After receiving the last message from my husband, Liam, before his supposed plane crash, I felt utterly hopeless. I leaped from the hospital rooftop, but death wouldn’t have me. The moment consciousness returned, a tear of despair traced a path down my cheek. *Why wouldn’t it let me die?* Then, I heard hushed whispers from the hallway outside my hospital room. “Didn’t Liam say he’d pass this ‘widow’ of his around for us to have some fun after he faked his death? I don’t want anything to do with a paralytic! What do we do now?” “Exactly! Aria got twenty-something fractures and still didn’t die from the fall. When they brought her in, she was twisted like a pretzel! How many scars is she going to have? I can’t get it up for a broken mess like that!” “Just wait it out! At least until she can pose in bed, right? Otherwise, what’s the difference between her and an inflatable doll?” “Didn’t the doctor say? Her spinal cord is damaged, she might be in a wheelchair for life. Liam, man, you tricked her so badly, don’t you feel even a little bit bad?” Liam’s voice was flat, devoid of emotion. “It’s Aria’s honor to make Chloe happy.” “To keep me tied down forever, he lied, saying my eye cornea was donated by his mom. Did he really think I didn’t know it was Chloe’s mom who donated it? He loves playing games so much, let him taste what it’s like to be truly deceived!” The moment I heard Liam’s voice, I thought I was in heaven. Now, I was in hell. … “Liam really knows how to train a woman!” “Seriously, all these years, she’s donated bone marrow for you, taken the fall for you, and done it all willingly! You gotta teach us how to find a wife that obedient!” Liam scoffed. “It’s easy, really. Find someone whose parents died young, who battles depression. Give them a few crumbs of kindness, and they’ll put you before their own life.” “Liam, if you mess with her like this, aren’t you afraid she’ll actually commit suicide from depression?” Chloe’s voice was dismissive. “Please, it’s clearly an act! Besides, if she’s so quick to kill herself, then she might as well. She’s just wasting space anyway!” A man’s gentle voice chimed in, “Chloe’s right. Even if I found some entertainment from someone who constantly has mental breakdowns, I’d only last a little while before rushing back to my little sunshine, Chloe, to recharge.” “If she’s going to die, it better not be because of me. That’s just bad luck!” My eyes widened in disbelief, my mind a blank slate. My dad passed away when I was very young. After my mom died, I lost my last remaining family. I spiraled into a severe depression, even attempting to end my life. It was Liam who pulled me back from the brink. He gave me hope, encouraged me to study, showed me the world, and guided me out of the darkness. I gave him my entire being, treating him as the new light in my life. But he saw me as nothing more than a toy for him and his true love, Chloe. Even my mom’s eye cornea, for some reason, was now credited to someone else. I desperately wanted to wipe away these damn tears from my face, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t even lift my arm. I didn’t even notice when Liam walked in. His voice was light. “Aria, why are you crying? I’m perfectly fine.” He followed my gaze to the corner of my eye, seeing the large wet patch on my pillow. His voice instantly tensed. “What’s wrong? Are you in pain somewhere?” Seeing that I said nothing, only staring, tears streaming uncontrollably, he panicked. He turned and roared at his friends, “Doctor! Go get a doctor, now!” “Aria, hang in there! The doctor will be here any second! You can’t let anything happen to you!” The doctor arrived and said I was fine, but Liam didn’t believe it. He forced the doctor to perform a full body scan. “The patient has severe fractures all over her body. We don’t recommend frequent movement because—” He cut him off, his voice firm. “Her body is most important. Do it now.” The doctor quickly added, “She just had casts and metal plates put in. No matter how careful we are, moving her will inevitably hurt her.” Liam’s brow furrowed, and he roared, “I said do it! Are you deaf?! If anything happens to my wife, can you take responsibility?!” With that, he scooped me up into a princess carry, and the doctors couldn’t stop him. My body groaned with sickening cracks, and I instantly burst into tears from the pain, unable to utter a single word. I could only shake my head frantically. His voice was gentle yet firm. “You’re uncomfortable, aren’t