’ll call you an ambulance once I get help for Tammy.”

Helping Tammy up, Dylan walked away without looking back.

As Dylan walked out on me, I spotted the rain washing over the words on my parents’ headstones.

It felt as if my parents were talking to me in the rain.

“We believe in you, Sarah. Live on!”

Blood spilled from my lips, but I bit my tongue to stay conscious.

“I can’t die just yet!

“I have not gotten my revenge!”

I regained consciousness on the hospital bed, the smell of dried blood heavy in my nose.

Dylan stayed by my side, and it showed in the bags under his eyes and his untamed hair. He hadn’t slept a wink.

The moment I woke up, he embraced me with joy, but I pushed him away.

He was taken aback.

“Sarah, did I hurt you?”

I shook my head and scrambled out of bed to kneel before him.

“I’m sorry, sir. I wasted your time and energy.

“Please take me back to the manor. Ms. Bates needs a sparring partner, and Dobie can’t go without my care.”

Dylan stepped back, his eyes boring into my robotic smile.

He reached out to hold me, but I flinched, pulling my hands over my head in defense.

Dylan stared at me in surprise, his voice raspy.

“Sarah, w-what happened to you?”

I hung my head low in silence. The steady beeping of the medical equipment rang through the ward.

The shrill noise of a ringing phone broke the silence, and Tammy’s voice boomed through the speaker.

“Dylan, Dobie refuses to eat. I’m worried sick.

“I don’t know what to do. Maybe Sarah should come back.”

Before Dylan could say anything, I removed my hospital gown.

Dylan gasped at the sight of the menacing scars all over my body.

The call was cut short. Dylan’s voice was terrifyingly hoarse.

“These wounds… What happened to you?”

Keeping composed, I put on my domestic uniform and smiled ingratiatingly.

“Sir, it is my job to take good care of Ms. Bates and Dobie. I should get discharged from the hospital now.”

Losing his head, Dylan grabbed me by the collar.

“What happened to you?”

I replied in confusion, “What’s wrong, sir? Why aren’t you happy with my obedience?”

Dylan’s shoulders shook.

“I-I just want…”

With Tammy calling again, I had to bring his attention to answer the phone.

“Sir, it’s time to go, or Ms. Bates won’t be pleased.”

Back in the manor, Tammy clung to Dylan’s arm and pouted that he hung up on her.

I went to get Dobie’s food.

Dylan’s eyes followed me, his eyes vacant. Picking up on his behavior, Tammy barked an order at me.

“Get back to your quarters.

“You are not to step out of the quarters without my permission. Is that understood?”

“Yes, of course,” I responded subserviently.

Late into the night, the sound of muffled moans came from the room next door.

It was Dylan’s room.

Tammy strained her voice as if making sure I could hear her.

“Don’t you want me, Dylan?

“I missed you… Make it count. Give it to me raw...”

I pushed the window open a crack, so the night breeze would brush away the sedative powder hidden in my sleeve.

My phone vibrated.

“I’ve disabled the surveillance in the back. Take the fire exit out.”

Staying still, I merely listened to the frantically increasing panting in the other room.

When the drug kicked in an hour later, I retrieved an evidence chip from the lining of the dog bed.

I disappeared into the night and slipped into the car that had been waiting for me.