"The fireworks James lit for Juliet's birthday exploded brilliantly, illuminating the sky above the mental hospital."

"Honestly, I was so jealous of her. She was the pampered princess showered with endless affection, while I was merely her blood bag. My parents gave birth to me so they could use my umbilical cord blood to keep Juliet alive."

"I still remember that day when they were going to take my kidney; it was James who rushed into the hospital and saved me. He said he would protect me with his life. Who could have guessed that after all these years and all we've been through, he would be the one to send me to this mental hospital personally?"

"On my first day here, they damaged one of my kidneys and broke three of my ribs. They said it was on James's orders, to make me remember my lesson."

"James, I've remembered my lesson. I've given back the life I owed you. From now on, we're even."

I hovered in front of the television, my heart filled with a mix of emotions.

Before Juliet appeared, James was so good to me.

He would stand up for me when Juliet bullied me. He would secretly bring me food when my parents locked me in the basement. He was the one who saw me through the most difficult times of my life.

But he was also the one who betrayed our love and personally sent me into this hell.

James stared coldly at the images on the screen and let out a scornful laugh. "Even? Mia, don't think a few fake tears and this pathetic act will make me forgive you. The sins you've committed can never be atoned for in this lifetime!"

Juliet hurriedly stepped forward to comfort him.

It earned her praise from everyone in the live stream for her beauty and kindness. No one noticed her gaze fixed intently on a pair of severed arms in the corner.

"Don't blame my sister anymore. She just made a mistake in a moment of confusion. Actually, it's all my fault. If I hadn't told you about Mia's affair, none of this would have happened … "

James, who had been somewhat conflicted, felt only endless disgust in his eyes after hearing these words.

My parents also looked disdainful upon hearing this.

My father scoffed, "Mia, that wretched girl, has been flirting with men since she was a kid."

"Once when she came home, she even claimed the doctor at the hospital had harassed her. Huh, there is no fire without smoke. If she wasn't that flirty, why would she run into all these problems?" my mother followed.

Now, the live chat was filled with scornful comments.

Everyone said I was inherently immoral and my entire career as a star was built on using my body to climb to the top.

[I heard Mia slept with everyone from top to bottom in the crew to steal Juliet's role, even the makeup artist wasn't spared.]

[Poor our goddess Juliet, bullied by that bitch Mia for so many years.]

While everyone was furious, only Malcolm looked grave. Without waiting for James to speak, he played the next video.

"October 20th. I'm in so much pain. It turns out that people really have no dignity here."

"Ever since Juliet came to see me, everyone here has been bullying me. They pour leftovers into the toilet and force me to lick them clean. They use razor blades to carve the word 'whore' on my body over and over again."

"I struggle desperately. So, they strapped me into the electric chair until I peed my pants before they released me. They surrounded me and laughed. They said the way I convulsed on the ground looked like a dog and they even filmed it and uploaded it online."

"Did you see that video, James? What were you thinking when you saw that?"

The date had changed.

"October 21st. That video went viral and they started torturing me even more severely. Someone even put me up for auction on the dark web and I don't know who it was."

"It started at ten thousand dollars a session and ended with unlimited sessions for just one dollar. One masked man after another slipped into my room, savoring my fear and my pain."

"They claimed it was all on James's orders. They said, 'Mr. Gibson says you can't live without men, so he sent us to take good care of you!'"

"My ribs were already broken and I was utterly exhausted. Yet I couldn't fight back and I was so scared."

"James, why didn't you believe me? Why did you let them torture me like this?"

Then there was another date.

"October 22nd. It hurts so much ... who knew mental hospitals had so many ways to torment people?"

"James, you big liar. When we got married, you promised. You promised to cherish me forever, never to betray or let me down."

"James, life here is so hard."

"They thought I was disobedient, so they tied my legs to the bed. They were afraid I would bite, so they pulled out my teeth. Sometimes I wish they would beat me to death, at least that would give me some relief."

"January 17th. It's snowing. Such clean, pure snow. They threw me naked into the snow and tortured me day and night. My lower legs are broken and my limbs have gone numb from the cold. I don't think … I'll survive this winter."

"February 15th. I heard James and Juliet got engaged and they're going to take me home."

"The people here were afraid I'd gossip, so they broke all ten of my fingers and forced me to drink a drug that made me mute. Actually, they didn't need to do that at all. Because I already didn't want to live anymore."