you? I’ll make sure they cure you!” Liam carried me through various departments, and everyone we passed gave me envious looks. One young girl even squealed, “She’s so lucky! Her husband must love her so much!” I was tossed and turned for a full check-up, only to find nothing wrong. But the newly placed metal plates had all been dislocated by his frantic movements. The doctors had no choice but to reopen my wounds and re-fix them. Liam finally relaxed, gently stroking my hair. “Good, I’m glad you’re okay.” “I know you must want to go home. I’ve arranged for the best medical team to care for you there.” “But I need to go to a therapy session. The plane crash was a huge trauma. Aria, you go home first. I’ll come take care of you after my treatment.” I was too numb from the pain to react. I let them transfer me to a wheelchair and hand me over to his assistant. But the moment we left the room, the assistant passed me off to someone else. I strained to turn my head, only catching sight of a strange man. A shiver of fear ran down my spine. 2 “What are you doing?!” “Ms. Chloe has a gift for you.” I was wheeled to the back door of a hospital room, and through the crack in the door, I could see the bed. Inside the room, two familiar figures were tangled together, locked in a passionate kiss. “I thought you were going to see your therapist? How did you end up here?” “Little minx, you’re the one who seduced me. You look so hot in that nurse’s uniform.” “Liam, your wife is still sick, you know.” Liam grumbled, “Don’t even get me started. She’s got fractures, and I have to wait on her. She tries to kill herself every other day, she’s a total psycho. Chloe, seeing how pathetic I am, you’ll have to spend more time with me.” Chloe giggled sweetly. “Okay, then let Nurse Chloe check what kind of illness you have?” “Lovesickness. It’s a good session of loving you that’ll cure it…” Their intimate whispers relentlessly pierced my ears. I struggled to lift my only uninjured limb, my left hand, and clamped it over my mouth, desperate to stifle my cries. I wanted to escape. The wheelchair brake was right in front of me. I frantically willed my right hand to move, but I couldn’t even lift it a millimeter. I thrashed wildly in despair, tumbling out of the wheelchair onto the floor. “What was that sound?!” Chloe casually glanced at me through the crack in the door, then cupped Liam’s face, preventing him from turning. “Someone’s outside, don’t worry about it.” I lay splayed on the floor like a ragdoll, gasping for breath, tears streaming. I don’t know how much time passed before the sounds from inside finally stopped. Chloe walked out, her face flushed, and looked down at me, sneering. “Sister, what a mess you’ve made of yourself.” She helped me back into the wheelchair and pushed me out. “Envious? Have you ever seen Liam so passionate? Do you know what positions he likes?” “Did you really think he loved you just because he married you? He was just obligated to repay a debt.” I screamed, indignant. “I don’t believe it! You have no idea what Liam and I went through together! You won’t trick me!” Chloe suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter, pulled out her phone, and tossed it onto my lap. “Oh, you’re still proud, huh?” “You, you’re just a toy for our amusement.” The screen displayed a social media account’s record log. The username leaped out at me: **My Dog-Training Diary.** The earliest post was three years ago. “Tricking my love-struck girlfriend into believing I was accused of plagiarism. What will she do?” “Update: It was hilarious watching her kneel in the office and take the fall for me, hahaha, so stupid!” “She dropped out, and I got into a prestigious university with my research award!” Then, a year ago, our wedding. “What’s it like to ditch your fiancée on your wedding day?” “A little boring, I smoothed things over with a few words the next day.” “But, the first night with my true love was the best wedding gift.” Then, last month. “Tricking my devoted wife into believing my mom had leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. Guess if she’ll donate?” “LOL, she was pregnant and took induction shots to donate cord blood for my mom. She miscarried with massive bleeding and still begged the doctors to draw more of her bone marrow!” Every single entry, over a hundred posts, he had documented in clear, precise detail. My fingertips whitened from pressing so hard, tears raining down like broken pearls onto the screen. Unbeknownst to