Chapter 1

The second year of Cynthia Sutton's marriage to Damian Gray was the year she hated him the most.

When she found out she was pregnant on Damian's birthday, she did only two things.

First, she went to the hospital for an abortion. Then, she preserved the aborted embryo as a specimen and gave it to Damian as his birthday present.

When Damian opened up the present, anger filled his eyes.

"Happy birthday. Do you like this present I got for you?" Cynthia said with a smile. She finally got to see Damian's usually-composed mask crumble.

He carefully tucked the box away before swiftly slamming her down onto the table. Unable to react, her body sank into the birthday cake on the table, the sticky-sweet buttercream staining her clothes and skin.

The anger in Damian's eyes began growing, his breaths growing harsher by the second.

"This was your child too, Cynthia. Did that incident make you despise me so much?" Damian hissed.

Cynthia's breath caught, but she still brushed aside the heartache she felt.

She said with a smile, "Yes, Damian. I hate you with every fiber of my being. You ruined my life and made me lose my family. Why should you get to live in peace while I have to suffer every single day?"

Damian's grip on her began to tighten. Without warning, he flipped her dress open and took her without any preparation.

"This is your punishment for taking our child's life," he growled darkly.

Cynthia cried in pain, her nails clawing lines of red down his back.

Their bodies were locked in an embrace devoid of love or affection. Neither let go of the other even as they became bruised and bloodied.

But things hadn't started out this way for Cynthia and Damian. They'd been happy for a time, and they were lauded by everyone as the perfect couple.

They both grew up with each other, Damian being an orphan the Stutton family sponsored since he was young. As far as Cynthia could remember, they had never been apart from one another for more than a month at a time.

Damian had always been a cold and distant person, but he had always treated Cynthia differently.

He would readily crouch down in front of her the moment she said she was tired from walking, then lift her onto his back and piggyback her home.

He would wash her pants clean of blood if they accidentally got stained while she was having her period. He would even abandon his very important Olvander Maths Competition just to accompany her to the hospital.

To no one's surprise, Cynthia fell in love with Damian. It was as if it was written in the stars.

When Damian finally fulfilled his ambition of joining the Public Prosecutor's Office, he gave the Stutton family his first salary as a gift of appreciation. He even held Cynthia's hand and vowed that he would protect her for life.

He said, "I swear to devote my life to protecting the Stutton family. I'll keep Cynthia safe for the rest of our lives."

He didn't even budge when an intern at the prosecutor's office by the name of Alice Holland began making romantic advances toward him. His boundaries were clear. "Sorry, but I'm already engaged to my fiancee."

However, on the night of Cynthia and Damian's wedding, Alice tearfully took Cynthia's father, Edward Stutton, to court on the grounds that Edward had raped her.

Damian swore to Cynthia that he'd prove Edward's innocence, and Cynthia believed him. Yet during a critical moment in the trial, Damian submitted video evidence of Edward walking a drunken Alice into a room.

The judge immediately convicted Edward of sexual assault and sentenced him to five years in prison. Edward fainted on the spot.

The Stutton family's centuries-old manor was seized by the authorities for investigation, and Rhea Vaughn, Cynthia's mother, died of grief. Cynthia lost her entire family in one night.

When she walked back home in the pouring rain to question Damian about what happened, she found Alice sitting in the living room wearing Cynthia's nightgown. Damian, who rarely ever cooked, came out of the kitchen while rolling up his sleeves.

Cynthia's mind instantly went blank. She felt a piercing cold settle in her bones, so cold that it nearly suffocated her.

She flung and threw anything and everything she could onto the floor like a madwoman, but Damian never budged. He merely watched her with absolute calm on his face and announced his final decision to her once she stopped.

He said, "The prosecution's decision was fair. The law never lies. You have to learn to accept its decision. Alice was deeply traumatized by what Mr. Stutton did to her. As your husband, I have to take responsibility for Alice. The Stutton family owes this to her."

Damian then abandoned Cynthia over and over again, yielding to everything Alice said all because of this 'debt'.