"James, I'm in so much pain. Please, just come and kill me yourself … "

Wind blew through fallen leaves and withered petals littered the ground.

The spacious villa fell into complete silence. Only the faint sound of James's breathing could be heard. He looked at Juliet, his voice trembling slightly. "Is everything in the video true?"

Juliet's eyes instantly filled with tears. "James, do you really think I'm such a despicable person?"

"Mia is my own sister. I've loved and cherished her since she was little. How could I treat her like this? If you don't believe me, you can check the surveillance footage from the mental hospital."

My father looked at her with heartache. "That's right, James. This must be one of Mia's schemes! She's an actress. Acting and lying come naturally to her. You can't believe her."

My mother also nodded repeatedly. She recounted embarrassing stories from my childhood about not having enough to eat and stealing Juliet's leftovers.

However, doubts began to surface in the live stream comments.

I've seen these videos on the dark web, but the person in the videos is so thin she's almost unrecognizable. I can't tell if it's Mia.]

[I've seen it too! That woman had a red birthmark on her chest, but in the second video, the birthmark was cut off with a knife, probably to avoid being recognized.]

[Could it really be Mia? If it is, it's so pitiful.]

Reading these comments, I let out a soft sigh.

Back then, to earn money for James's startup, I took on commercials and acting roles nonstop, working day and night.

James, however, felt I wasn't caring enough for him and started seeing Juliet.

When I eventually discovered them, we had a huge fight. Juliet then came over to mock me cruelly. She said she was pregnant with James's child and had used this opportunity to steal my lead role in a drama.

I ignored her, but then she jumped off a building during filming.

Everyone was convinced I was the one who had done it.

I wanted to explain, but Juliet had secretly drugged my water and filmed me having sex with other men.

Once this was made public, my reputation was ruined and my future was destroyed. The relentless cyberbullying that followed caused me to develop severe depression.

I wanted to report it to the police for justice, but my parents forged a psychiatric report claiming I was mentally ill.

Alas, James refused to listen to any of my explanations and he personally had me committed to a mental hospital. From then on, my nightmare began …

That man also saw the comments flooding the live stream and now he seemed to remember that he also loved to kiss the red birthmark on my chest during our intimate moments.

But thinking of the past, he remained cold-faced and pressed play again.

The background of the recording had now changed from the mental hospital to a villa. That familiar face of mine was gone, replaced by a blurred, bloody mess.

Furthermore, my legs were twisted and deformed and I couldn't form words. All I could make were "ugh" sounds.

The 'me' in the video was no longer human, but a terrifying monster.

That monster struggled desperately on the floor. With its bleeding, severed fingers, it wrote sentence after sentence on the wall.

"Juliet wants to kill me."

"Juliet wants to kill me."

"Juliet wants to kill me."

The video abruptly ended there.

James looked up in disbelief. The splattered blood covering the walls gradually overlapped with the words from the video.

He staggered back a few steps, muttering, "Impossible ... it can't be. Mia is an excellent actress. This must be another one of her schemes!"

Malcolm shook his head, saying, "I've always felt this villa was strange and now I understand why."

He looked around as he turned the compass. Then he said softly, "The purpose of the Mother-Child Soul-Severing Hex is to make the deceased suffer immense torment before death, dying in the most agonizing way."

"Separating mother and child, limbs severed and tortured—this is truly the most vicious method in the world."

Listening to Malcolm's words, James's face grew increasingly pale. "What nonsense are you spouting? What is the Mother-Child Soul-Severing Hex? Mia isn't dead at all! This is all fake; it's a play she put on because she's jealous of Juliet!"

Malcolm seemed deaf to James' words and continued his calculations.

"Her arms are in the corner, her legs are in the well, only her head and torso are missing. If I find her head and torso, I can reconstruct the truth of what happened back then and completely dispel the resentment here."

The compass needle spun faster and faster until it cracked open with a snap. Malcolm's body swayed, but his eyes became even more determined. "I've calculated it! In the southwest corner."

The moment he finished speaking, a fierce wind arose. He stared intently at the garden, his voice trembling. "Mia's head is buried under that jasmine flower!"

As soon as he said that, the live stream instantly exploded with chatter.

Just as James was about to go and see for himself, Juliet suddenly exclaimed. "James, Mia isn't dead! I received a text message from her!"