Chapter 6

Early the next morning, Lena was taken away by Henry’s men. She struggled with all her might, but her resistance only earned her a tighter, more painful grip. Before she could even shout for help a second time, a sharp blow struck the back of her neck, and the world went black.

When she finally regained consciousness, she was surrounded by pitch darkness. Fists rained down on her body. The dull thuds of the blows mixed with her stifled groans of agony, and the pain was unbearable.

Panic washed over Lena, and she could not help but scream out, “Who are you people? Why did you kidnap me?”

The only response she received was an even more brutal beating. When the sickening crack of a dislocated bone echoed in her ears, Lena’s vision went white, and cold sweat instantly drenched her clothes. By the time the two-hour torture session finally ended, she was slumped on the freezing ground, too weak to even move a finger.

Just then, someone kicked her in the side. As she curled up in pain, she heard the sound of a phone dialling.

“Mr. Hale, your order has been taken care of!”

The blood in Lena’s veins froze. The throbbing ache in her bones and the pounding pressure in her temples could not compare to the chill that spread across her chest. So, his claim about hiring her as a “maid” was a lie; his true motive was to exact revenge for Ava.

Could a man turn heartless the moment he stopped loving someone? Henry truly was a cruel one.

Unable to hold on any longer, she surrendered to the exhaustion, and her vision went dark. When Lena opened her eyes again, she was hit with the suffocating scent of rubbing alcohol.

“Lenny, do you finally understand your mistake this time?”

Henry’s calm, detached voice drifted over from the side of the hospital bed.

Lena turned her head mechanically. Her lips twitched, and her voice came out hoarse and laced with bitter sarcasm.

“Henry, tell me, have you taught me enough of a lesson yet?”

Henry frowned, feeling inexplicably irritated.

“I only wanted to break your stubborn pride, and you can’t even take that? When you smashed that bottle over Ava’s head, did you ever stop to think about whether she could take it?”

Lena stared at him, finding the entire situation ironic. The horrific trauma he had just inflicted upon her was a hundred times worse than a single broken bottle. In fact, it was outright torture. Yet, he seemed to believe that the punishment was too lenient.

Beneath the hospital blanket, Lena clenched her fists so hard that her fingernails dug deep into her palms, the sharp pain making her head spin. Her bitten lips had also turned pale, and she suddenly lost all willpower to argue.

She turned to look at the ceiling and whispered, “Thank you for the lesson. I know what I did wrong now. You can leave. I’d like to rest.”

Seeing the usually arrogant and spoiled woman surrender so easily, Henry found himself surprised.

He pressed his lips together and softened his tone. “Lenny, just be good from now on and stop making a scene. It’ll be the anniversary of your mother’s passing in a few days. You should rest up and get well soon. Once you’re discharged, I’ll visit her with you.”

As he spoke, he leaned forward to tuck Lena in, but she yanked the sheets away, turning her back toward him to face the wall. Her rejection could not have been more obvious.

Henry’s hand froze mid-air. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose not to push further. With a sigh, he walked out of the room.

Lena stayed in the hospital for three full days. During this time, Ava posted particularly frequently on social media, as if she were deliberately showing off. One day, it was a post about Henry driving all across the city just to find a specific lollipop that had long been out of production. The next day, it was a picture of a limited-edition, ultra-luxury diamond necklace that Henry had bought out globally for her. The day after that, it was a snapshot of Henry bending down, carefully and tenderly bandaging a wound on Ava's skin…

Lena scrolled through the photos, a form of emotional self-harm. Watching the tenderness that had once belonged exclusively to her being redirected toward Ava made her heart ache fiercely at first, but it eventually turned numb. She forced herself to slice Henry out of her heart, piece by piece, until that space was entirely hollowed out, leaving no room for him ever again.

The day she was discharged from the hospital happened to be the anniversary of her mother's death. Henry, who had promised to accompany her to visit her mother's grave, was nowhere to be found. Lena let out a self-deprecating laugh, mocking herself for actually expecting him to be there.

Just as she hailed a cab by the curb, her phone buzzed with a text message from Henry.

[Lenny, an urgent matter came up at the office. Head over to the cemetery and wait for me there. I’ll be over soon.]

Lena’s thumb hovered over the screen for a long time before she finally replied.

[Okay.]

She was leaving soon anyway, and at least before she did, she did not want her mother to see she was struggling.

When the cab arrived at the cemetery gates, Lena got out and began her wait. She stood there from the peak of the afternoon sun until the sky faded into a deep twilight, but there was still no sign of Henry.

The night breeze carried a chill that made her arms feel cold. Slowly, her patience drained away, and the warmth on her face vanished. As the very last remnant of twilight faded from the horizon, she gritted her teeth, turned around, and began walking up the hillside alone.

She had just reached the halfway point of the hill when her phone notified her that she had a new message. In it, a video was attached.