It wasn't as if Cynthia hadn't tried seeking other defense lawyers to help Edward. However, no one dared intervene in Edward's case due to Damian's powerful influence.

In two years of their marriage, hatred had consumed any last shred of love Cynthia had for Damian. Their relationship went from mutual love and affection to sheer hatred.

The pain in Cynthia' heart and body made tears fall from her eyes. The hatred in her heart surged forth once again as she looked at Damian's face in front of her.

She bit down hard on his neck, drawing blood. What she would give to tear his throat out right here and now.

"Are you done with your ridiculous tantrum?" Damian snapped, shoving Cynthia away as he clasped his bloody neck. He pulled out of her and swiftly got dressed, having lost interest in their carnal act.

Cynthia wiped the blood off her lips and smiled coquettishly. "Nope!"

Damian's brows furrowed together. He was about to say something else when his phone rang.

Tenderness filled his eyes the moment he saw the caller ID. He answered the call. "What is it, Alice?"

Alice was sobbing shakily over the phone. "D-Damian, I'm so scared… I had a nightmare about the night I was assaulted… Can you please come and stay with m-me?"

Damian looked at Cynthia, still sprawled on the table and covered in bruises. A sliver of hesitance appeared in his eyes.

In the end, he took his coat from the chair and left, consoling Alice over the phone as he did. "I'll be right there."

Once again, Damian had abandoned Cynthia as if she was some limp rag doll.

Once the door closed behind Damian, Cynthia finally let her tears fall. This would be the last time she ever cried because of him. From now onward, anything he did would no longer affect her whatsoever.

Cynthia put on her clothes through gritted teeth, pain lancing through her body. She turned on her phone and replied to a text message she'd received earlier that read: "Have you thought over my proposal?"

"Yes, I've made up my mind and agree to your terms. I'll elope with you in 15 days. In return for me helping you escape your arranged marriage, you have to get my father out of prison." She texted back.

Chapter 2

The moment Cynthia's text message was sent, a 'typing…' indicator appeared on the corner of her phone screen. It was as if the recipient of her message had been waiting on her reply all this while.

Soon, the reply came. "As you wish. I'll be waiting for you at Amarette Coast. Don't disappoint me."

A brief smile tugged at Cynthia's lips as she read the swift but impactful text response. Bitterness welled up in her chest.

How pathetic. After she was betrayed by her loved ones and hit rock bottom, the only person who came to Cynthia’s aid ended up being her lifelong rival, Marcus White.

The man that Cynthia had once pointed at and called an 'evil, scheming snake' had turned out to be her only accomplice in her plans for revenge.

Cynthia turned her phone off, and a great wave of exhaustion flooded her in an instant. The spot where Damian had forced himself in was now burning with pain.

...

Cynthia had an incredibly restless sleep that night. The sounds of commotion from her wedding day flit in and out of her kaleidoscope-like dreams.

When she woke up, the sky was pale and foggy.

Cynthia wiped the remnants of tears from her eyes as her gaze hardened.

She got out of bed and washed up, then she put on a turtleneck sweater to cover up evidence of last night's tousle with Damian before leaving the house, her face pale and cold.

It was her mother's death anniversary today. The cemetery was perpetually shrouded in a damp chill.

Cynthia placed a bouquet of white lilies before her mother's headstone. They had been Rhea's favorite flowers when she was still alive.

Cynthia crouched down and gently caressed the photograph of her mother's smiling face on the headstone.

She said, "I've come to see you, Mom. Don't worry, I'm alright… I promise. I swear I'll uncover the truth of what happened with Dad so that he can finally be released from prison free of all charges. I won't let any debt owed to our family go unpaid. Please watch after us from above, okay?"

The faint sound of footsteps rang out from behind her the moment she finished speaking.

She turned around to see Damian walking over, still wearing his prosecutor's office uniform. Alice was standing beside him, also clad in her uniform.

Cynthia felt disgusted seeing them huddled so closely together. She hissed at them, "Screw off."

