On the way to a dance competition, a massive truck rammed into me. My legs were shattered, and my mother was sent flying from the impact after she tried to protect me.

My stepbrother, who was also my secret boyfriend of six years, went crazy after hearing the news. He had the driver dragged off to a lawless borderland and called in the best doctors in the country to save me and my mother.

Not many people knew, but I was born with a rare sensitivity to pain. The more it hurt, the clearer my mind became.

That was how I ended up lying wide awake on the bed, listening to Luke Quinton and his friend, Harvey Lane, talking just outside my hospital room.

"Luke, are you sure about this? You really want to let Queenie practice on Natalie's mother's heart?"

"She deserves it. That vile woman seduced my father and drove my mother to her death. If not for revenge, do you think I'd stomach being with her daughter for six years?

"She should be honored that Queenie is dissecting her heart. Keep it from Natalie for now. If she loses it, she might ruin my wedding with Queenie. What would I do if that happened? The only woman I'll ever have as my wife is Queenie. No one will ever take her place."

So, that was the truth.

What I thought was a love strong enough to defy the world had been a lie from the very beginning—just a carefully crafted act of revenge.

"Enough. Just do as I say."

Luke Quinton's voice was cold and devoid of emotions.

He was speaking to Harvey Lane, his personal doctor and best friend. Harvey glanced at me, and a flicker of unease crossed his face. I was lying motionless on the hospital bed, my face ashen.

After hesitating momentarily, Harvey tried to persuade Luke. "Luke, Natalie's mother has always treated you like her own son. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding? Why don't we wait a bit more? I'm worried that Natalie—"

A loud crash echoed through the air, followed by Luke's roar. "How can it be a misunderstanding? Melanie Smith was a homewrecker! Natalie is no better! If she had any self-respect, she wouldn't have slept with me six years ago!

"She's just a toy to me—always eager to please at the slightest gesture. I've already done more than enough for her."

Harvey sighed at Luke's rage, and his shoulders dropped in resignation. "Fine. Just don't regret it later."

Luke sneered. "Regret? I don't know the meaning of that word!"

Harvey sighed again as he shook his head, and he looked at me with pity in his gaze.

"By the way, I just examined Natalie's legs. Although they were crushed, the damage isn't as severe as it looks. She'll need surgery, but she should be able to dance again soon with proper rehabilitation."

Luke's expression darkened. "Why bother? Amputate them. Make sure she never stands again!"

Harvey sucked in a sharp breath and frantically said, "Isn't that too much, Luke? Natalie just lost her mother, and now you're taking away the one thing she's most proud of? If you stop her from dancing again, isn't that the same as killing her?!"

Luke gently brushed a stray lock of hair from my forehead. His touch was soft, but his words were sharp.

"Queenie doesn't like seeing Natalie dance. She'll only be happy once Natalie is completely crippled. And if that makes her smile, I'll do whatever it takes—I don't care how much blood gets on my hands."

Luke paused for a moment, then continued, "Perhaps it's for the best if she loses her legs. That way, she won't turn out like her mother in the future—throwing herself at any man who crosses her path. If she behaves, I might consider keeping her around. Like a pet."

Harvey knew there was no changing Luke's mind. With a heavy sigh, he motioned for the doctors to come in. The wheels of the gurney rattled against the floor as they pushed me toward the operating room.

I wanted to scream and fight, but the icy anesthesia seeped into my veins and pulled me under.

Somewhere in the haze, I heard Luke's assistant, Michael Judd, talk. "Mr. Quinton, the driver and his family have been sent to Meldora. Just as you instructed, we gave them five million dollars. They'll never show their faces in front of Ms. Johnson again."

"Good," Luke said before turning to Harvey. "One more thing—Natalie always cared about her looks. Make sure the amputation is clean. I don't want her waking up and being upset over an ugly scar."

I felt a bone-deep chill spreading through my limbs. My vision went black, and I lost consciousness completely.

When I woke up again, the surgery was over. I was lying in a lavish VIP hospital room.

The empty space where my legs used to be and the excruciating pain reminded me that none of this was a dream.

It turned out that the six-year relationship I had with him was nothing but a lie from the start.

I was unable to hold back and broke down in tears.

Just then, Luke rushed in. He looked panicked as he grabbed my hand. His face was filled with concern, and there was clear distress in his eyes.

“The doctor said the injuries to your legs were too severe, so they had to amputate them. But don’t worry, I’ll be your crutch for the rest of your life. I’ll take care of you forever.”

The sorrow in Luke’s eyes seemed genuine, but all I could feel was disgust.

I turned my face away. Clinging to the last sliver of hope, I asked, “Where’s my mother? I want to see her.”

A flicker of guilt flashed across his face. He lowered his head and gently kissed my forehead, then said, “She’s in critical condition. She’s still in the ICU.”

I clutched his shirt tightly and pleaded, “Take me to see her, please?”

I wanted to at least see my mother one more time—just to say goodbye.

Luke frowned, then forcefully tucked my hand back under the blanket. His tone left no room for argument as he said, “Don’t worry and just rest, okay? You’re not in any condition to move. We’ll see her another time.”

I fell silent and let the ache spread in my heart.

For the next few days, Luke refused to hire a nurse. He took it upon himself to change the bandages on my stumps every day.

The foul smell of the infected wound filled the room, but Luke treated it like it was a precious gem. He handled my wounds carefully without a hint of disgust.

When he saw how depressed I was, Luke assumed it was the hospital environment I disliked. So, he arranged for my discharge and took me home.

As soon as we stepped through the door, the familiar scent of my mother filled the air.

