Mira was brought back to Lucien, and the heavy oak doors of the estate shut behind her with a dull, echoing thud.

She didn't dare lift her head and could only stare at the intricate dark-gold patterns on the carpet, like a vast net dragging her back into the abyss of five years ago.

Lucien stood by the window, his suit jacket casually draped over a chair, his sleeves rolled to his forearms, revealing veins faintly raised along his wrists.

He said nothing, but the silence was more suffocating than any outburst.

He finally spoke, "Why did you run?"

Mira twisted the fabric of her dress, her knuckles blanching. "I didn't…"

Lucien's gaze turned cold as he said, "Where were you when Conrad died? I gave you a chance to make things right, as long as you confessed, I wouldn't kill you, but you ran, Mira, and you disappointed me."

Mira's breath caught.

Conrad's death had nothing to do with her.

But her throat felt sealed shut, and she couldn't force out a single word, as the aftermath of her trauma left her unable to speak.

Lucien stepped closer, his shadow falling over her as he said, "Did you think changing your name and moving to a new city would erase what you'd done?"

Mira stepped back until her spine pressed against the cold wall.

The enclosed space, the crushing pressure, and Lucien's presence all triggered her at once.

The scene before her began to distort.

It was no longer a luxurious room, but dark seawater.

It was no longer Lucien's face, but Selena's twisted smile.

The air no longer carried the scent of cedar, but the sharp, salty smell of the sea.

"No…"

She broke into uncontrollable cold sweats, digging her nails into her arm in an attempt to snap herself back with pain. But her body trembled uncontrollably, cold sweat soaking through her back.

Lucien frowned and said, "Who are you pretending for? When you jumped into the sea five years ago, you weren't afraid then, were you?"

Those words were like a key, unlocking the gates of hell in an instant.

Mira's pupils shrank as she let out a broken, animal-like whimper.

She slid to the ground, curling into herself and clutching her head as if that alone could keep the terror at bay.

Lucien froze. He had never seen Mira like this, fragile and shattered.

The Mira he knew had once been radiant and bold, like a beautiful Persian cat.

But in the next second, anger surged. She was acting, she had to be acting.

"Get up!" He yanked her up by the wrist with a force that nearly crushed bone and said, "Someone who betrayed me has no right to act crazy in front of me."

Mira was thrown onto the bed and struggled instinctively, not against Lucien, but against the nightmare of drowning.

But in Lucien's eyes, her struggle became rejection.

"So now you won't even let me touch you?" he sneered as he pinned her wrists down and pressed his knee against her legs, "Is it because you found someone new, or because you think I'm beneath a Winslow daughter like you?"

Mira shook her head desperately as tears poured down.

She tried to speak, but the PTSD episode left her only able to produce broken, incoherent sobs.

Lucien watched her cry, a dull ache tightening in his chest, yet his hatred only deepened.

Conrad, who had watched Lucien grow up, had died because of a woman like her.

"Since you won't speak," he said hoarsely as he grabbed the fabric at her shoulder and tore it down, "then remember it with your body, you belong to me, and you'll never escape."

The sound of tearing fabric echoed in the room.

The moment the fabric slipped from her shoulder, Mira let out a sharp, piercing scream as her body arched.

Lucien froze mid-motion.

Moonlight filtered through the curtains and fell across her bare shoulder and neck, revealing a network of pink scars crossing over one another.

Scars like these covered Mira's entire body, some from surgical stitches, others from self-inflicted wounds, leaving her looking like a rag doll torn apart and barely pieced back together.

His pupils contracted violently.

Before he could take it in, Mira suddenly stopped struggling. She lay on her back, her hollow eyes fixed on the ceiling as tears slid silently down, one drop, then another, soaking into the pillow.

She no longer cried or struggled, leaving behind only a stillness that felt like something inside her had completely died.

Lucien's hand froze midair.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered eight years ago in the hospital, when the first thing she said after waking up was, "Why did you save me?"

Back then, her gaze had been stubborn, yet beautiful.

But now, there was nothing left in those eyes, only a hollow emptiness that unsettled him.

He abruptly let go and stood up as if he had been burned. It felt as if something had been torn open in his chest, the pain so sharp he could barely breathe.

"Useless." He gritted his teeth, unsure whether he was cursing her or himself.

He turned and strode toward the door, but paused with his hand on the handle. His back stiffened as he said in a voice barely audible, "Don't even think about running again. If I catch you next time, I will kill you."

The door slammed shut.

Mira collapsed onto the bed, curling into herself and burying her face in her knees as her shoulders trembled silently.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps and voices sounded outside the door.

"Lucien, don't be angry anymore," Selena said, "she isn't worth it. If I hadn't discovered it in time five years ago, the entire family would have been destroyed."

Lucien remained silent.

Selena let out a soft laugh and said, "That night, you were drunk and held me, saying 'thank God I have you,' from that moment on, I knew there was a place for me in your heart."

Lucien still said nothing, but he didn't deny it either.

"Stop thinking about her," Selena said in a coaxing tone, "come with me tomorrow to try on dresses, I've already booked the church in Silvera."

"Mm." Lucien finally responded, his voice tired yet gentle.

In the darkness, Mira's eyes widened.

Five years ago.

He had been drunk… holding Selena and saying, "thank God I have you"…

So he had already found someone new.

So when he said, "when you come back, we'll go to Silvera," it had never been meant for Mira.

So she had truly been nothing more than a tool to strike at the Winslow family.

Her tears stopped falling.

Her heart stopped hurting.

When pain reached its limit, only numbness remained.

The next day, the church in Silvera hosted the mafia's annual gala, which also happened to be Selena's birthday.

Lucien used this occasion to connect with business partners from around the world and expand his empire's reach.