Damian stopped walking. Then, he wordlessly lowered his head before Rhea's grave, paying his respects.

Right as he lowered his head, Cynthia swiftly got to her feet and smacked the bouquet of flowers from his hands. The beautifully-wrapped bouquet immediately fell from the impact, scattering all across the ground.

Cynthia's eyes were like shards of ice as she glared at Damian and Alice. "What is the meaning of this, Damian Gray? Bringing the flowers and the woman my mother hates the most to come and see her? Are you so desperate to see my mother turn in her grave?"

Damian's brows furrowed together as he replied quietly, "Alice was the one who bought the flowers for Mrs. Stutton as an act of respect. It's just flowers, Cynthia. Why do you have to—"

"Just flowers?" Cynthia cut him off, disbelief and sarcasm in her tone.

A memory instantly surfaced in Cynthia's mind.

Damian had always kept tabs on everyone's preferences in the Stutton family. He never forgot that Rhea, with her pollen allergy, could only have lilies because it had a lighter fragrance. Hence he would always make sure the florist tended accordingly to the flowers beforehand.

Damian's level of care and attention always made Rhea chuckle whenever she received flowers from him. She used to say, "Damian's such a caring and thoughtful young man. Who knows how spoiled our darling Cynthia will be once she marries him?"

Cynthia thought she'd be the sole recipient of Damian's tender love and care for the rest of their lives. But in reality, that was not the case.

Not only had Damian ruined Cynthia's entire family, he'd even said something as careless as 'It's just flowers' when it came to flowers for Rhea.

Alice forced the malicious glee down in her eyes before saying cautiously, "I'm sorry, Ms. Stutton. I just… I just wanted to pay my sincerest respects to Mrs. Stutton."

Cynthia instantly returned to her senses upon seeing Alice's fake little act.

Upon recalling Alice's claims in court during Edward's trial, Cynthia rose to her feet.

"Alright," Cynthia said.

She then grabbed Alice by the shoulders and shoved her down on the ground without hesitation. Alice shrieked and cried in fear, her knees hitting the cold, hard ground.

"Stop it!" Damian's expression swiftly shifted. He helped Alice to her feet and checked her for any injuries.

When he next looked up at Cynthia, he said in an accusatory tone, "Can you not throw such a childish tantrum? Alice just wanted to come and apologize."

Cynthia was shoved aside and stumbled a little, but quickly regained her footing. She smoothed out her slightly-tousled hair, looking a little laid back.

"Didn't you hear Ms. Holland here loud and clear, Mr. Gray? She was the one who wanted to apologize to my mother. I was just helping her get into a more 'sincere' state of mind. Is that so wrong?" Cynthia drawled.

"You…" A vein in Damian's temple throbbed upon hearing Cynthia's distorted claim. His brows furrowed tightly together.

He leaned down to lift a frightened and trembling Alice bridal-style into his arms. Then, he warned Cynthia before leaving, "It's time to stop with this foolishness, Cynthia Stutton."

Cynthia didn't turn around.

She slowly crouched down and caressed the ground, feeling the residual warmth on it. A smile surfaced on her pale face.

She said, "Did you see that, Mom? That was just the beginning. I'm going to make everyone who's ever wronged us pay for what they did."

Chapter 3

After bidding her mother's grave goodbye, Cynthia went to a visa application center. She'd long prepared all the necessary documents, only her signature was left.

Once her visa was ready, she took a deep breath. At least her way out of this place was clear now.

It was late at night when she returned home. She began quietly packing all of her things. She hadn't brought over much personal belongings, and the amount of items packed into her luggage bags were fewer still. An old family photo was the only respite she had here.

Damian hadn't returned home for three consecutive days, likely to console Alice down after she was 'frightened'. Cynthia ended up sleeping quite well at night due to this rare period of peace and quiet.

This night, however, she was awoken by her phone's loud ringtone.

Damian's cold voice rang out over the speaker, there wasn't an inch of emotion in his tone. "The doctor has come out with the results of the wound on Alice's forehead. It might end up scarring for life. You have to pay for your actions and make it up to her, Cynthia."

