I’d been the pampered princess of the Maxwell family for twenty years. Then, the real heiress showed up with a DNA report. That’s when I found out: I was nothing more than a fake daughter, mistakenly swapped at birth. Ashamed, I packed my bags, ready to leave. But on the night I planned to escape, Damien Maxwell hauled me into his car. My older brother, who had always been distant and cold, pinned me against the leather seats, making me break down completely. Three times. My throat was hoarse from crying, but he just gripped my waist, whispering over and over, “I’ve wanted to do this to you for a long, long time.” It was in that moment I finally understood— His coldness all these years? Nothing but forced restraint. Soon after, he announced our engagement. No one could talk him out of it. When our parents objected, he simply stripped them of their authority, becoming the sole power in the Maxwell empire. When the real heiress, Tiffany, cried and made a scene, he cut off all my credit cards and threatened to send me back if I caused any trouble. I couldn’t accept being with the brother I grew up with. I ran countless times, but he always dragged me back. His web was inescapable; I had nowhere to run. Until two weeks ago, when he drove out late at night to buy me a cake I was craving and got into a car accident. When he woke up… he remembered nothing. The Maxwell family was overjoyed. When they introduced me, they didn’t say I was the woman he was madly in love with. They just called me the household maid. Now, they wanted to get rid of me while Damien was still suffering from amnesia. “Here’s a hundred million.” Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell eagerly pushed a check across the table to me. “Damien doesn’t remember you now. Take this money and leave immediately. We raised you, and we’re begging you, never appear before him again. Never let him find you.” After a long silence, I finally spoke. “Alright. I’ll complete all my overseas paperwork within two weeks and never return.” I took the flimsy check, feeling like the past year had been nothing but a bizarre dream. They wanted me gone, and truthfully, I wanted to leave too. Damien had doted on me relentlessly for the past year, but I couldn’t bear this possessive, almost violent love. With Damien’s amnesia, this was my only chance to escape him. “What are you doing?” Just then, the front door swung open. Damien stood in the doorway, Tiffany behind him. The man wore a sharp suit, incredibly handsome, exuding a silent, oppressive aura that made the air itself thicken. Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell’s faces changed. They quickly forced smiles. “Oh, nothing, nothing. Just giving some instructions to the maid.” Mrs. Maxwell nudged Mr. Maxwell, forcing a dry laugh. “We’re going upstairs for our afternoon nap now.” Before she left, she shot me a look that was pure venom, a silent warning. I lowered my gaze, clutching the hundred-million-dollar check. I was about to turn and head to the maid’s quarters… “Stop.” Damien’s voice was as cold as ice. I froze, head bowed, my heart practically seizing. The sound of his dress shoes on the floor grew closer. The next second, my chin was brutally yanked up, forcing my gaze to meet his dark, deep eyes. My breath hitched. My mind uncontrollably flashed to memories of him pinning me against the floor-to-ceiling windows, pressing me into the bedsheets, even pushing me onto the kitchen island. His thumb brushed my chin, his gaze icy. “What perfume are you wearing?” I opened my mouth, about to answer… “Don’t wear it again.” He let me go, his tone filled with disgust. “Maids should act like maids. Don’t think about seducing anyone.” My fingertips curled slightly. He used to always bury his face in my neck, chuckling softly as he asked, “What are you wearing? It smells so good.” I’d shake my head. “Nothing.” He’d bite my earlobe, a husky laugh in my ear. “Even your natural scent is this intoxicating? Iris, every part of you was truly born for me. You’re not allowed to leave. Wherever you run, I’ll hunt you down. Understand?” I once thought I’d never escape. But this time, fate had given me a chance… I didn’t explain or argue. I just nodded. “Understood, Sir.” Watching him turn and enter his study, I let out a sigh of relief. I was about to go back and pack my bags when Tiffany suddenly rushed over and slapped me hard! “Iris, how shameless can you be?!” she shrieked. “First, you seduced my brother, and now he has amnesia, and you’re still trying to hook