He stood beside the fountain, with Selena leaning against him.

This birthday celebration had been carefully planned by her, ostensibly a party, but in truth a declaration to the four great families that she was Lucien's future wife.

"Lucien, the bishop will be blessing us later." Selena said softly as her fingers brushed lightly against his cufflink.

Lucien didn't respond, his gaze fixed on the distant blue sea, yet it felt as though something inside him had been hollowed out.

For three days, Mira had remained silent in the estate, like a lifeless porcelain doll.

Late at night, he stood outside her door, hearing only her suppressed sobs.

One of his men rushed through the crowd and said in a low voice, "Mr. Yates, a man has broken into the estate and is in Ms. Winslow's room."

Lucien's pupils shrank.

The next second, he slammed his champagne glass onto the table, the sharp sound echoing as the amber liquid spilled across the surface.

Amid the guests' startled cries, he strode toward the helipad.

Selena's face turned ashen as her nails dug into her palm.

Mira again.

The helicopter landed on the estate lawn, and Lucien rushed into the main building, heading straight for the third-floor bedroom.

The door was ajar, and he kicked it open.

Julian stood by the bed, speaking softly to Mira curled in the corner, "Come with me, I'll take you out of here."

Mira looked up, and the moment she saw Lucien, her face turned deathly ashen.

She instinctively moved behind Julian, clutching tightly at the hem of his clothes.

Lucien's gaze darkened, like a predator locking onto its prey.

"Julian." He said in a low voice, "Trespassing on private property, even if I execute you right now, it would still be justified."

Julian turned slowly, not backing down, "I'm a police investigator with a warrant. You are illegally detaining Mira. This is a crime. Release her immediately."

"A warrant?" Lucien sneered, "Do you really think you matter that much?"

He said nothing, yet two bodyguards immediately stepped out from the hallway with guns raised, their dark barrels aimed straight at Julian's forehead.

"Right now, I could kill you with a single shot," Lucien said as he stepped closer, his eyes cold, "and no one would come after me. This is Silvera, not a Northhaven police station."

Julian didn't move, he simply shifted to shield Mira completely behind him. "As long as I die here today, Interpol will freeze all your global assets tomorrow. Can you afford to take that risk?"

The air froze.

Lucien stared at the way Julian shielded Mira, a storm of fury surging in his chest.

"Fine." He suddenly smiled and ordered the guards behind him, "Don't hurt Mira, as for this man, shoot him…"

Before he finished speaking, Mira stepped forward and spread her arms to shield Julian, "No, Lucien, don't hurt him!"

Julian pulled her back behind him and said firmly, "Mira, stay behind me."

Their bodies pressed close together, as if bound by life and death.

The last trace of reason in Lucien's eyes snapped.

She was protecting him.

Using her life to protect another man.

"Pull her away!" he roared.

The bodyguards stepped forward and dragged Mira away.

She struggled desperately and cried out, "Julian, go, don't worry about me!"

Julian didn't move at all and met Lucien's gaze, "You can't cage her heart, she hates you."

Lucien burst into laughter, almost unhinged, "Then let her hate me. As long as she's alive under my watch, hatred is fine."

Lucien snatched the gun from a guard and aimed it directly at Julian's heart.

Mira suddenly broke free from the guards with unexpected strength and lunged at Lucien, her beautiful face streaked with tears.

"Lucien… I won't run anymore… I'll never run again, don't kill him, please don't kill him…"

Lucien's heart exploded with sharp pain the moment he heard her broken words.

He looked at Mira as she clung tightly to the arm holding the gun, as if terrified that Julian might be harmed in any way.

He remembered so many things.

He remembered Mira's bright smile from before.

He remembered the times he nearly died in gang conflicts, and how Mira had stood in front of him without regard for her own life.

He remembered their countless intimate moments, her shining eyes, and the words, "I want to marry you."

All of it was a lie.

Every bit of it.

Lucien suddenly seemed to lose all strength, his heart convulsing with pain as the urge to kill Mira consumed his thoughts.

But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

Lucien stared at Mira's tear-streaked face and said word by word, "If I see you have any contact with him again, I'll have him sunk into the sea."

The moment Mira heard the words "sunk into the sea," her blood seemed to freeze.

The world in front of her twisted instantly.

Dark seawater, a cold iron anchor, Selena's mocking smile…

She curled on the ground, trembling violently as tears streamed uncontrollably, "No… don't…"

A sharp pain struck Lucien's chest as he almost bent down to help her.

But the next second, he saw her tear-filled eyes turn toward Julian, as if seeking protection.

She was crying for him.

Hatred overwhelmed the fleeting concern.

Lucien ordered coldly, "Throw Julian out."

The guards dragged Julian away as he struggled and shouted back, "Mira, wait for me, I'll come back for you!"

Mira tried to speak, but Lucien hoisted her over his shoulder.

Lucien strode to the bedroom and threw her heavily onto the bed. He leaned over her, bracing his hands beside her head, his eyes bloodshot like a beast as he said, "Listen carefully, if I ever see you have any contact with him again, I'll throw him into the sea and feed him to the sharks."

Tears slid silently down Mira's face as she said, "Lucien… I hate you…"

There were countless cruel words in the world, yet none hurt as much as those three words, "I hate you," leaving Lucien on the verge of tears.

He suddenly stood up and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

In the hallway, he leaned against the wall and punched it hard, his knuckles beginning to bleed.

Outside, Selena stood in the darkness, almost consumed by jealousy, watching Lucien compromise for Mira again and again felt worse than death to her.

She had already turned Mira into a "traitor," yet Lucien still couldn't bring himself to kill her.

Selena let out a vicious smile and dialed the core members of the council, saying, "Mira must die."