Cynthia leaned against the head of her bed, snickering. "Make it up to her? Are you asking me to do so as my husband, or are you informing me of this as a prosecutor?"

Damian was silent for a moment. Then, he said in a tone lower than before."Alice has the right to sue you for intentional assault."

"I'd love for that to happen." A faint but alluring smile appeared on Cynthia's lips. "I await her lawyer's letter, then. It'd be amazing if you were the prosecutor for the case, just like how you were in my father's case before. I'd love to see just how Mr. Gray betrays his own family again."

"Cynthia Stutton!" A hint of anger finally colored Damian's tone after he failed to hold it back. "Must you talk to me this way?"

"An eye for an eye, Damian," Cynthia said lightly, though her words felt like the sharpest glass shards. "You were the one who taught me to be like this."

Then, she hung up.

Cynthia felt a rush of glee that was quickly replaced with a heavy sense of emptiness and exhaustion. She had never expected her relationship with Damian to turn out like this when she'd so happily married him back then.

Sadly, fate played a cruel game on both of them. Damian's love for her crumbled and went to someone else in the end, while Cynthia was left battered and bloodied.

Cynthia quickly shoved that sense of vulnerability in her heart down. She laid down in bed and fell back to sleep.

However, she was jerked awake later that evening under a certain someone's dark and heavy gaze.

She opened her eyes to see that Damian had returned home. He was seated on the couch beside their bed, his face unreadable as it stayed shrouded in the shadows. Only Damian's deep gaze stayed glued to her in the dark.

He rarely ever got angry, yet he'd made exception after exception for Alice.

"How can you still fall asleep so peacefully after doing what you did?" he asked Cynthia.

Cynthia sat up in bed with the covers around her. She smiled lazily, though there wasn't any warmth in her eyes whatsoever. "Of course I'd sleep peacefully, seeing my enemies miserable."

Damian's brows furrowed harder. He seemed to be trying his best to restrain himself from doing something.

He passed Cynthia a phone. The cemetery's video footage from their visit the other day was onscreen, having been posted online. It depicted Cynthia forcing Alice to kneel before Rhea's headstone.

The video had been edited just enough to show that part of the story, excluding what came before and after.

The comments section was filled with hate comments.

"Go to hell, bitch!”

"I feel so bad for Alice, having to endure such bullying from this madwoman."

"Mr. Gray should hurry up and divorce her!"

"Everyone from the Stutton family is rotten to the core! I'm not surprised their daughter is just as terrible."

Someone even doxxed Cynthia as the hate comments continued, wanting to 'cancel' her for good.

Damian massaged his forehead and said tiredly, "Online comments can have a really big impact on your reputation. I've arranged for a press conference tomorrow so you can publicly apologize to Alice. This is the best and only way we can reduce the impact of the public's opinion."

Cynthia calmly looked up at Damian. He'd expertly manipulated the court of public opinion and used his legal schemes against Cynthia all because of another woman.

He had once sent Cynthia's father into prison with the same cold and cruel demeanor. When Cynthia had sobbed and asked Damian why he'd done it, he'd replied from the same moral high ground.

Back then, he tried comforting her by saying, "Cynthia, Mr. Stutton has to bear the consequences of his mistakes. But don't worry—you still have me."

However, Damian never ended up being there to support Cynthia as promised.

"What if I don't?" she asked lightly.

Damian rose to his feet, his tall figure giving off a strong oppressive air as he strode over to the bedside. "Will you only be satisfied once our home is in utter shambles, Cynthia Stutton?"

Cynthia found what he said to be humorous. She looked up and met Damian's gaze without fear. "You were the one who started it, Damian Gray."

Damian was the one who threw Cynthia's life into complete chaos.

Damian's jaw was clenched tight, his eyes frightfully dark.

They stared at one another for a moment before a cold smile suddenly appeared on Cynthia's lips. Her tone shifted as she said, "Alright. I'll apologize."

