Chapter 4

I laughed out loud, my voice dripping with mockery. "I haven't even done anything yet, and you already think I'm pushing them too far, Tristan? If that’s the case, tell Melanie to come here herself and beg for my mercy."

"We’re sisters, after all. Right?" I whispered the last word, my casual attitude making Tristan’s blood boil.

"I was the one who made you go to the cliff, so I'll take responsibility for your injuries. But you fell because you lost your footing, you can't blame Melanie. Besides, you're alive and well now."

What a twisted logic.

"Who told you I fell because I lost my footing? And who told you I am 'alive and well'?"

"Look at my eyes. The doctor said they were almost blinded by the branches."

Right in front of him, I unpeeled the thick bandages wrapped around my hands.

Instantly, the horrific wounds were exposed. My finger bones were severely bruised, and the raw flesh, though scabbed over, looked terrifying. When I pulled back the hospital gown, my skin was covered in deep purple bruises, with a long, jagged scar stretching from my arm all the way to my collarbone.

Even Arthur frowned at the sight.

No woman would willingly ruin her own body like this.

And everyone knew my profession. I was a pianist. My hands were my life.

"You..." Tristan stammered, his voice caught in his throat.

"I didn't know you were hurt this badly... I thought..."

I ignored the guilt in his eyes. "Didn't you say I'm alive and well, so I shouldn't complain? Now you see exactly how 'well' I am."

"If I hadn't been lucky, you would be looking at a corpse right now. What right do you have to ask me to let it go, Tristan?" I looked up, my voice dead cold.

"Even if a wound heals, does it mean it was never cut open?"

"I’m tired. If you aren't here to sincerely apologize, get out."

Tristan stood frozen, staring at me. Finally, he dragged a chair over to my bedside. "I misunderstood you, and I caused your injuries. To make it up to you, I will personally take care of you until you recover."

Tristan didn't look much better himself. His arm was in a cast, his head wrapped in gauze, and his face was extremely pale.

He tried to play the emotional card. "You said I used to love you a lot. What was I like back then?"

My lips trembled under the bandages, my eyes turning wet. "He would believe me unconditionally."

Tristan didn't stay long. A frantic phone call came in from Melanie.

"Tristan! I’m standing downstairs, and several police officers just arrived to arrest me!"

"I'm so scared... where are you?"

Tristan hung up the phone with one hand. "Sera, I have to handle something. Wait for me to come back."

As his footsteps faded down the hall, I clutched the blanket and let out a cold, mocking laugh.

He promised to take care of me, yet without a second thought, he abandoned me again to run to Melanie.

"Sera, please forgive your sister," Arthur sighed deeply.

"Sure," I smiled brightly.

"Really?" Vivian asked with hope in her eyes.

"Tell her to throw herself off that same cliff. If she breaks an arm and gets her face ruined, I’ll drop the charges immediately."

Vivian bit her lip, and with a loud thud, she fell to her knees before me.

It was a heavy, painful drop.

"You said you'd forgive her if I knelt. I beg you, Sera. She’s still young, she can't have a criminal record."

My face remained expressionless. "I said I'd think about it, Vivian. You actually knelt?"

Melanie, having evaded the police, ran back into the room. The moment she saw Vivian kneeling before me, her eyes turned red and she burst into tears.

"Mom! Don't kneel to her!"

The police officers quickly caught up. Vivian held onto Melanie’s hand, begging the officers, "Please, officer! My daughter is a good girl! She didn't do anything!"

Once the chaotic noise finally faded down the hallway, I leaned back against my pillow, exhausted.

Suddenly, someone pulled back my blanket and slid in beside me. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, sharing his warmth with me.

"Sera, choose me. I will never betray you."

My heart felt incredibly complicated. "Julian, I don't love you."

"It doesn't matter," he whispered, twirling a strand of my hair around his fingers. "I can wait until you completely clear him out of your heart."

