For nine years, I chased after Bradyn Ruiz. Yet in the end, he sent me to a mental hospital for his true love.

By the time I was tortured terribly, I finally let go of my love.

But then Bradyn lost his mind.

He crawled on his knees, begging for the same lucky charm he'd once asked for on my behalf.

***

A Bentley pulled up in front of the mental hospital.

The director of the hospital Aron Gates, wearing his white coat, gave me a gentle push from behind, and then bowed deeply to the man getting out of the car.

Like a puppet on strings, I moved forward mechanically, only to be stopped by Bradyn's outstretched hand. That was when I realized I had already walked up to him.

With his arms crossed, a mocking expression flickered across his handsome face as his sharp eyes coldly scanned me up and down.

"You seem better now. At least not so noisy anymore."

He gave a faint smirk, lifting his chin in acknowledgment toward Aron.

The expression on Aron's face, the one that filled me with terror, was now plastered with a sycophantic grin.

Bradyn shoved me into the car with a rough push. As the car moved forward, the hell I'd been trapped in for two months faded further and further away, until it finally disappeared.

"It's been two months. You should have learned your lesson by now. If it weren't for you, Kelsie wouldn't have lost the baby! Even though the security footage showed you didn't push her, it's still because of your argument that she tripped."

He stretched out his legs, making the car feel cramped.

"Our parents are back from overseas, so you'd better behave yourself. Otherwise, once they leave again..."

Bradyn glanced at me sideways with a ruthless smile, his tone carrying a cruel, unquestionable authority.

I was terrified, frozen stiff, but I clung tightly to the lucky charm in my hand. It had been my sole source of courage for the past two months.

The lucky charm was now so distorted from my grip, much like my love for him since childhood.

Like a doll, I placed my hands neatly on my knees and stared straight ahead without uttering a word.

In the mental hospital, they didn't allow me to speak. Even the smallest noise would be met with punishment.

They beat me, over and over again, until there wasn't a spot on my body left unscathed.

I became jumpy after that, afraid of the dark, light, and sound. It was as though I had contracted rabies.

If Bradyn had bothered to look closer, he would've noticed the vacant look in my eyes and the way my legs trembled uncontrollably.

But he didn't. Or maybe he did, but he just didn't care.

He occasionally glanced at his phone, smiling with relaxed brows. I hadn't seen him smile like that in a long time. When we were younger, Bradyn used to smile at me like that all the time...

Our families were close, and we were childhood sweethearts. At our closest, we were inseparable, crying whenever we were apart.

Our parents would jokingly say we were bound to get married when we grew up.

I believed it too. I always saw Bradyn as my future husband, imagining the happy home we would build together.

But all of that was shattered by a woman named Kelsie Munoz.

Kelsie's arrival was like a bolt of lightning that woke me from all my dreams.

Whenever she appeared, Bradyn's gaze would follow her involuntarily.

No matter what he was doing, one phone call from her, and he would drop everything to rush to her side at any time without hesitation.

She and I couldn't be more different. I was a spoiled rich girl, while she was calm, composed, and always knew exactly what she wanted.

From the moment she became Bradyn's assistant, her eyes shone with determination, as though she was certain she would win him over.

Under her soft and considerate attacks, Bradyn gradually went from indifferent to paying attention to every detail of her life. Eventually, they became confidants, and after some alcohol, they ended up in bed together.

I yelled, screamed, and even threatened to hurt myself, but the more I acted out, the more Bradyn grew to despise me.

Right in front of Kelsie, he said he only ever saw me as a younger sister and that he didn't have the slightest romantic feeling for me. He told me to stop daydreaming.

I couldn't believe it. I held up the lucky charm he had once given me and demanded an explanation.

When I was fifteen, I caught a fever after swimming at the beach.

The fever lasted three days, and even the doctors had given up hope. My parents were on the verge of despair. Only Bradyn refused to give up, desperately searching for a way to save me.

He traveled alone to a church at a high altitude to pray and brought me back this lucky charm.

It was strange. After the lucky charm was placed under my pillow, I recovered from the fever by the next day.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Bradyn's disheveled but smiling face.

The light in his eyes was so bright that it illuminated my entire world.

From that moment on, my heart seemed to beat solely for him.

For nine years, I orbited around him. It was so long that he became a habit I couldn't break.

Bradyn glanced at the lucky charm in my hand and scoffed.

"It's just some trinket. I didn't expect that you would treat it like it's priceless."

I finally understood. To him, I was just like that trinket, something insignificant, easily discarded.

The car pulled into the Ruiz's house.

After getting out, Bradyn took a deep breath and then frowned in disgust before reluctantly grabbing my hand.

I knew he was only doing it for our parents, but I recoiled inside.

His cold fingertips pinched my palm, sending a sharp pain through me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trembling all over, trying to pull my hand away.

But Bradyn's warning look stopped me.

"Giana Miranda, behave yourself! Don't try anything stupid, or you know what will happen!"

I stopped resisting, letting him lead me inside, numb and devoid of feeling.

Our parents and Bradyn were all there, their faces lighting up with joy when they saw Bradyn holding my hand.

"Oh, look at that, Giana and Bradyn are still as close as ever!"

"They grew up as childhood sweethearts. Of course, they are close."

"They're all grown up now. Maybe we should start planning the wedding for next year?"

"I saw a beautiful wedding dress in Milan recently. I'll have it custom-made for Giana in a few days."

What were they talking about? Were they really talking about me and Bradyn? How could that be possible? He had made it painfully clear through his actions that I shouldn't have any illusions. If I dared to hope, he'd only break me further, leaving me even filthier and more shattered.

I couldn't endure his punishment again!

I suddenly felt a cold, venomous gaze slide over my skin like a slimy snake.

It was Kelsie. She was here, in the Ruiz's house!

Bradyn had actually brought her into his home!

She stood there with her chestnut curls cascading over her swan-like neck, the sapphire earrings dangling from her ears sparkling like treasures. They were expensive.

Perhaps due to her miscarriage, her face looked a bit pale, but her fragile appearance only made her seem more delicate and endearing.

Her sharp business attire only accentuated her charm as a sophisticated city woman.

The contrast was irresistible. No man could resist her allure.

As I glanced toward her, Kelsie quickly dropped her sinister expression, replacing it with a fake smile as she linked her arm through mine.

I wanted to pull away so badly, but Bradyn's hand pinched my palm fiercely.

Suppressing the chill in my heart, I lowered my head and let them manipulate me, obedient like I had been in the mental hospital.

How could I dare to disobey?

If I ever went against Aron's wishes, he would find new ways to torment me.

On my third day there, I couldn't take it anymore and tried to escape by jumping out of the window, but they caught me.

They ripped out my toenails and injected saltwater into the wounds with needles...

When Kelsie saw that I didn't resist, her smile grew more smug.

Right in front of me, she tilted her head up, her eyes glistening with deep affection as she exchanged flirtatious glances with Bradyn.

But since I was the main focus of this family gathering, she didn't dare go too far in front of my parents.

Kelsie pushed me a little closer to Bradyn and teased me.

"Ms. Miranda has finally decided to come back! You were angry with Bradyn for so many days and even snuck off! He was so worried. As a girl, staying away for two months by yourself isn't safe at all."