My wife Naomi Chase sent me to a mental hospital just because her beloved Robert Dalton needed test subjects for his drug research. I had just finished surgery, but she didn’t care. They shocked me until I drooled and convulsed, and yet, she simply covered Robert’s eyes, clearly disgusted. “Disgusting, don’t look.” Due to this experiment, Robert was nominated for an award, and Naomi celebrated by lighting up the whole city with fireworks in his honor. Meanwhile, I, Lincoln Booker, lay in the freezing cold of a winter night, having my right leg amputated due to excessive electric shocks. To cover it up, Robert arranged for a prosthetic leg and threatened me not to tell Naomi the truth. He claimed my leg had been injured during the experiment. I numbly placed my amputated leg in a freezer. Seven days later, at Robert’s award ceremony, it would be presented as a gift in Naomi’s hands… Chapter 1 I begged the caregiver, Ian Flynn, to help me with this task, my eyes swollen from crying. Since I came here, Ian was the only one who treated me kindly. He mentioned having an older brother who looked like me. But of course, he couldn’t fight Robert and wasn’t able to rescue me. Seeing me holding my prosthetic leg and crying uncontrollably, he hesitated before agreeing to help. He held the freezer box, ready to leave, when he ran straight into Naomi. The smell from the freezer made Naomi cover her nose. She watched the nurse walk away before finally lowering her hand, frowning. But nothing seemed to be able to ruin Naomi’s good mood. She looked as if she had just returned from a victorious battle. Her voice was light and carefree as if she were talking to herself. “Robert’s experiment was a huge success. “His dream is finally coming true.” Since Naomi entered the room, her gaze had been fixed on the bright night sky outside the window, offering no sympathy for me. It wasn’t until she realized I hadn’t spoken a word that she glanced at me with a cold stare and furrowed her brows. “Lincoln, Robert came back just to ask you for this small favor. You’ve been recovering at home after your surgery for so long, with nothing to do. Why not come here, make some friends, and help him out? There’s no need to look so miserable.” I thought, “Let me think about it. The old lady came into my room and harassed me. The old man who strangled me and accused me of stealing his money. The one who kicked me to the ground, claiming I stole his woman. This was Naomi’s idea of friends.” I had been drugged by Robert and shocked repeatedly, causing my right leg to die. The doctor who treated me said that if I had come to the hospital earlier, I might not have had to lose my leg. But I had no freedom, so how could I expect treatment? Seeing my eyes red and my gaze still on the ground, Naomi finally leaned in to question me. “Lincoln…” But she barely got my name out before her attention shifted to her buzzing phone. The moonlight from the window illuminated her face, which held a truly happy expression, so much so that Naomi stayed in the room for over 20 minutes without noticing my abnormal right leg. Just as I was about to drift off to sleep, Robert’s alumni came in to deliver my medication for the day. When I thought about my empty right leg, I spilled the pills all over the floor. She froze for a moment, then walked quickly to my bedside without hesitation, placing the pills near my mouth. Her cold voice filled my ears. “This is part of Robert’s experiment. If you don’t take it, how is he going to write his report?” I turned my head away, tears in my eyes, but she grabbed my chin and forced the pills into my throat. Naomi seemed ready to say something, but her phone buzzed again. She glanced down, then quickly left the room, not even taking her coat. I could guess why she left. I checked Instagram, and the first thing I saw was Robert with tissue stuffed up his nose, looking both silly and cute. [After watching fireworks all night, I caught a cold. I took an extra cold pill… hope I’m not going to die from it, right?] The comment section was filled with Naomi’s concerned messages. [You caught a cold? Why didn’t you say anything earlier?] [You’re such a mess! Get checked out at the hospital. Wait for me.] Chapter 2 That night, Naomi didn’t come back. After midnight, I silently wished myself a happy birthday. I remembered the days before I ended up in the mental hospital when Naomi still accompanied me to my check-up. The doctor had said my stomach cancer surgery was healing well, and she had been so excited. “Your recovery will coincide with your birthday. We’ll have a big celebration that day!” But time had passed, and she had set off fireworks all over the city for Robert just to celebrate a nomination that wasn’t even real. The next morning, as the first light of dawn broke, Ian brought me a small cake about the size of a palm. “I remember you said today’s your birthday, but… your leg…” Ian hesitated, unsure of what to say, but still lit the candle for me. Through all these inhuman days, I was grateful for his care. I closed my eyes, made a wish, and was about to blow out the candle when someone appeared at the door. Naomi stood in the doorway, her brow furrowing as if suddenly