Since the timeline for Cynthia and Marcus' agreement was drawing near, she couldn't let anything interfere with her plan of taking her father away from this place.

"On one condition." Cynthia went to the desk and took out a long-drafted document before placing it before Damian. "Sign this."

Damian was momentarily taken aback, but he still signed his name at the corner of the document without so much as a glance at the contents.

"Will that do?" he asked.

Cynthia held the agreement up and turned to look at Damian. It was a rare phenomenon for someone as meticulous as Damian to ignore the contents of a contract and sign it right away. He'd only done this because he wanted to make Cynthia apologize to Alice.

Cynthia shoved away the pathetic sense of bitterness that welled up in her chest. Now wasn't the best time to be feeling this.

She nodded gently. "I'll be at the press conference tomorrow."

Then, she took the agreement and went upstairs.

Damian was worried Cynthia would pull yet another trick on him. However, she actually arrived at the press conference on time the next day, much to Damian's relief.

Countless news reporters waited patiently with their equipment in hand under the glare of bright spotlights.

Cynthia walked onstage in a simple black dress. She took the mic, gaze calm as her eyes swept through the crowd below before finally stopping on Damian's face.

He was gazing firmly at her as if waiting to relish in his long-expected victory—and her surrender.

Cynthia slowly spoke into the mic. "I admit I did something bad to Ms. Alice Holland."

Damian's tight-knit brows relaxed somewhat. However, what Cynthia said next made his expression change dramatically.

Cynthia smiled coquettishly, like a thorny but beautiful rose that refused to bow down even while weathering the mightiest of storms.

"But Ms. Holland had it coming," Cynthia continued.

Chapter 4

Silence filled the atmosphere for less than a second before the crowd erupted into a loud commotion. The sounds of people insulting and questioning Cynthia filled the hall alongside the hurried snaps of hundreds of cameras.

Cynthia's voice rang out through the entire venue as she spoke into the mic again. "Also, I'm going to say this once again—my father, Edward Stutton, is not a rapist!"

Her words were like fuel to a burning flame, igniting more chaos on scene.

"How can you be so certain of that, Ms. Stutton? The court's already given their ruling on the matter. Or was there a side to the case that we didn't know about?"

"Do you take the law for child's play where you can twist right and wrong at your own whim?"

"Doesn't your conscience weigh on you whatsoever, defaming an innocent victim like this?"

Cynthia was caught amidst the reporters' frenzy.

She snickered and fixed her gaze on a male reporter that was antagonizing her the most. She threw the mic in her hand right at him.

Wham!

Cynthia's voice wasn't very loud, but everyone present managed to hear her words loud and clear. "I may have fallen from grace and have a pitiful excuse for a life now. But if anyone dares insult my father in front of me again, I wouldn't mind dragging them down with me."

Cynthia had been doted on by the Stutton family since young. Even though she'd lost her family, the pride and boldness ingrained in her bones still made itself known to everyone right now.

Her eyes swept across everyone present at the press conference. Not a single person dared meet her gaze in return.

Cynthia ignored the chaos unfolding behind her and walked off stage, carrying a frail but determined air.

She'd only taken several steps forward when her wrist was caught in a strong grip, making her wince in pain.

"What on Earth are you trying to do, Cynthia Stutton?" Damian just about hissed through gritted teeth.

Cynthia flung his grip away with all her might. She gently massaged her aching, reddened wrist as a slightly mocking smile appeared on her lips.

"What am I trying to do? Apologize, of course. Didn't you hear me loud and clear just now, Mr. Gray? I had to be in the wrong in the first place to do that, though," she said.

"Do you know the consequences of what you've done?" Damian asked in a low voice.

Cynthia smiled. "What more could I possibly lose, Damian Gray?"

Her eyes swept across him, then at Alice a short distance away. Alice was currently trembling while being surrounded by a horde of news reporters.

"Since you have the spare energy to question me, then why don't you spend it consoling that 'innocent' intern of yours that you 'have to take responsibility for'? Don't keep her waiting now," Cynthia said to Damian.

