My husband, Adrian, locked me—a pregnant woman—in a mental hospital because his beloved needed test subjects for her drug research. Electric shocks left me trembling and drooling, my body convulsing uncontrollably. Adrian, standing nearby, shielded her eyes, his voice filled with gentle disgust. “Don’t look.” Her experiment earned her a nomination for an award, and Adrian celebrated by lighting up the entire city with fireworks in her honor. Meanwhile, on that cold winter night, under the glow of the fireworks, I gave birth to a deformed baby boy. He cried once before falling silent forever. I cradled his tiny, lifeless body and, with frozen hands and a hollow heart, placed him into the freezer. Seven days later, as Adrian attends an award ceremony to honor his beloved, I will present him with the ultimate gift. With red, swollen eyes, I begged the nurse to help me with this. As a mother herself, the nurse hesitated when she saw me holding my stillborn baby and sobbing uncontrollably, but eventually, she agreed. She was just about to leave, holding the freezer, when she almost bumped into my husband, Adrian Reed. The smell from the freezer made Adrian instinctively cover his nose. He watched the nurse walk away, and only after she was far enough did he lower his hand. But nothing seemed to ruin Adrian’s good mood. He looked like someone who had just returned from a victorious battle. His voice was light, almost as if talking to himself. “Liliana’s experiment was a huge success. She’s finally realized her dream.” But ever since he walked in, he didn’t look at me. His gaze was fixed on the dazzling night sky outside the window. It wasn’t until he noticed my silence that he finally glanced at me, his expression cold, his brow furrowing slightly. “Liliana asked you for this little favor when she came back. You’re pregnant, and you don’t have much to do anyway. Just come out and make some friends. Help her with something important. Don’t make that face.” Make friends? The man who came into my room to harass me. The woman who strangled me, accusing me of stealing her money. The woman who kicked me to the ground, claiming I had stolen her child. That was what Adrian called “making friends.” Liliana Hart had fed me so many pills, and when the baby was born, it was deformed. The doctor had said that if I’d gone for a check-up earlier, things might’ve been different. But I had no freedom. How could I have gone for a check-up? Seeing me with red eyes, still refusing to look at him, Adrian leaned in, his voice sharp. “Daphne…” He got halfway through my name before his attention was diverted by the buzzing phone in his pocket. The moonlight shone through the window, casting a soft glow on his face. It was a look of… happiness. Adrian stayed in the room for over twenty minutes and didn’t even notice my deflated belly. Just as I was about to fall asleep from exhaustion, Liliana’s assistant brought in today’s medication. Thinking about the child I had just delivered—a twisted, half-human, half-ghost—I threw the pills to the floor. Adrian by the window blinked in surprise and then quickly stepped forward, crouching down to gather the pills, and pressing them toward my mouth. His cold, detached voice slid into my ears. “This is part of Liliana’s experiment. If you don’t take it, how is she supposed to finish her report?” I turned my head away, tears streaming, but he grabbed my chin, forcing the pills down my throat. Adrian seemed ready to say something else, but when his phone buzzed again, he glanced at it, then turned, and left without even grabbing his coat. I had a pretty good idea of why he was leaving. I opened Instagram and saw a post from Liliana, her nose stuffed with tissues, looking playful but cute. Liliana: [Watched fireworks all night, but came home with a cold. Took an extra cold pill—hope I’m not gonna die from it, lol.] The comments were flooded with Adrian’s overly concerned messages. Adrian: [You’re sick? Why didn’t you tell me?] Adrian: [You’re such a disaster. Go get checked at the hospital. I’ll come to you.]