remembering something. “Oh, today’s your birthday,” she said. Flustered, she rummaged through the pocket of her coat as if she could pull something out to give me as a gift. But to my surprise, what she pulled out was half-used rubber products. She awkwardly stuffed it back into her pocket, stammering, “Maybe… maybe someone was messing with me. “I’ll get you a proper gift later.” I blew out the candle with a sharp exhale, responding without thinking. “No need.” As soon as I spoke, Naomi’s face darkened, and she impatiently shoved her hands into her pockets. “Are you really making a big deal over a gift? “I’m the one who paid for your father’s treatment when he was seriously ill. And now you’re throwing a tantrum just because of a stupid birthday? Don’t you think that’s unreasonable?” I just bit my lip and quietly listened as she finished speaking. Because she wasn’t wrong, she was the one who saved my family. I felt like I could never repay her, not in a lifetime. Ian, who had been sitting beside the bed, couldn’t take it anymore. As he stood up and walked out, he accidentally bumped into Naomi’s shoulder. Naomi stumbled, her expression growing even uglier. She shot me a resentful glance, then turned to leave but bumped into Robert, who was entering the room in his lab coat. Underneath his white coat, there were faint red marks on his neck. Naomi’s anger seemed to disappear for no reason, and she hurried over, speaking gently. “I told you to rest at home. Why did you come back?” Robert sneezed and waved it off, saying, “Yesterday, you took your clothes off to warm me up. I’m much better now.” He quickly realized there were others in the room and looked away. He flashed me a smile. “I’m here today for an important experiment. I need Lincoln’s help again.” My heart skipped a beat. I looked at Naomi desperately, shaking my head, silently pleading with her not to agree. But she gave Robert a bright, gracious smile and said lightly, “It’s fine. He’s been doing nothing anyway.” At that moment, the weight that had been hanging over me finally fell. Robert smiled back at her and then turned to me, adding, “This one might hurt a bit more, but if you can handle it, it’ll be fine. Lincoln’s helped so many times before, I’m sure he’ll manage.” A sense of dread crept into my chest. Chapter 3 Naomi had poured a huge amount of startup funds into opening Robert’s lab. She let Robert feed his experimental drugs to live subjects and even went as far as to allow him to use his bottomless methods of electric shock therapy. Every time, Naomi was the one cleaning up the mess. And she seemed to enjoy it. But I never imagined that one day, Naomi would stand by and let Robert torture me like this. I didn’t resist strongly because I owed her far too much. But once the experiment was over, I hoped I’d finally be able to repay that debt. The silence was broken by a few slaps from Robert, and a group of doctors with various tools rushed into the room. Once all the equipment was in place, Robert suddenly took Naomi’s hand and whispered close to her. “Naomi, I’m a little worried. What if this experiment fails?” She seemed to shudder, her heart aching as she grasped Robert’s hand with tenderness. “It won’t fail. Let’s step outside first, and then we can get the data later.” Inside the room, I lay on the cold hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as they bound my limbs. The light blurred into a mess, and my consciousness became more and more hazy. As the voltage increased, my body grew numb, but my mind occasionally stayed sharp. In a daze, I could hear people scrambling around and the sounds of objects clanging together. “Ugh, what are you doing? You can’t even control the voltage.” Then came the spasms, and I vaguely heard someone shout. “Hurry, get him to emergency! There might still be time!” I didn’t struggle, almost as if I’d been knocked out by a blunt force. When I opened my eyes again, I was in a new and unfamiliar hospital room. Before I could speak, a man’s voice sounded in my ear. “Thank you so much, Lincoln. This is your payment for your hard work.” Robert flashed me a mocking grin, then pulled out a bill from his bag and placed it on my pillow. He turned around and ran into Naomi, who had just entered. Immediately, the sinister expression on his face disappeared, and he looked down with a furrowed brow. “It’s my fault. I was too stupid. That’s why Lincoln passed out. I’ve already apologized to him.” Naomi barely glanced at me, then lovingly stroked Robert’s face. “You didn’t mean to. There’s no need to apologize.” But then she paused for a moment, as if remembering something, and walked over to my bed. “The doctor said there’s something wrong with your leg. Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?” I stayed silent. At the time, she’d been busy watching fireworks with Robert, and I’d sent her countless messages, none of which got a reply. Ian, who had been by my side, was about to explain, but Robert quickly stopped him, giving him a threatening look before turning to Naomi and saying. “It’s my fault. There was an unexpected issue with the experiment, and I was too busy handling it to tell you about Lincoln’s leg injury.” “How could I blame you? He’s fine now. It’s okay.” Without me saying anything, Naomi casually forgave me. To prevent Ian from letting anything slip, Robert nudged him away. Naomi turned to look at me, showing a hint of guilt. “You’ve been holding it in all this time. Tonight, I’ll take you to a restaurant to celebrate.” Not waiting for my consent, Naomi dragged me straight to a clothing store to buy a suit. When she saw the bruises on my back, she stopped as she handed me the clothes. But in the end, she didn’t say anything. She just made an excuse to wait for me outside. Did she really think she’d feel guilty seeing me like this? It was laughable. Wasn’t all of this her doing? At the dinner table, Naomi’s eyes never left her phone. She even disappeared to the bathroom for over twenty minutes during the meal. When she returned, she finally remembered to ask the waiter for the menu. But Naomi was completely absent-minded, pointing casually. The waiter was totally confused because Naomi had pointed at the restaurant’s address. With a sigh, I took the menu, ordered our food, and handed it to the waiter. A while later, just as the food arrived, Naomi hastily stood up and grabbed her coat. “Robert’s being bullied at the party. I have to go now.” Chapter 4 Naomi was about to step out but paused for a moment, her tone cold. “Let’s go together. There won’t be any cars at this hour anyway.” On the way, Naomi had no intention of talking to me, occasionally glancing at her phone, worried she might miss some messages. We hurriedly arrived at the location Robert had sent, but the private room was buzzing with excitement. When Robert saw me, his smile disappeared in an instant, but he quickly adjusted his expression, looking down with self-reproach. “I didn’t know you were together. I only called you here because I lost a dare.” Naomi, rushing into the room, still out of breath but showing no sign of anger, said. “It’s no big deal. It’s just a meal with him.” As soon as she finished speaking, all eyes turned to me. I looked down, fiddling with my fingers, wanting to put an end to this farce. “I’ll leave if there’s nothing else.” But just as I turned to go, Robert suddenly stopped me. “Lincoln, my experiment isn’t over yet. You can’t go home now. You should stay a little longer in the hospital.” At that moment, a voice from the crowd mocked. “So he’s Robert’s lab rat? No wonder he’s covered in scars.” Another voice chimed in. “Scars are normal, but wearing such an expensive suit with a limp? What a waste, it looks ridiculous!” I turned away, squeezing the webbing between my thumb and index finger, trying to hold back the bitterness in my throat. Naomi, as if she hadn’t heard, continued defending Robert. “Robert’s right. You can’t give up now. Stay in the hospital for a while longer.” I gritted my teeth and endured it, but just before I could leave the room, I got a call from the hospital. “Mr. Booker, your father’s condition is critical. If you can, please come back and say your final goodbyes.” My mind exploded with shock. I tried to rush out, but I was stopped by a few large men who seemed to be bodyguards. I couldn’t break free. Red-eyed, I looked back, silently pleading with Naomi, but she only showed irritation. “Robert’s worked so hard to get to this point, and now you want to make trouble at the last moment?” Seeing me silent, she gave no room for negotiation. “You have to go back to the psychiatric hospital today.” At that moment, I couldn’t hold back any longer. I desperately tried to explain. “My dad is dying. I have to go see him!” Naomi showed a flicker of emotion, but Robert immediately tugged at her sleeve, looking pitiful. She quickly changed her tone and scolded. “Your dad’s hospital account has plenty of money. What good would it do for you to go now? “Robert’s been nominated, and the award will be presented in a few days. Can’t you just let him be happy for once?” My throat tightened, and a chill ran through my body, but Naomi’s face grew more impatient as she raised her hand. Seeing this, the bodyguards at the door grabbed me and forcefully dragged me outside, tossing me into a car sent by the psychiatric hospital. It was a long journey. I was locked back in a cold, dark room. Until I saw the devastating news from the hospital… In that instant, countless images spun in my mind. It felt like falling into an ice cellar. For the next few days, no matter how Robert tortured me, I was like a walking corpse, no longer resisting. On the last day, Naomi accompanied Robert to the awards ceremony, the flashing cameras focusing on them. And I regained my freedom. I got the plane ticket Ian had bought for me, carrying the heavy urn with my father’s ashes, along with my bruised body, back to my hometown. As soon as I got off the plane, my phone was filled with missed calls. All from Naomi. After thinking for a moment, I replied with just one message. [Naomi, let’s divorce.] Then, I blocked her and walked into the bustling crowd. Back in the dilapidated neighborhood, I finally let out a sigh of relief. I was halfway through packing when I received a call from Ian. “The city’s news channels are all reporting…”
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