Chapter 4

When I woke up, Marcus tossed a knife at my feet. "Looks like your brother doesn't give a damn about you. Since you're stuck here, you might as well entertain us. There are ten other captives in the next room. Only one gets to leave this island alive. Survive, and you go free."

I gripped the knife, trying to negotiate. "How do I know you're not lying to me again?"

Marcus sneered. "Do you think you're in a position to negotiate?"

I hid in the shadows, clutching the knife. I watched people scream and fall. The sheer brutality of the arena pushed me past the brink of sanity.

The floor was slick with blood, the air thick with the metallic stench of death.

I couldn't sleep. I couldn't even blink, terrified that the next second would be my last.

Until a young boy threw himself in front of me to block a lethal strike. His blood splattered across my face as he dragged me to run.

Eventually, we were the only two left. But then, the boy turned on me. He snatched my knife and plunged it deep into my thighs.

I collapsed, my legs useless. Even though my heart was already numb, the betrayal stung. "Why?"

"Only one of us gets to live, Hazel. It's either you or me."

But before he could strike again, I managed to push the blade back into his chest. I closed my eyes. It was finally over.

I didn't die. Instead, through a stroke of luck, I was smuggled onto a cargo ship by a sympathetic crew member.

When the ship finally docked, I realized with a jolt of hope that we were at the Sterling private harbor.

Overjoyed, I dragged my useless legs and crawled off the ship when no one was looking.

As I dragged my bleeding body toward the mansion, I saw my brother through the glass doors. But right next to him was a voice that would haunt my nightmares forever.

Marcus.

He was bowing respectfully. "Mr. Sterling, I assure you, we've broken her. She's completely submissive now. She will never trouble Chloe again."

"Good. Bring her back when you have time. She's suffered enough, and she won't dare harm her sister again."

I stared in horror, my very soul shaking.

My biological brother had orchestrated my living hell just to teach me a lesson for his adopted sister.

Just because Chloe had accused me of pushing her down the stairs, leaving a scar.

Christian had pretended to forgive me, only to throw me into a den of monsters to appease Chloe and show his authority.

I wanted to crawl inside and scream at him. Did he ever care about me?

Suddenly, a foot stomped heavily onto my head, and two pairs of hands dragged me into the darkness.

It was Chloe. She looked down at me, inspecting my mangled body.

"My, my, look at you, Hazel. So pathetic. Weren't you acting so high and mighty when you first arrived? Let me tell you a secret: in Christian's heart, you're not even worthy of wiping my shoes. No matter how badly you're hurt, all I have to do is cry, and he'll just think you're throwing another jealous tantrum."

The voice matched the one from the phone perfectly.

I glared at her, my eyes wild with rage. "It was you! You did all of this! I'll tell Christian!"

She kicked my chin up. "Are you stupid or just naive? Do you really think no one saw you crawl onto this estate? Do you think Christian doesn't know you're here? Why isn't he looking for you? How do you think you ended up on that cargo ship anyway? You think that was a coincidence?"

My heart died right then. My eyes went blank, and I lost the strength to even crawl.

Chloe smiled triumphantly. Destroying a person's mind is far more satisfying than breaking their body.

She ordered Marcus to take me back.

They locked me in a tool shed on the island. They didn't beat me anymore. Instead, they patched my wounds and forced me to eat.

I didn't cry. I didn't speak. I didn't even blink. I was a walking corpse.

Chloe saw that I was completely broken, and decided it was time to let me go home.

But the night before they were supposed to send me back, I used a lighter I had stolen to set the shed on fire. The flames spread rapidly, blocking the exit.

Marcus had come to warn me not to say anything when I got back. By the time he reached the shed, the fire was already out of control.

He panicked and dialed Christian's number. "Mr. Sterling, we have a problem! Hazel set herself on fire! She's committing suicide!"

At the same time, Chloe received a frantic call. "Miss Chloe, we're screwed! The girl killed herself, and the cops are swarming the island!"