Then, she turned around and walked to the exit without further hesitation.

Cynthia didn't want anything more to do with Damian for even a second. She hailed a taxi after leaving the venue and set off to her next destination—the courthouse, bringing along the divorce agreement that Damian had signed last night.

She stood outside the door once the procedure was done. Unexpectedly, she felt neither relief nor reluctance. There was only an indescribable feeling of emptiness in her heart.

Putting an end to this marriage had been far more difficult than Cynthia imagined. It wouldn't be easy to completely let go of Damian either, but that was okay. Cynthia wasn't afraid of pain anymore.

She slowly made her way 'home'.

Her phone buzzed suddenly. It was a notification from her social media app. Cynthia tapped on it, and it brought her to a post Alice had just uploaded online.

It was a photo of Damian's side profile as he sat before his desk.

The caption read: "There's so much I didn't know about court proceedings given it was my first time dealing with them. Thankfully Dami patiently guided me through things.

"He says that the law's purpose is to uphold justice. To me, he is my sense of justice and faith. He hurried to my side the moment I said I was scared…"

Cynthia gazed at Damian's side profile in the photo, a focused expression on his face. This tender and patient side to Damian had once belonged to her, and only her.

Her lips curled as she took a screenshot of the post, then she logged onto her social media account and uploaded the screenshot as a post with the caption: "What a perfect match."

Cynthia felt a surprising sense of glee as she imagined what kind of chaos her post would trigger.

She pushed the door open and was greeted by a far more 'exciting' sight in the living room than expected.

As expected, Damian was home already. However, Alice was curled up beside him on the couch, her eyes red and swollen. She instinctively shrunk back from Damian upon seeing Cynthia.

Damian gently patted Alice's back before turning to look at Cynthia with undisguised disappointment and exasperation.

"What's this? Did you finally cave in and bring her back home?" Cynthia asked mockingly.

Damian's brows knitted together. "That's enough from you. Alice was innocent from the start. She never did anything wrong."

Cynthia gazed coldly at them. "Alice? Innocent? At least have some limit to your wilful ignorance, Damian."

Damian swiftly rose to his feet. "I don't want to argue with you, Cynthia. Alice will be seeing a therapist later. She's not in a very good mental and emotional state right now."

His eyes fixed on Cynthia. It was filled with scrutiny and leaving no room for doubt. "You're emotionally unstable too, so you'll be going for therapy with Alice later."

Chapter 5

Cynthia felt like she'd just heard the most absurd joke in the world. "Am I the crazy one here or are you, Damian Gray?"

Damian's brows knitted tightly together. His patience seemed to have run out for good. "I'm not asking for your opinion, Cynthia. Look at yourself. You need professional help and guidance."

Damian gave Cynthia no room to argue further. He brought her over to the therapy center after settling everything necessary.

Only Alice and Cynthia were left alone in the room once the door was shut.

Alice, who'd been putting up a meek and pitiful act all this while, immediately changed expression. A delighted sneer appeared on her lips. "Well? It must feel terrible, huh?"

Cynthia was leaning against the couch. She lazily opened her eyes and responded, "At least my situation's better than yours. After all, I don't have to spend 24 hours a day pretending to be mentally ill. Aren't you tired, having to wear the human trash I've discarded as a badge of honor?"

Alice's expression contorted in an instant.

She hissed, "Do you really still think you're the high and mighty heiress of the Stutton family, Cynthia Stutton? I'm telling you right now—your father didn't do anything to me. I stole that semen and falsified the evidence because I wanted to send him to prison and ruin your entire family!

"I've always hated how proud and condescending you are! Now, look at you—your father's a convicted rapist, your mother's dead, and you're nothing more than the scum beneath my shoe!"

A buzzing noise filled Cynthia's mind as her long-suppressed hatred broke through its dam. She slapped Alice hard on the cheek without thinking.

Smack! The slap echoed especially loudly in the quiet room.

