Chapter 3

Dominic's men spat on the ground near my feet, their faces filled with disgust.

"Bitch! I never knew you could be this wicked!"

"Exactly! You don't even deserve to breathe the same air as Scarlett!"

"Enough," Dominic cut them off coldly, then looked down at me. "Serena, you went too far this time. You're going to stay here and reflect on what you did."

Before leaving, he ordered his men to drag me out to the beach and chain me to a wooden pier.

He carried Scarlett away without looking back.

I collapsed onto the freezing sand, completely helpless.

In the distance, I saw Scarlett turn her head. She flashed me a triumphant, mocking smirk.

Three days later, the harsh sea wind had completely numbed my body. My lips were cracked and bleeding, and my eyes were dry from crying.

Just when I thought I was going to die on this beach, a blurry silhouette slowly approached me.

"Help... please..." I squeezed out the last bit of my strength, but it was barely a whisper.

Before I lost consciousness, I heard a soft, heavy sigh.

"Oh, Serena... what am I going to do with you?"

When I woke up, I was lying on the cold concrete floor of the villa's basement.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I met Dominic's cold, complicated gaze.

"You're awake?"

He brought a glass of warm water to my lips, but I instinctively turned my head away.

He slammed the glass onto the table.

"Are you done throwing a tantrum?"

The look in his eyes was pure disgust.

"I decided not to press charges against you for Scarlett's kidnapping, and you're still acting like this? Can you stop being so bitter?"

I let out a weak, mocking laugh.

He didn't even bother to investigate before pointing the finger at me.

If I really wanted to destroy Scarlett, I could have done it six months ago.

Why would I wait until now?

"Dominic..." Scarlett's weak voice echoed from the stairs.

She held her belly, slowly walking down into the basement.

"What are you doing down here?" Dominic immediately rushed over and gently held her.

"I was worried about Serena, so I came to check on her. Is she okay?" Scarlett asked timidly.

"Don't worry about her. She won't die that easily," Dominic said, casting a loathing glance at me. "You're going to stay in this basement for the next few months, until Scarlett safely delivers the baby."

With that, they left, and the heavy basement door slammed shut, plunging me into darkness.

I forced myself to crawl over to the table and gulped down the water.

With trembling hands, I reached into a dusty crate in the corner of the basement.

I pulled out an encrypted satellite phone and dialed a familiar number.

"Come pick me up. Now."

"Serena?! Is that really you? Oh my god... where are you?!" the voice on the other end gasped in pure excitement.

"I still have a few things to settle. Wait for me."

"Okay. I'll be there."

After hanging up, I looked down at myself.

My body hadn't recovered from the abortion at all.

A sharp cramp seized my abdomen, and I could feel a warm flow trickling down my legs.

I bit my lip so hard it bled.

If I stayed here any longer, I would literally die.

I dragged myself to the door and began to bang on it with my fists.

"Help... someone help me..."

After what felt like an eternity, the door lock clicked, and an annoyed voice sounded.

"What do you want now?"

It was Hunter.

I looked up at him through the cracked door.

"I'm bleeding. A lot. If you don't let me out, I'm going to die here."

The floor beneath me was stained with fresh, crimson blood.

"Fuck," Hunter cursed under his breath. "Boss told us to keep you locked up, not to let you bleed to death."

He quickly pulled out the keys and unlocked the heavy door.

As he knelt down to inspect my condition—

I swiftly whipped the heavy iron chain around his neck.

Hunter's face turned purple instantly.

"You—"

I pulled the chain with everything I had, channeling my old military training, and slammed his head hard against the concrete wall.

Thud!

His eyes rolled back, and he slumped onto the floor, unconscious.

I gasped for air, my muscles trembling violently.

In the past, taking down an opponent like him would have taken me three seconds.

But now, it had taken every single ounce of my remaining strength.

Avoiding the security cameras, I made my way upstairs.

But just as I reached the main foyer, the front door burst open. Dominic strode in, followed by a team of private doctors.

Seeing me standing there, his face contorted with rage. He marched over in three long strides.

Slap!

A brutal blow struck my face.