My head slammed hard against the wall before I finally snapped back to my senses.

Leland rushed over and scooped Shanna off the floor, holding her tight as he stared at the red marks on her face with heart-wrenching concern.

Then he turned to look at me—his eyes cold, as if he were staring at a stranger who’d lost her mind.

“Charmaine! Are you crazy?”

It was the first time he had ever snapped at me because of another woman.

I was still dizzy from hitting the wall when Shanna’s sobs rang out first.

Curled up in his arms, she clutched his shirt with teary eyes. “Leland, this is the fiancée you chose?

“I just saw Hawkeye dragging something in his mouth. I was afraid it was something dirty, so I tossed it aside. I swear I didn’t mean it!

“But Charmaine attacked me without even asking what happened. No matter how I tried to apologize, she just kept hitting me…”

Leland held her even tighter. When he looked back at me, his eyes were even colder.

The back of my head throbbed, and the cut on my calf burned like fire.

I forced myself to ignore the pain and tried to defend myself, but the moment I opened my mouth, he cut me off impatiently.

“Did I tolerate you too much? Is that why you’ve become so entitled and out of control?

“Charmaine. I’m really disappointed in you. Today, you will give Shanna an explanation.”

Before I could react, he was already shouting for the bodyguards outside.

Two of them rushed in immediately, grabbing my arms with hands as hard as metal clamps.

It was so tight it felt like they were going to crush my bones.

“Hit her. However many times she slapped Shanna, hit her ten times more. When you’re done, lock her in her room, and make her reflect on what she did. No one is allowed to interfere!”

After giving the order, Leland carried Shanna in his arms—like something precious—and headed straight for the hospital.

Meanwhile, the dull thuds of the blows raining down on me echoed through the empty hall. Yet, he never once turned around or even glanced my way, as if none of what was happening behind him had anything to do with him.

I stared at his disappearing figure, and the cold despair inside me kept spreading.

One blow. Two blows… It was fifty full-force slaps. Even the bodyguard’s hand had started to ache, but I just gritted my teeth and endured it, not even letting out a cry for mercy.

By the final slap, my face was swollen beyond recognition. My vision blurred, a buzzing filled my ears, and my legs could barely hold me up.

The next second, the bodyguards tossed me into the room like they were dumping trash.

I hit the freezing floor hard, my back slamming against the corner of the wall. A sharp, biting pain shot through me, forcing a muffled groan from my throat.

Curled up on the cold floor, I muttered, “Six more days… I never want to see you again, Leland.”

My eyelids grew so heavy that I couldn’t lift them anymore, and soon, everything went black.

That night, I had the longest dream.

In it, my dad hadn’t betrayed our family yet.

My mom was still in the kitchen, smiling as she called me to dinner.

And I was still the little girl everyone held in their palms like something precious.

But that happiness was too light, too fragile. Before I could hold onto it, a bucket of ice-cold water crashed down over my head and yanked me violently back into reality.

I shot upright, choking and coughing. When I opened my eyes, I realized—I wasn’t in the locked bedroom at all.

I was in a veterinary hospital, the sharp smell of disinfectant burning my nose.

Not far away, on the operating table, the Caucasian Shepherd that had once bitten me was lying completely still for some reason—no sign of life left.

Shanna collapsed over her dog’s body, screaming so hoarsely that it sounded like her voice might snap in half.

But the moment she saw me awake, she jerked her head up, her eyes red, and pointed right at my face, shrieking.

“You wicked woman! You hated that I broke your bracelet so you took it out on me? Why did you have to poison and kill my Hawkeye?!”

I stared at the scene, completely lost. Before I could even figure out what was happening, she was already rushing at me, her nails sharp as blades, clawing straight across my face.

A few stinging scratches instantly split open on my cheek, the pain shooting straight into my bones.

Instinctively, I looked toward Leland. But he only frowned and turned his head away, not even bothering to say a single word to stop her.

It was as if I really was nothing but a stranger to him.

It wasn’t until I finally snapped and raised my hand, ready to fight back, that he rushed forward and pulled Shanna away not because he was afraid I’d get hurt.

It was because he was terrified she would.

My throat tightened. My heart felt even colder than my face.

“She used chocolate to poison Hawkeye!” Shanna trembled violently as she cried into Leland’s arms. “This dog was the one we adopted together from the rescue center when we were kids! How can you just watch him die for nothing like this?!”

The stinging in my cheek kept burning. I bit down hard on my lip, swallowing back the tears in my eyes. My voice shook, but I forced it to stay firm.

“I didn’t even touch your dog!” I protested. “Since yesterday until now, I’ve been unconscious and locked in the room. When would I have had the chance to go near that dog?!”

“You’re still pretending!” Shanna snapped her head up, her eyes full of pure malice.

“We asked all the servants. Someone saw you leave your room! And the thing that killed Hawkeye was that limited-edition chocolate Leland brought you from Belgium on his last business trip!

“Besides you, who else could’ve gotten their hands on it?”

As soon as she finished accusing me, she buried herself into Leland’s chest again, her voice breaking with despair.

“Leland… if you don’t handle this… I… I don’t want to live anymore…”

Leland’s whole body tensed at once, worry written all over his face.