I had saved Julian under a bridge during my freshman year of college. Unlike Tristan, Julian was the legitimate heir of the powerful Julian family. But the fight for succession in his family was brutal. Our relationship was strange—he was always quiet, cold, and eccentric.

Later, on the day of my engagement to Tristan, he left the country. When I heard his name again, he had become a powerful figure no one dared to cross.

I never knew he held such deep, dark feelings for me.

He gently traced the soft palm of my hand. "I’ll make them beg on their knees for your forgiveness."

"I’ve already set everything up. Just wait for him to come crawling back."

The Melanie family was already in chaos because of Melanie’s arrest. Normally, they could have resolved this with some money, but because of pressure from the Julian family, every door was slammed in their face.

I ignored all the calls from Arthur and Vivian. Once my vision fully returned, I went to the hospital to schedule my cochlear implant surgery. Just as I reached the clinic door, Tristan called.

Hearing Tristan’s voice, Julian’s grip on my waist tightened.

He leaned against my shoulder, his breathing turning heavy and dark.

"Sera, can you please let your sister go?"

I shrugged, looking at Julian with a smile. Half of his face was shadowed in the dim light of the hallway, looking dangerously beautiful.

Even if I wanted to let her go, Julian wouldn't allow it.

I stared at my scarred hand, my tone dripping with mockery. "I already told you. Unless she throws herself off that cliff and rips off three of her own fingernails, I won't drop the charges."

"If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up."

"Wait," Tristan inhaled sharply. "Sera, can you return the 5% of company shares I gave you?"

Return them? Why on earth would I?

I directly sent him a video clip.

"You forgot, didn't you?"

In the video, a younger Tristan smiled brightly at the camera. "Today, I am voluntarily transferring 5% of my company shares to my beloved Sera. I will never take them back."

In the video, my past self gasped. "How can you do that?"

"Sera, you saved my life so many times. Without you, I wouldn't have anything I have today. If I ever betray you in the future, I hope I die a horrible death."

I had jumped into his arms in the video. "Don't make such horrible vows!"

"Then you can rest easy, because I will never make a mistake. I will only ever believe in my Sera."

The chat window went silent, showing [Typing...].

Tristan called back. "I’ll buy the shares back from you. Name your price."

Name my price?

Could he ever afford the price of my youth, my energy, and the agonizing pain in my body and soul?

"Thirty billion dollars, Tristan. Are you buying?"

"Sera, you are completely out of your mind!"

The doctor inside called my name. Julian stood close, his large hands cupping my face. He pressed a soft kiss against my eyelashes. "Sweetheart, pay attention to me," his deep, magnetic voice whispered in my ear, warm and seductive.

"Do you want me to get you a pillow? It’ll make the seat more comfortable."

I blinked, slightly dazed.

Since when was he this polite?

His voice was clearly heard by Tristan over the line. "Sera! What are you doing? Why is there a man with you?!"

Asking me this now? Isn't it a bit too late?

"Tristan, what I do with other men is none of your business. Don't you think your question is incredibly pathetic and inappropriate?"

I hung up immediately. Julian leaned down, pressing his lips against my collarbone.

"Sera, I’m jealous."

I gently patted his head. "Julian, I’m never looking back."

Tristan's family company was in complete chaos. A mysterious force was aggressively buying up board seats, aiming to overthrow Tristan as the majority shareholder. Coincidentally, my 5% shares were the key to tipping the scale.

Tristan’s father, Charles, who had already retired, had to step in to protect the company.

Over the phone, he tried to play nice. "Sera, I’ve always approved of you and Tristan. In my heart, you are the only daughter-in-law of our family."

"Really? But he’s the one who wanted to call off the engagement in front of the media."

Charles let out a dry laugh. "He’s just acting out. Once you two are married, he will realize who is truly good to him."

In the dimly lit room, Julian was gently applying ointment to my scars, his hand resting on my waist, tightening slightly.

He stared at me, a dark fire dancing in his eyes, laced with testing and laziness.

"Tell him... as long as Tristan marries you, you will hand over the 5% shares as a wedding gift."