Chapter 7

Mirasol rolled her eyes dismissively. "Don't listen to him, Jimmy! I saw his father walking around the hospital just two days ago. How could he possibly have died so suddenly?"

I turned to Jimmy, desperate, panic clawing at me. Did he actually believe her? Could he even begin to comprehend what I'd lost?

Jimmy's expression froze momentarily, a flicker of guilt crossing his eyes. But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by something cold and distant. He turned toward the nurses. "Take her away. Commit her to the psychiatric facility. See that she receives special attention. Make certain she learns her lesson thoroughly."

I wanted to scream, to fight back, to explain everything, but my body felt hollowed out entirely. My father was gone, Mirasol had triumphed, and Jimmy hadn't even paused to question it.

**

On my first day at the psychiatric facility, I shattered a window attempting to escape. They caught me quickly and beat me until I could barely remain standing.

The following day, they strapped me to an operating table and removed one of my kidneys. No anesthesia was administered. I couldn't even manage a proper scream through the pain.

By the third day, I pleaded to see Jimmy, clinging to some hope that he might actually come. Instead, they released a pack of vicious dogs on me. Their eyes gleamed with something murderous, and they lunged forward instantly. My face drained of all color. I kicked and thrashed and screamed, but it only provoked them further. Their teeth sank into my arms and legs, tearing through skin.

A voice cut through the chaos—Mirasol's voice, laced with mockery. "Iris, are you truly so desperate that you can't even spare a stray dog's life? Whether you live or die is entirely up to fate now."

I felt as though the ceiling had collapsed directly on top of me. I wished desperately that this were all some nightmare. I wished I had never fallen for Jimmy in the first place. We'd once been so close, sharing everything between us—the bedroom, his study, even her office. Those memories of intimacy now felt like a noose tightening around my throat.

I was on the verge of biting through my own tongue, ready to end everything, when the door burst open violently. Jimmy stormed in with his bodyguards, his eyes ablaze. They threw themselves at the dogs, beating them until blood pooled everywhere. I couldn't bear to watch. The screaming, the stench of blood—I wanted nothing more than to vanish entirely.

It felt, absurdly, like years had passed before Jimmy's warmth reached me again. I trembled, my vision going dark, and collapsed into his arms.

When I regained consciousness, I was back in the villa, lying in bed. A scream erupted from the living room. I dragged myself up, cracked open the door, and froze in place. Jimmy sat on the sofa, his face utterly blank, while a heap of bloodied dogs cowered before him. He gestured toward the bodyguards, and they severed the animals' paws before torturing them to death with methodical precision.

I stared, my heart hammering violently. Was any of this real? Everything felt like a nightmare I couldn't claw my way out of. My back screamed in protest as old wounds split open once more. I gasped, leaning heavily against the doorframe for support.

Jimmy finally approached, his steps unhurried, his expression softening just slightly. Yet his words remained sharp, unforgiving. "This was simply an accident on Mirasol's part. You're safe now, so don't hold it against her, Iris."

I blinked, still shaking uncontrollably. Safe? Had I ever truly been safe around either of them? My hands trembled as I sank down to the floor.

Jimmy tossed a letter toward me. "Sign this, and swear you won't use any of this against Mirasol going forward. In exchange, I'll ensure you're released from the fifty-two million debt, and I'll see to it the doctors do everything possible for your father."

He looked at me as though I owed him gratitude, as though this constituted genuine charity. Then he added, "Don't dwell on it too much. The person I love will always be Mirasol, but given our five years together, I can guarantee you a life free from financial worry."

Arrogance dripped from every syllable, exactly as it had the night he'd humiliated me at the bar. Was this truly how he perceived me? Some beggar meant to weep tears of gratitude over a minor favor tossed her way?

Perhaps I had once been exactly that. I would have done absolutely anything for my father's sake. But not any longer. Not now.

I offered no response. Jimmy flung the letter down and said, "Sign it and deliver it to my office." Then he walked out, striding away as though he owned the entire world.

I laughed, bitter and hollow, and tore the letter to shreds. Then I phoned the police and filed a report against Mirasol by name.

Midnight arrived. I glanced at the calendar, then at the grandfather clock standing in the corner. In ten hours, I would finally be free.

I packed my belongings, took a long, hot shower, and made my way to the cemetery before departing. I buried my father's urn there, knelt before his headstone, and bowed three times in respect. Years of suppressed grief finally broke free, and I wept openly, without restraint.

"Dad, I'm going to truly live now. If you could see me, I hope I'd make you proud."

A firefly settled on my finger, its faint glow illuminating his photograph. I pictured his gentle smile, his warm eyes. I rested my head against the cold stone, remembering all the times he'd comforted me. Our Iris has grown up now. Why are you still crying?

I slept there through the entire night. When I woke, sunlight was already spilling across the ground around me. My future lay waiting ahead.

My phone buzzed. A wedding invitation from Mirasol. And a message from the Public Security Bureau: my case had officially opened for investigation.

I smiled for the first time in what felt like years. I deleted the wedding invitation without hesitation and blocked every possible channel Mirasol and Jimmy might use to reach me.

Half an hour later, I was aboard a plane. The moment we broke through the clouds, the tension that had gripped my body for so long finally released. I whispered to myself: I will never see you again. I made that promise to myself, a wish sealed in silence.

Mountains and rivers might separate us now, but from this moment forward, I am free.