He patted her back gently, murmuring to calm her down. Only once she’d settled did he finally look over at me.

His eyes were cold, filled with disappointment.

“Charmaine… I never thought you’d become this cruel.”

I looked right back at him, my voice silent but my heart full of mockery.

‘Who’s really being cruel here—me, or the man who only ever listens to that woman?’

He then had someone bring over a bowl of cheddar cheese soup and set it in front of me. The surface was still bubbling from the heat.

“You did something wrong. You need to pay for it. Today, you’re going to taste what it’s like to eat something that could kill you.”

My chest tightened so hard my breath caught.

He knew. Leland knew I was severely allergic to cheese; even a bite could make me stop breathing.

Yet he still wanted me to drink the entire hot bowl.

All for Shanna, he was willing to gamble even my life.

I slowly lifted my eyes, my sorrow settling deep into my bones.

“Leland… After all these years we’ve been together, you trust her that easily? You’d condemn me based on her words?”

For a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes.

But Shanna saw it, too. She immediately tore herself out of his arms and ran to the window, half her body leaning dangerously out.

“Leland… I know she’s your fiancée. I don’t want to make things hard for you… but Hawkeye was my family! If you’re going to protect that woman, then… then I’ll just meet you in another life!”

Leland panicked instantly, any hint of pity he had for me gone in a heartbeat.

He rushed toward her but didn’t dare touch her too suddenly.

“Don’t be impulsive! I’m not protecting her!”

Then he whirled around, his face turning frighteningly cold, and barked at the stunned bodyguards.

“What are you waiting for?! Pry her mouth open and force the whole damn bowl of soup down her throat!”

My mouth was forced open, and scalding-hot cheese soup was shoved down my throat before I could even react.

The burning spread instantly, making my whole body tremble.

I didn’t even have time to swallow; its thick, steaming consistency filled my airway in seconds.

A sharp wave of suffocation quickly hit me. I struggled with everything I had, but Leland just shot the bodyguards a cold look, signaling them to pin me down and force the entire bowl into me.

Red blotches broke out across my skin almost immediately. The allergic reaction hit fast and harshly.

But Leland didn’t even spare me a glance.

Instead, he hurried to cover Shanna’s eyes, afraid she’d be frightened by how I looked.

By the time the torment finally ended, I collapsed on the floor—itching, burning, and my mind drifting in and out.

But I still stared at Leland, who was still protectively shielding Shanna in his arms, my hatred boiling up so violently it almost swallowed me whole.

At that moment, I wanted to shout and curse him.

But my throat was so swollen that it felt stuffed with cotton; I couldn’t make a single sound.

My stare made Leland uneasy, but his voice stayed just as cruel as ever.

“Don’t look at me like that. This is what you owe Shanna. Reflect on yourself at home, and maybe I’ll spare you.”

Despair washed over me. I slowly closed my eyes and let myself sink into the darkness.

When I woke up again, the bright hospital ceiling stung my eyes.

A nurse walked over with a tray. When she saw me awake, her voice still carried leftover fear.

“Thank goodness, you’re finally awake! Did you know you were unconscious for three whole days and nights?

“If you know your allergy is this bad, why’d you still eat cheese? Luckily, someone found you collapsed by the roadside and brought you here. One minute later and you might not have made it!”

She turned to leave, but her lowered voice still drifted back to me.

“So strange… She was out cold for three days, and not a single family member came to visit…”

My hands clenched tight. I hadn’t expected that after I passed out, Leland didn’t even bother taking me to the hospital.

But it didn’t matter anymore.

Just two more days.

As long as I survived two more days, I’d finally be free.

I took out my phone and texted Galen, each word sharp with resolve.

[Two days from now, Leland will take me to that party by the cliff. Destroy my identity completely then.]

From then on, Leland and I would have nothing left tying us together.

When I dragged my weak body back home, he was sitting on the couch, tenderly feeding fruit to Shanna.

He didn’t acknowledge me until I walked in. Suddenly remembering my existence, he rushed over, wrapping an arm around my shoulders like he was worried sick.

“Babe! You’re finally back! I’ve been worried to death these past few days!”

I stepped out of his reach, my eyes flicking between him and Shanna. I let out a cold laugh.

“You? Worried about me? I was lying in a hospital bed for three days, you know. Funny, I never saw you once. But you clearly had time to sit here flirting with that woman.”

Shanna rolled her eyes and tugged Leland back to her side.

“Come on, Leland. Look at her—does she look like someone who just got out of the hospital? She’s obviously just trying to make you worry for nothing.”

I raised a brow, not bothering to hide the mockery in my voice.

“Still better than someone who steals someone else’s fiancé and pretends to be innocent.”

The moment I mocked Shanna, Leland’s expression darkened.

“Charmaine! You’re out of line! Shanna’s dog died of poisoning because of you. She only scolded you a little, and you still have the nerve to mock her? Keep this up, and I’ll ground you for a week!”

My fingers twisted into the hem of my top, swallowing down the curse burning at the tip of my tongue.

I knew exactly what kind of person Leland was—if he said he would do something, he’d do it.

And I couldn’t afford to ruin what I planned to do two days from now.

Without looking at either of them again, I turned around and went straight back to my room.