That night, Adrian didn’t come back. After midnight, I silently wished myself a happy birthday. I remembered the days before they locked me up in the mental hospital, when Adrian had taken me for my first prenatal check-up. The doctor had calculated the due date, and Adrian was so excited. “Maybe the baby will be born on your birthday. We’ll throw a huge celebration.” But that was before. Now, Adrian had set off fireworks across the city to celebrate a pointless nomination for Liliana. As dawn broke, the nurse brought me a small cake. “I remember you said today was your birthday, but…” She hesitated, glancing at me and then at the empty space where my baby should’ve been. Still, she lit the candles. I appreciated her kindness during these inhuman days. I closed my eyes, made a wish, and just as I was about to blow out the candles, a figure appeared at the door. Adrian stood there, his eyes scanning the scene. His brow furrowed for a moment, as if something had just occurred to him. “Oh, today’s your birthday.” He fumbled in his coat pocket, almost as if he was looking for a gift. But when he pulled his hand out, all he had was a pink lace thong. He awkwardly shoved it back into his pocket, mumbling, “Maybe someone’s playing a prank on me. I’ll get you something better later.” I blew out the candles, not even thinking before I answered. “No need.” The moment the words left my mouth, Adrian’s face darkened. He shoved his hands in his pockets, impatience flashing across his features. “You’re really throwing a tantrum over a gift? I paid for your mother’s treatment when she was sick. And now you’re pouting over a stupid birthday? Isn’t that a bit much?” I bit my lip, silently listening. Because he was right—he had saved my mother’s life. What I owed him felt like it would never be repaid. The nurse, who had been sitting by the bed, couldn’t take it anymore and stood to leave, accidentally bumping into Adrian’s shoulder as she passed. He stumbled, his expression darkening, and his chest rising and falling dramatically. He shot me a reproachful glance before turning to leave but bumped into Liliana, who had just entered wearing a lab coat. Underneath, she was wearing a barely-there lace skirt. Adrian’s anger seemed to vanish instantly. He hurried forward, his voice softening. “I told you to rest at home. Why are you here?” Liliana sneezed and then waved her hand dismissively. “Yesterday, you took off your clothes to warm me up. I’m feeling much better now.” Liliana quickly realized there were other people in the room and pulled back her flirtatious gaze, offering me a tight smile. “I’m here because there’s an important experiment we need to do, and I need Daphne’s cooperation.” My heart skipped a beat. I looked at Adrian with pleading eyes, silently begging him to refuse. But he just smiled at Liliana, his voice casual as he replied, “It’s fine. She’s not doing anything anyway.” At that moment, the knife I had been dreading finally fell. Liliana smiled and then added, “This one might hurt a bit more, but you’ve handled it before, so I’m sure you can manage.” A cold sense of dread crept through me.
Adrian poured a hefty sum into setting up Liliana’s lab. He allowed Liliana to test her drugs on real people and even supported her using those questionable electroshock treatments. Every single time, Adrian was the one cleaning up the mess. And he seemed to enjoy it. But I never thought that one day, Adrian would let Liliana do this to me. I didn’t fight back fiercely, because I owed him too much. But once the experiment was over, I figured it was time to settle my debts. Liliana’s slap shattered the silence, and a group of doctors filed into the room, carrying various tools. Once the equipment was in place, Liliana suddenly leaned against Adrian’s shoulder, looking up at him with a pout. “Adrian, I’m suddenly scared.” Adrian seemed to flinch, his eyes softening with concern as he gently covered her eyes. “We’ll leave for now, and let them bring the data to us later.” In the room, I lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, my hands and feet bound, as the doctors went to work. The light blurred, and my consciousness began to fade. As the voltage increased, my body went numb, but my mind remained somewhat alert, occasionally snapping back into clarity. Through a haze, I heard chaos breaking out around me, the sounds of scrambling, of equipment rattling. “Tch, what’s wrong with you? You can’t even control the voltage?” Then came the spasms, and I barely heard the frantic shout. “Hurry. We need to get her to emergency! There might still be time!” I didn’t struggle. It felt like I’d been knocked unconscious. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a new, unfamiliar room. Before I could say anything, a sweet voice chimed in from nearby. “You’ve really been through a lot, Daphne. Here’s a little something for your trouble.” Liliana flashed me a sugary smile and pulled out a bill, setting it down on my pillow. She turned around, just in time to meet Adrian, and immediately dropped the sinister expression, lowering her head with a frown. “It’s all my fault. I’m so sorry, Daphne. I didn’t mean for you to pass out. I’ve already apologized to you.” Adrian barely glanced at me before affectionately ruffling Liliana’s hair. “You didn’t mean it. No need to apologize.” But then he paused for a moment, as if struck by a thought. He walked over to my bedside. “The doctor said you lost the baby. Why didn’t you tell me when you were pregnant?” I stayed silent. He had been busy watching fireworks with Liliana, and no matter how many messages I sent him, none of them were ever answered. Before the nurse could explain, I stopped her with a raised hand and turned to Adrian. “The baby’s health was weak, so it’s been in an incubator.” I quickly added, “It was a boy.” Adrian lowered his head, lost in thought for a moment. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he nodded in approval. “It’s good that you gave birth. You’ve been through so much, so tonight, I’ll take you to a restaurant to celebrate.” Without waiting for my consent, Adrian pulled me to a clothing store and bought me a dress. As he helped me zip it up, his hands paused when he saw all the bruises and marks on my exposed skin. But he didn’t say anything. At the dinner table, Adrian’s attention never strayed from his phone. He even disappeared to the restroom for more than twenty minutes. When he returned, he only remembered to call for the menu. And when the waiter arrived, Adrian just pointed absentmindedly at random. The waiter was completely confused, as Adrian had only pointed at drinks. I sighed and took the menu from his hands, ordering the food myself. After a while, as soon as the dishes were served, Adrian suddenly stood up and grabbed his coat. “Liliana’s been harassed at a party. I have to go.”