me, Chloe had pushed me to the hospital rooftop. She bent down, helpfully scrolling to the latest post. “Tricking my devoted wife into believing I crashed. What will she do?” The latest reply was an hour ago: “So funny, she actually jumped off a building to kill herself! Good thing she didn’t die, otherwise, this account wouldn’t have any more content!” I had been so heartbroken for him that I wanted to die, still grieving even the moment I woke up, and I was just a fool. Chloe savored my expression, her voice mocking. “Aria, big sister, have you ever felt like your life has been particularly dramatic and exciting these past few years?” “Those were all my ideas!” Her smile slowly faded, replaced by a vicious snarl. “But why didn’t you die?! You should have just died cleanly!” “Now you’re still alive, looking like this ghost, and hogging Liam! Who are you trying to disgust?!” With that, she slowly pushed me closer to the edge of the rooftop. Seeing the height of several stories, I panicked and begged for mercy. “I was wrong! I’ll never appear before him again, please don’t kill me! Please!” A sinister voice echoed behind me. “Too late.” She raised her hand, shoved me hard, and then jumped herself. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed hold of us both. 3 It was Liam! His eyes were filled only with me, his anxious voice trembling. “Didn’t I tell you to go home? Why did you come back up here to try and die again? I told you I’d cure you, don’t do anything reckless!” My voice trembled. “It wasn’t me, it was Chlo—” Chloe suddenly burst into loud sobs. “Sister Aria, I don’t know why she invited me to the rooftop, but when I saw her, she was already at the edge. She forced me to jump, saying why should I be able to run around happily, and if I didn’t jump, she’d throw herself down again! I had no choice but to jump, but I didn’t expect her to lose her balance and fall too!” Liam’s gaze instantly turned cold. “Aria, when did you become so malicious?!” “No! I didn’t…” Chloe continued to wail, “Liam, you can’t hold both of us by yourself! Sister Aria is already like this, if she falls again, she’ll die!” “Let go of me, save Sister Aria!” Liam looked at me, then at Chloe. After only a few seconds of hesitation, I felt the hand holding me slowly loosen. “Aria, you already have fractures. Another fall won’t make things much worse. But Chloe isn’t injured yet, and I simply can’t bear for both of you to be stuck in bed.” “Besides, this time it’s your own doing, consider it a lesson learned. I won’t hold it against you after this.” He pursed his lips and sighed. “Aria, protect your head, okay?” “Close your eyes if you’re scared, the pain will pass quickly. I’ll come right down to get you.” With that, he released my hand. I kept my eyes wide open. Liam’s expression showed sadness, anger, worry—I couldn’t read it. Perhaps, in all these years, I had never truly understood him. The hospital was only four stories high. I was momentarily caught by a crooked tree in mid-air, and when I hit the ground, I didn’t even lose consciousness. But it hurt so much, like my entire body had been shattered into countless pieces, scattered across the ground. This time, Liam hadn’t lied to me. Before the concrete beneath me had even warmed, he arrived, holding Chloe in his arms. About fifteen meters away, Chloe struggled out of Liam’s embrace with a look of worry, then jogged towards me. She knelt on the ground and helped me up, crying loudly, but not a single tear fell from her face. Instead, she smiled mockingly. “Aria, what do you have to fight me with?” “Whether I’m right or wrong, Liam will always be on my side!” My body was flooded with adrenaline, and I instantly felt no pain. Gathering all my strength, I raised my left hand and slapped Chloe hard. “Aria! What are you doing?!” The warmth on Liam’s face froze, and he roared, rushing over to scoop Chloe up and shield her behind him. My head suddenly lost its support and hit the ground. Everything went black, and the sounds around me grew fainter. “I thought this would be enough to make you reflect, but I didn’t expect you to be so stubborn. I’ve been too soft on you!” He coldly dialed a number, telling the doctor not to bother coming. “I was worried you fell badly, but looking at how you just hit someone, you’re full of energy! You can just lie here yourself!” With that, he took Chloe’s hand and turned to leave. Chloe wasn’t satisfied. “Liam, are we just going to leave like this?” “Sister Aria clearly hasn’t