The counselling room's door opened at almost the exact same moment, and Damian stood in the doorway with a frightfully dark expression on his face.

Alice immediately grabbed onto his arm as tears fell down her eyes. "Dami, I… I was just trying to explain things to Ms. Stutton… And try to ease things out between us… I don't know why she hit me…"

"Did you hear what Alice said, Damian Gray?" Cynthia pointed at Alice. "She admitted firsthand that she framed my father and orchestrated everything from the start. She's only pretending to be ill!"

Damian's brows furrowed together upon seeing how worked up Cynthia was.

"That's enough," he said, voice ice cold. "The case evidence was conclusive and the verdict was given. How much longer will you continue lying to yourself? When will you finally accept that your father—my mentor—is a rapist?"

Damian's words were like a freezing shard of ice that pierced the last of Cynthia's defenses.

She gazed at him in disbelief. "Damian… You've always felt that way, haven't you?"

Damian turned his gaze away, no longer looking at Cynthia.

"My wife is highly unstable and shows clear signs of aggression and delusion. She needs immediate medical intervention," he said quietly to the doctor outside the door.

"Dami, Mr. Reyes from the third floor is the best at dealing with patients like her. Why don't… Why don't we bring Ms. Stutton over to him?" Alice gently reminded Damian.

Damian glanced at Cynthia before nodding tiredly. "Alright."

Cynthia was immediately subdued and brought upstairs.

Damian was about to follow after them when his phone rang. His brows furrowed tightly upon answering the call.

"Go and tend to your affairs if you need to, Dami," Alice said, letting go of her hand.

Damian hesitated briefly, glancing at Cynthia. In the end, he still turned around and hurried off.

Cynthia was forcefully dragged into the treatment room by two strong nurses. It was only then that she realized that this wasn't some high-end 'counselling room' here on the third floor—it was a torture-chamber like treatment room filled with cold, hard tools and machines.

Cynthia was unable to break free from the staff restraining her. She was forced down into a cold hard metal chair before her hands and legs were tied down by leather strips.

Alice walked inside the room and took a pair of electrode pads. A strong wave of electricity surged through Cynthia in the next instant.

"Ah!" Cynthia shrieked, her body convulsing from the great pain that came from being shocked. She nearly blacked out.

"Your father is a rapist—remember that," Alice said in her ear.

"No!" Cynthia bit down hard on her lip. The taste of blood began spreading in her mouth.

Alice then amped up the electric voltage and repeated in Cynthia's ear. "Your father, Edward Stutton, is a rapist."

"No!" Cynthia gritted out.

Her father was the best father in the world. He would never do such a thing.

A stronger wave of electricity flooded through Cynthia's being. Over and over again, the electricity came.

Cynthia wasn't sure how many times she was shocked. Her awareness drifted hazily in the pain.

Alice stood gracefully to the side, admiring Cynthia's wrecked being. "What's the point in fighting? All you have to do is say 'Yes, my father is a rapist', and I'll tell them to stop."

Cynthia raised her head with great difficulty. Her breaths were shallow and weak as she said, "Come… Over… And I'll… Say it…"

Alice thought Cynthia was finally surrendering, so she happily leaned in to Cynthia, carrying a victorious air about her.

Just then, Cynthia used all the strength she had left to deliver a hard kick to Alice's stomach.

"Ah!" Alice cried before falling down on the floor, not having anticipated this.

Cynthia used this short window to pull one of her loosened hands out of her restraints to unbind herself. Then, she leapt toward the door, fighting through the intense dizziness and pain that coursed through her being.

However, the doorknob didn't budge.

"Grab her!" Alice's expression was one of pain and fury as she clutched her aching stomach.

The two nurses immediately lunged at Cynthia.

Just as Cynthia was about to be held down again, she turned around and lunged at Alice who was still on the floor.

Cynthia used all her might to grab Alice and ram into a window nearby.

"I always take my revenge, Alice Holland!" Cynthia snarled.

The window immediately shattered, and the two women that were tangled together fell from the third floor.