For the first time in days, I allowed myself a smile.

Seeing that my mood had improved, Luke sighed in relief and quickly found an excuse to leave.

I wheeled myself over to the locked door of a room.

It was Luke’s study. He never allowed anyone in here, and he had never given me the password for the fingerprint lock.

I thought about it for a while, and an idea crossed my mind.

I entered the digits for Queenie’s birthday.

Sure enough, the door clicked open, revealing a room full of photos. They were everywhere—on the walls, the floor, even the ceiling.

And in every photo, without exception, was Queenie.

The computer on the desk emitted a faint glow, and I clicked it open.

What I saw next made my entire body tremble.

The screen was filled with text—plans for revenge against me and my mother.

Luke’s WhatsApp account was logged in, one I’d never seen before. It was likely a secondary account.

The pinned contact? “Darling”.

The chat log, aside from some crude flirtations, was filled with private videos of me—completely in my birthday suit!

[Luke, are you filming so many videos of Natalie because you think she’s better than me? You’re not falling in love with her, are you?]

[Don’t say such nonsense, Queenie. You’re like the bright moon in the sky, while Natalie is just filthy, rotten mud. She can’t even compare to you.]

[Everything I’ve done is for revenge. Every second I spend with her disgusts me. I’ll pretend to marry her, then, at her happiest moment, I’ll release these videos and ruin her.]

[Queenie, be good and wait for me. You’ll be my wife soon. I love you.]

On the desk, there were dozens of wedding photos of Luke and Queenie in various styles.

The date on the photos? The very day my mother and I had the accident.

I felt my heart shatter completely. With trembling hands, I dialed an international number.

“Dad, I’ve made up my mind—I’ll go to Meldora. Please erase my current identity for me!”

As I got out of bed the next morning, I noticed a beautifully wrapped box on the table.

Inside was an expensive pair of diamond high heels.

As I held the gift box, Luke came back from the balcony after finishing a phone call. The color drained from his face as he rushed over and snatched it from my hands.

When he realized his mistake, Luke gently took my hands with a guilty look. "Natalie, this was a surprise I prepared for you. Let's look at it another day, okay?"

Who would give high heels to a person who had lost their legs?

And they weren't in my size either.

I bit back the sarcastic remark on my tongue. I was about to make an excuse to leave when a high-pitched, tinkling laugh echoed from the door.

Queenie was wearing a red dress, and she walked in arm-in-arm with Luke's grandmother, Beatrice Hunt. They were chatting and laughing as they walked.

"Luke, I came together with Grandma," Queenie said with a pout, then threw herself playfully into his arms.

But as soon as she saw me, her face twisted in fear, and she screamed, "Natalie! Where are your legs? You're crippled now! How disgusting!"

I glanced at her smooth, flawless legs, then down at my own bandaged stumps.

A wave of humiliation hit me, and my chest tightened in pain.

Beatrice scowled, clearly disgusted. Then, she raised her cane and hit me.

"Ugh! What a curse! If your legs are gone, stay out of sight. Why come out and scare people? Looks like you got what you deserve, you vixen! You're just as bad as your mother! Now that you've lost your legs, you won't be seducing anymore men, will you?"

Beatrice snorted. "Worthless trash! You should get out of my house, and take your worthless mother with you too!"

Beatrice hadn't always been like this. Although she had never been fond of me or my mother, she always chose to ignore us instead. She was never openly hostile.

However, the day she walked in on Luke and me kissing, her attitude changed completely.

She called me a seductive vixen and accused me of trying to seduce her precious grandson.

When no one was around, she would beat me and insult me.

Luke would still stand up for me before this, but now, all he cared about was the woman in his arms.

It wasn't until I was red-eyed from the constant insults, trembling from the abuse, that he finally did something. He patted Queenie on her head and reluctantly separated from her, then half-heartedly pushed me to the side.

"Natalie, don't take her words to heart, okay? Grandma's just all talk. Her words are sharp, but she's just a softie on the inside," Luke said.

Queenie was standing behind him. She smirked at me, clearly gloating at my situation.

However, Beatrice hadn't finished. She slammed her cane against the floor and shouted, "Luke, when you were younger, I didn't blame you for being seduced by this vixen. But now, she's nothing but a useless cripple! If you still insist on being with her, you'll have to walk over my dead body!"

Queenie rushed to Beatrice's side and tried to calm her down. "Grandma, don't be angry. Actually, Luke and I have been together for a while. We're getting married soon."

As soon as she finished talking, Queenie pulled Luke's tie and drew him into a deep kiss.

Luke was awkward at first, but he eventually melted into it. He even pulled her closer by the back of her neck and deepened the kiss.

As Beatrice watched them kiss, she clapped her hands in delight.

"That's wonderful! I'll only accept you as my future granddaughter-in-law, Queenie!"

Five minutes later, they finally broke apart. Even so, I could see how reluctantly they were to do so.

I watched them coldly, then turned my wheelchair around and left.

Thinking I was upset, Luke turned pale and quickly moved to wheel me back into the room. There, he tried to explain his actions.

"Natalie, don't misunderstand. We were just putting on a show for Grandma. She's old, so she can't get too worked up."

I smiled faintly and patted his hand. "I know. Grandma's health is more important."

Seeing that I wasn't crying or throwing a tantrum like before, Luke sighed in relief.

After a brief silence, he averted his eyes and hesitantly said, "Natalie, with your condition and Grandma opposing our relationship, the wedding might not happen. But the venue and everything else are already booked. Why don't we…"

He trailed off, but I finished his thought.

"Let Queenie be the bride instead, then."