Half an hour later, Milena posted a new update online.

[It’s just a tiny scratch from my manicure, but someone panicked so badly he almost crashed racing over to see me.]

Hazel laughed out loud.

Milena’s pinky finger with a barely visible cut. A wound that small could make Vincent Clarke, the man known for his calm and control, lose his composure. Yet when her own sister was dying, he hadn’t even looked her way.

The difference between being loved and not loved had never been so cruelly clear.

Lost in thought, Hazel accidentally tapped the “like” button. Almost instantly, her phone rang. Vincent called.

“I was the one who wanted to come back to see Milena,” Vincent said sharply. Why are you so angry? Don't make things difficult for her."

Hazel smiled bitterly. He was furious over a ‘like’ button?

When she didn’t respond, Vincent’s tone softened, realizing he’d sounded harsh.

He took the initiative to soothe her, “Hazel, don’t overthink. I already brought your father out of the cold room — he’s awake now. As for your sister’s surgery, it’ll have to wait until tomorrow. There’s a storm tonight and Milena’s terrified of thunder. I can’t leave her alone.”

Hazel lowered her eyes to hide her disappointment.

“I see. If that’s all, I’ll hang up now.”

She ended the call and let her tears fall freely.

When Vincent ignored her, she didn’t cry.

When he broke their promises, she also didn’t cry. Even when Milena used Vincent’s affection to bully her, she endured in silence.

But watching her family suffer because of that woman — that broke something inside.

Hazel cried for a long time before regaining her composure.

Then, she picked up her phone and called a man she hadn’t spoken to in years — David Federer, Vincent’s long-time rival and the man who had once pursued her endlessly.

“You once said you’d wait for me. Does that offer still count?”

“I’ll be with you. But I need your help to fake my death and leave this place.”

Seven days from now, there would be a grand cruise gala. She’d take her family and leave Vincent once and for all. Because with his obsessive, possessive nature, she knew he’d never agree to a normal divorce.

Once David agreed, Hazel hung up the call.

Suddenly, a wave of nausea washed over her. She uncontrollably retched a few times.

A bad premonition washed over her.

Looking pale, she went straight to the hospital for a pregnancy test.

When she saw the result, she froze.

She was three months pregnant. Completely unaware until now!

Without a second of hesitation, she turned to the doctor. “Schedule an abortion. Immediately.”

Yeah, she couldn't keep this child.

The doctor looked startled. “Your baby’s perfectly healthy — actually, there’s a high chance it’s twins. Are you sure you want to end them?”

Tears spilled down Hazel’s cheeks; she turned her face away, hiding them. She wanted these children — more than anyone else. But Vincent had changed. He didn’t even care about her father—his own mentor. So how could he possibly care about the babies growing inside her?

“I’m sure,” she whispered. “Do it today.”

The moment she was wheeled onto the cold operating table, her body went cold.

Until the anesthetic took effect, her world went dark.

When she woke, her hands instinctively went to her stomach. The life that had once been there was gone. And though her heart shattered, she told herself—this was the only way.

Dragging her exhausted body, Hazel returned to her sister’s hospital room. Her sister lay there, skin pale as paper and covered in IV tubes.

Hazel’s will hardened. She had done the right thing. Ending the pregnancy and planning her escape.

Still in her clothes, she lay down beside her sister and fell into a restless sleep.

The next morning, Hazel drove back to the Clarke mansion to pick up her father. But when she opened the door, she froze — the sight before her made her blood run cold.

Her father—a man in his fifties with graying hair, was being forced to his knees by a group of bodyguards.

And on his back sat Milena, cracking a whip against him as if training a dog.

“C’mon, old man, crawl! You can’t even crawl, then what good are you?”

Hazel’s blood boiled. Without hesitation, she rushed over and pulled Milena down.

Then she slapped her hard.

"How dare you hit me? Do you know what you're doing?"

Milena was stunned, staring at Hazel in disbelief.

But Hazel ignored her and distressed, helped her father to his feet, “I’m sorry, Dad. I should’ve come sooner.”

Just then, the door opened. Vincent walked in, carrying breakfast he’d personally made for Milena.

The moment Milena saw him, she ran to him like a wounded child. “Vincent! Look what that horrible woman did to me! My face hurts so much.”

Milena’s skin was fair — too fair. The slap Hazel had given her wasn’t even that hard, yet it was still extremely red and swollen.

Vincent’s face darkened instantly.

He ordered someone to hold Hazel down, then turned and had Milena return the slap herself.

He ignored Hazel’s explanations and said coldly, "No one can bully Milena in my territory."

Hearing this, Milena approached Hazel with even greater pride.

One slap, two slaps... She slapped her ten times before finally stopping, satisfied.

Hazel who had initially struggled, finally became numb.

Her entire face was red and swollen and blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth.

But Vincent didn’t even flinch.

Instead, he took Milena’s hand and gently massaged it. “You hit her so hard,” he murmured. “Don't you feel any pain?"

Seeing this, Hazel's already broken heart began to ache uncontrollably again.

So did her father. He struggled against the guards, desperate to reach her, but it was useless.