him?!” “Let me tell you, my brother already has a fiancée!” She smirked triumphantly. “The engagement will be announced in a few days. This sister-in-law is a thousand, a million times better than you!” My body trembled. A fiancée? Right. With his memory gone, and the Maxwell family’s status, suitable partners for an arranged marriage would naturally line up. But that had nothing to do with me anymore. Yet Tiffany still wasn’t done. She snapped, “Guards! Grab her! Throw her into the freezer room! Let her know what happens when you try to seduce my brother!” The bodyguards exchanged uneasy glances. No one dared to move. Because everyone knew how much Damien Maxwell used to dote on me. Once, a business partner just brushed against me. The next day, his hand appeared on Damien’s desk. Tiffany was shaking with rage. “My brother has amnesia now! I’m the heiress, not her, and I’m not the one he likes anymore! What are you all so afraid of?!” She pointed at the bodyguards. “If you don’t grab her, I’ll fire all of you!” The bodyguards still hesitated. Just then, the study door flew open— Damien frowned. “What’s all this racket?” Tiffany immediately plastered on a fawning smile. “Brother, I’m not doing my job well. I want to punish Iris by sending her to the freezer room, but these guards won’t listen to me!” Damien shot the bodyguards a cold glance, his voice chilling. “What good are you? You won’t even listen to your mistress?” He looked at me, his eyes filled with disgust. “Drag her out. Don’t let her be an eyesore here.” With that, he slammed the door shut. With Damien’s words, the bodyguards no longer hesitated. I closed my eyes, letting them drag me away. I’d always been sensitive to the cold, which was why Damien always kept the villa warm year-round. At night, when my hands and feet were icy, he would even stoop to warm my feet against his chest. But now, he had personally ordered me to be locked away for punishment. The cold bit deep into my bones. I curled up in the corner, my consciousness slowly fading. It’s okay. Just bear with it. Soon, I’ll be able to leave. Soon, I can… be myself again, instead of Damien Maxwell’s personal property. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, I faintly heard someone screaming my name like a madman. “Iris!!” A figure burst into the freezer room, lifting me with trembling hands. The next time I woke, blinding white hospital lights assaulted my eyes. “Iris, how are you? Is anything still uncomfortable?” A familiar voice reached my ears, followed by the sight of Liam Miller’s gentle face. He sat by my bedside, his eyes bloodshot, looking as though he’d been watching over me for a long time. “…Liam?” Memories from before I collapsed slowly returned. I struggled to sit up. “You saved me?” Liam nodded, his voice tinged with lingering fear. “I couldn’t reach you by phone, and when I rushed to the Maxwell estate, I heard you’d been locked in the freezer room…” He stopped mid-sentence as the TV in the hospital room suddenly showed a news report— “The Maxwell Corporation and Henderson Group officially announce their alliance today. Mr. Damien Maxwell and Miss Seraphina Henderson will hold their wedding next month…” On screen, Damien Maxwell was impeccably dressed in a suit, his face stern, while Seraphina Henderson clung to his arm, her smile radiant. A handsome couple, a match made in heaven. Liam immediately grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. A brief silence filled the room. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and looked at me. “Iris, I know everything that’s happened recently.” “Before, you couldn’t escape. But now… Damien has lost his memory.” His voice was soft but firm. “Let me take you away, alright?” I lowered my eyes. “Thank you, Liam. I’ve already made arrangements to process my overseas paperwork.” “The Maxwell family has been involved in politics for three generations. He can’t leave the country.” I paused. “As long as I go abroad, he’ll never see me again.” A flicker of joy crossed Liam’s eyes. He instinctively took my hand. “That’s wonderful! I’ll go with you to handle the paperwork!” I stiffened slightly, then subtly pulled my hand away. He realized his lapse and quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, I just… got too excited.” He paused, his gaze serious and gentle. “But I hope you understand my feelings.” “All this time, you must have seen it, right?” I remained silent, not answering. Of course, I knew. From the very first day Damien forced me into this, Liam had been