realized her mistake. If we don’t punish her, what if she threatens me again next time?” Liam frowned slightly. “She’s unconscious. Isn’t leaving her for a day and a night enough?” Chloe deliberately showed him the side of her face that I had slapped red, looking wronged. “She framed me. Shouldn’t I decide how to teach her a lesson? Let me give her one more dare. Tell her that you have enemies looking for revenge, and the only way they’ll let you go is if she pleases a dozen men. Can we do that?” 4 Chloe’s voice grew softer and softer. “What man would want a woman who’s broken like this? I just want to scare her, teach her a lesson…” Liam looked at me, lying unconscious, and didn’t speak for a moment. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, “Don’t you think that’s a bit much?” Chloe burst into tears, covering her face, and ran off. “Fine, I’m just too petty! She’s your wife, I’m nothing to you! Anyway, you saved me, so whatever! Next time, just let me die!” The hesitation in Liam’s eyes vanished, and he immediately pulled her into a comforting embrace, his voice tender. “Don’t talk nonsense. I can’t even stand to see you get a small scratch. If you died, how would I live?” “Okay, I’ll do whatever you say.” My consciousness faded, tears welling in my eyes. When I woke up again, everything around me was dim, and I was lying on a bed. Liam was helping to secure the plaster splints on my body. He meticulously checked each connection for looseness, his movements gentle, as if afraid of hurting me. Seeing that I was awake, he lowered his gaze and gently stroked the corner of my eye. “Aria, I’m being targeted by my enemies. They want my life, unless you… go appease them…” “Will you help me? I won’t mind.” “From now on, you’ll be my lifesaver. I’ll love you forever.” He let go of my hand without waiting for my reply. Before leaving, he gave detailed instructions to the people outside the door. “I’ve already spoken with her, she’ll cooperate. Don’t hurt her, and don’t turn on the lights so she won’t remember.” With that, over a dozen men entered one after another, their eyes fixated on me with a greasy gaze. I spoke to the man standing closest to me. “Can I borrow your phone for a moment?” He sneered. “Calling for backup? Your husband already gave you to us to play with. Who else can save you?” My eyes were vacant, and I spoke as if my oil had run out and my lamp was dim. “Not to make a call. I just want to glance at a certain social media account.” “Just one look, please.” I got the phone as I wished and searched for the “Dog Training Log” account. I so hoped that everything I heard before I passed out was false, but the truth always stabbed me violently. “Tricking my wife, who just woke up from a suicide attempt, into believing enemies are after me and she needs to repay their debt with her body. Will she agree?” A new user commented below: “What happened to your wife? Why did she try to commit suicide?” “Oh, she has depression. Just typical behavior for her.” “Then why are you still messing with her like that?” “She’s going to die sooner or later anyway, so what’s wrong with getting some entertainment before she does? If you don’t like it, leave. Nobody’s forcing you to watch!” My left hand fell weakly onto the bed, my breathing becoming rapid. It felt like a wire had snapped in my brain. The severe depression I had suppressed for years finally erupted completely at that moment. Extreme somatic symptoms caused my whole body to tremble uncontrollably, like I was having a seizure. My vision blurred. I reached out and grabbed onto something, anything. “Kill me! I want to die so bad! Let me die! Just let me die!!” The men around me jumped in fright. “What the hell is wrong with her?! Didn’t he say she was just a paralytic with broken bones? Is she sick or something?! I don’t want to be involved in a death!” A man from the back pushed his way to the front, grumbling, “You guys are picky when there’s fun to be had. I love playing with psychos!” “She wants to die, doesn’t she? Guys, let’s play her to death, hahaha!” A cold sensation spread across my chest, and I closed my eyes in resignation. Suddenly, the room door was kicked open with a loud bang. A voice rang out: “How is it that you’re always either being tricked, or on your way to being tricked?” 5 With one punch, he knocked a man down. The remaining standing men fled in terror. He strode over, took off his jacket, and covered me with it.
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