Just as Adrian was about to leave, he hesitated and then spoke with an indifferent tone, “You should come with me. There aren’t many cars available this time of night.” The whole way there, Adrian was too preoccupied with his phone to talk to me, glancing at it every few moments like he was waiting for some important message. We arrived in a rush at the location Liliana had sent, and the atmosphere in the private room was lively. As soon as Liliana saw me, her smile faded, but she quickly adjusted, lowering her head with a guilty expression. “I didn’t know you were with Daphne. I only called you because I lost a game of Truth or Dare.” Adrian burst into the room, still catching his breath, but he didn’t seem angry. “It’s nothing. Just having dinner with her. Not a big deal.” As soon as those words left his mouth, every pair of eyes in the room turned to me. I stared down at my hands, my fingers gripping tightly, hoping to put an end to this scene. “There’s nothing wrong. I’ll leave.” But as I turned to leave, Liliana suddenly called out to me. “Daphne, my experiment’s not finished. You can’t go home yet. You’ll need to stay in the hospital a little longer.” At that moment, I heard someone’s mocking voice from the crowd. “So she’s Liliana’s experiment? No wonder she’s covered in scars.” Another voice chimed in. “Scars are normal, but wearing such revealing clothes? That’s not right. It’s so ugly.” I turned my back, biting my lip, trying my best not to cry. Adrian, though, seemed to have heard nothing, still defending Liliana. “Liliana’s right. You can’t leave. Stay here at the hospital for now.” I gritted my teeth and held it in, but before I could reach the door, I received a call from the hospital. “Ma’am, your mother’s condition is critical. If you can, you should come and say goodbye.” My mind went blank in an instant. Just as I was about to rush out, I was blocked by a few bulky bodyguards. I struggled, but couldn’t break free, looking back at Adrian, my eyes pleading. His face, however, was filled with displeasure. “Liliana’s experiment has come this far, and you want to ruin it at the last minute?” Seeing that I was silent, Adrian made his decision. “You have to stay at the mental hospital tonight.” At that moment, I couldn’t take it anymore. I rushed to explain. “My mother’s dying! I need to see her one last time!” Adrian was momentarily moved, but Liliana tugged at his sleeve, giving him a pitiful look. Adrian immediately shifted his tone, his voice sharp. “Your mother has a doctor taking care of her. What’s the point of you going? Liliana’s been nominated for an award, and it’s going to be presented in a few days. You can’t stand her winning, can you?” My throat tightened, my blood running cold, but Adrian’s impatience was palpable as he waved his hand. The bodyguards grabbed me, dragging me out and swiftly tossing me into a car sent by the mental hospital. It was a long, torturous ride. I was locked back into a cold, dark room. And soon after, I received the dreaded news from the hospital… At that moment, countless images swirled in my mind, like falling into a frozen abyss. The next few days, Liliana continued her torment, and I became a hollow shell, no longer resisting. On the final day, Adrian attended the award ceremony with Liliana, the flashing lights blinding. And I regained my freedom. I picked up the plane ticket the nurse had bought for me, carrying the heavy urn, my body battered, and returned to my hometown. As soon as I landed, my phone was flooded with missed calls. All from Adrian. After a moment’s thought, I responded with one message: [Let’s get a divorce.] Then I blocked him and disappeared into the bustling crowd. Back in the shabby neighborhood, I sighed with relief. I’d just started packing when the nurse called me again. “News channels are going crazy…”
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