Milena wasn’t done. She demanded an even harsher punishment. But Vincent was unable to persuade her, so he had no choice but to cruelly order Hazel to be thrown into the basement.

“If she wants to be Mrs. Clarke, she’d better learn to act like one. Keep her there for two days so she can reflect on her behavior.”

Hazel was thrown like she was trash into the cold, damp basement.

For an entire day, no one brought her food or water.

When she thought she might actually starve to death, the door creaked open.

Milena stepped inside, crouching down with a tray of spoiled leftovers.

“Hi, Hazel, I brought you dinner. You must be starving,” Milena said in a sing-song tone. “Want me to feed you?”

Humiliation flooded Hazel’s chest. She used her last bit of strength to refuse. “I’d rather die than eat garbage.”

Milena’s expression twisted into something cruel. She grabbed Hazel’s chin, pried her mouth open by force and shoved the rotten food in.

Hazel who was furious, pushed Milena away. Then she grabbed the plate and smashed it over that woman’s head. Not only that, she also picked up a shard of glass and stepped toward her.

Blood trickled down Milena’s forehead. Terrified, she screamed — staring at Hazel like she had seen a devil.

Vincent rushed over once he heard the noise. By the time he burst into the room, he saw Hazel dragging the shard of glass toward Milena’s face.

His expression darkened instantly. Without hesitation, he kicked Hazel hard in the gut, sending her flying across the room.

“Call the hospital. Tell them to stop all treatment for her sister.”

“While for Hazel, keep locking her down here. No food. No water. No one opens that door unless I say so.”

Hazel froze. “No—Vincent, please!” she cried weakly. “You can punish me however you want, but don’t stop my sister’s treatment! Please!”

He didn’t even look at her.

Still holding Milena, he turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

The heavy door slammed shut, cutting off all light.

In the darkness, Hazel felt the warm blood spreading beneath her. Her vision blurred, her strength fading away — until everything went black.

Hazel woke up and found herself in a hospital bed. She survived. Someone pulled her out of that basement. For a moment, she thought maybe it was Vincent—that perhaps he’d softened and, with some lingering feeling for her, had rescued her.

But when she turned her head, she saw her father sitting beside her, a thick bandage wrapped around his head. Only then did she realize it hadn’t been Vincent. It was her father who had risked everything to drag her badly injured body out of the basement.

He even knelt before Milena, taking the blame for himself. Only then had Vincent finally relented and agreed to get her to the hospital.

Hazel closed her eyes, pain ripping through her. She couldn’t bear to look at her father’s wounds, afraid that the next second she might lose control and kill Vincent.

It took a long time for her to steady herself. When she finally opened her eyes and looked at her father, she whispered, “Don’t worry. Five days from now, I’ll get you and Sadie out of here.”

But just as she finished her words, the ward door was flung open.

Vincent’s brows furrowed slightly, his tone tinged with a panic he wasn't even aware of.

“Out of here? Where are you going?”

Hazel hadn’t expected him to come. She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms, but her expression remained calm.

“Just out for a walk. What? You can’t even let me have a little freedom?”

Hearing this, Vincent breathed a sigh of relief. “Of course not. As long as you don’t hurt Milena, I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“I came to ask you to help record a video,” he said.

The footage from the dart room had been leaked online by someone with ulterior motives. Milena’s personal information had been exposed and netizens were attacking her relentlessly.

They weren’t just calling her a murderer—they were labeling her as “Vincent’s mistress.”

Vincent had wiped the trending searches seven times but still couldn’t stop it. He had no choice but to ask Hazel, as the older sister of the victim, to record a video, clearing the situation.

“I want you to tell everyone it was you who sent your sister to be the target, that you deliberately caused her to lose her balanc and get hurt,” Vincent said, eyes narrowing. “Only then will people believe it was your jealousy of my attention toward Milena that drove you to set this trap—and stop the online attacks.”

Hazel, sitting on the hospital bed, grew paler by the second. She stared at him, a wave of sorrow washing over her.

To clear Milena’s name, he was willing to throw all the dirt onto her. This was the same Vincent who had once treated her like the center of his world, who had feared she would suffer even the smallest grievance.

But Hazel knew resistance was useless—it would only bring more trouble to herself and her family.

“I can agree to record the video, but my sister’s surgery has to start now. She can’t wait.”

Vincent didn’t hesitate. He ordered the surgeons to begin Sadie’s operation right in front of her.

Slightly relieved, Hazel mustered her remaining strength and got out of bed to record the video.

As expected, once the video was released, the internet’s anger shifted entirely onto her.

Not only her private phone number was exposed and people constantly harassed her, some even showed up at the hospital, leaving funeral wreaths and cursing her and her sister to die.

Exhausted, Hazel turned her phone off for a full day, too afraid to check it.

That evening, Vincent arrived after hearing about disturbances at the hospital There was a rare look of pity on his face and he gently wiped away Hazel's tears. “Don’t be afraid. I’ll assign extra bodyguards to protect you.”

“As for the online attacks, Milena’s just come out of the storm. The truth can’t be cleared yet. In three days, I’ll hire a PR company to restore you and your sister’s reputation.”

But what was the point of vindication so delayed?

Hazel refused to look at his hypocritical face and silently told herself, “No need for that.”