secretly helping me. He had once offered to help me escape, but I knew Damien’s methods better than anyone. I had run ten times or more, never successfully. The longest I’d ever been gone was ten minutes before being dragged back. Once, a man at a bar simply struck up a conversation with me. The next day, his family business completely vanished from the city. Damien’s influence was an inescapable web. I couldn’t escape, and I certainly didn’t dare implicate Liam. So, I had never responded to his feelings. I closed my eyes, my fingertips trembling slightly. “Liam, I…” He seemed to sense what I was about to say and quickly interrupted. “I’m not asking you to respond right now!” “I just want to tell you…” He took a deep breath, his voice gentle and firm. “Once you leave here, you can finally live the life you deserve.” “Do work you love, go to places you dream of, and… fall in love with someone who truly makes your heart sing.” He smiled, a faint bitterness in his eyes. “Even if it’s not me, I’ll be incredibly happy for you.” “I just hope you can return to a normal life, untouched by this past year.” I froze, my eyes welling up. After a long moment, I whispered, “Thank you.” “Once I leave here, I’ll go back to a peaceful life.” I looked out at the bright sunshine, my voice soft. “Traveling, working, and… falling in love.” Liam finally relaxed, his brow smoothing. “Then I’ll go with you to get the paperwork done.” That afternoon, Liam accompanied me to complete the expedited overseas paperwork. “Your visa should be ready in about two weeks,” the clerk said, handing back my ID. “Have a pleasant journey.” Stepping out of the embassy, I took a deep breath. The sunlight on my face brought a long-lost sense of ease. Liam drove me back to the villa, chatting casually about my arrangements abroad. He said once my paperwork was ready, I should go ahead. His family also had businesses there, and he would apply for a transfer. “Iris, don’t feel pressured.” As if fearing I’d refuse, he quickly added, “Our company happens to be expanding into the overseas market. It’s not just for you.” The car pulled up to the villa. I was about to get out when Liam suddenly called out, “Wait.” He reached out, gently tidying a strand of hair the wind had blown loose, his movements as tender as if he were handling a fragile treasure. I instinctively looked up, only to be struck by a sudden chill the next second. Not far away, on the steps, an icy gaze was fixed on me! Damien Maxwell stood there, impeccably suited, his expression stern, his oppressive aura silently radiating. My fingertips trembled. I quickly told Liam, “You should go now.” Liam didn’t notice anything amiss, continuing, “When your paperwork is ready, you…” “Just go!” My voice was tight, almost pleading as I looked at him. He paused, then finally nodded. “Alright. Be careful, then.” Only after his car drove away did I dare to turn, walking step by slow step towards the stairs. Damien still stood there, watching me with a heavy gaze, the emotions in his eyes dark and unreadable. I trembled all over, practically hearing my own frantic heartbeat. Would he be angry? Or would he react like before, breaking someone’s hand just for touching me? But in the end, I heard his cold voice: “We have guests. Go make some tea.” With that, he turned and walked away, his footsteps fading. I stood frozen for a moment before I dared to look up. He… was completely unfazed. It seemed he truly had lost his memory. I let out a sigh of relief and turned to the kitchen to make tea. But when I carried the tea into the living room, I found an additional person there. I recognized her immediately: Seraphina Henderson, the woman from the news who was announced to be engaged to Damien. Right now, Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell, and Tiffany, were all gathered around her, smiling as they discussed wedding arrangements. Damien sat to one side, not interjecting, listening calmly. I kept my head down, offering the tea. “Miss Henderson, your tea.” Seraphina looked up at me, a subtle, knowing smile playing on her lips. She reached out to take it, but the next second, she suddenly “accidentally” knocked it over— The scalding tea splashed all over her. Before I could react, Tiffany had already slapped me hard! “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?!” I opened my mouth, instinctively wanting to explain— “It wasn’t me…” But before I could finish, Tiffany shrieked, cutting me off, then turned to Damien to complain: “Brother! I’ve been meaning to tell you, this maid has impure intentions towards you!” She pointed at me with a look of disgust. “She secretly collects your things! She’s clearly trouble! Now that she knows you’re engaged to Seraphina, she’s gone mad with jealousy and deliberately scalded her!” I felt a chill run through me, unable to believe she could twist the truth like this. “I didn’t…” My voice trembled, but before I could finish, Seraphina also spoke up. She looked at Damien, her eyes slightly red, her voice delicate. “Damien, with your status, many people will try to cling to you. If we don’t punish her severely, I’m afraid more will imitate her later.” Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell immediately chimed in. “Exactly! She must be severely punished!” I froze, suddenly understanding— This was a setup. A trap they had collaborated to create. And Damien hated anyone who tried to seduce him most of all. Sure enough, the next second, I heard his icy voice: “Drag her away. Administer family punishment.” After he spoke, he leaned down, scooped Seraphina into his arms, and walked upstairs without a backward glance. “I’ll call a private doctor.” I didn’t even have time to utter another word of defense before two bodyguards seized my arms and roughly dragged me out. Outside the villa, the night was thick. Tiffany held the barbed cane, her face alight with barely concealed excitement and malice. “You’ve finally fallen into my hands.” She raised the cane and brought it down hard! “Whack!” The first lash landed, splitting my skin. “This lash is for stealing my identity!” “Whack!” The second lash, bloody and raw. “This lash is for seducing my brother!” “Whack!” “This lash is for being ungrateful!” … “Hahaha! Scream, why aren’t you screaming wildly now? My brother won’t defend you anymore!” I bit my lip so hard it bled, refusing to make a sound. But the barbs on the cane dug into my flesh, each strike feeling like it was tearing me apart alive. Blood flowed down my back, my arms, my legs… dripping onto the ground. Ninety-nine lashes. Tiffany seemed determined to unleash all her years of fury, hitting harder and harder. By the end, my consciousness was fading. All I heard was her shrill cursing and the dull thud of the cane tearing through flesh. When the last lash fell, I finally couldn’t bear it anymore and collapsed heavily into the pool of blood. I woke up again to find myself locked in a warehouse. The wounds on my back had formed a thin scab, tearing agonizingly with the slightest movement. I struggled to my feet and knocked on the door. A bodyguard’s cold voice came from outside. “Miss Tiffany said you haven’t learned your lesson, so you’ll stay locked up for three more days, no food or water.” He paused, then added, “Sir also agreed.” I slid down the door to the floor and suddenly laughed. Tiffany hated me; I knew that better than anyone. Through a twist of fate, I had unknowingly taken her place as the Maxwell heiress, leaving her to suffer outside. Just when I was finally reconciled with my birth family, Damien refused to let me, the fake heiress, leave. He spoiled me beyond all reason, making it impossible for Tiffany to even try to send me away. Now, Damien had lost his memory. He didn’t remember me, nor the crazy, obsessive love he once had for me. Tiffany finally had her chance to get revenge. I leaned against the cold wall, not struggling, not knocking again. Anyway… in a few more days, I would be completely free. There was no need to cause more trouble at the last minute. Let it be. There were no windows in the warehouse, making it impossible to tell day from night. I huddled in the corner, the pain from my wounds keeping me from sleeping. I could only count my breaths to pass the time. Every day, Tiffany would have someone throw in a stack of photos. The photos were all intimate moments between Damien and Seraphina— Him with his arm around Seraphina’s waist at a gala, leaning down to whisper in her ear; Him bending to adjust her skirt, a gentlemanly and gentle gesture; Him, in full view of everyone, placing a diamond ring on Seraphina’s finger and pulling her into a kiss; On the back of each photo, Tiffany had scrawled sarcastic words in red pen— “This is the fiancée my brother deserves.” “What are you, a nobody?” “Stop dreaming. He’ll never remember you.” Three days later, the warehouse door finally opened. Blinding light streamed in. I squinted, seeing Tiffany standing in the doorway, looking down at me. “Seraphina’s birthday party? My brother threw a huge one,” she said with a malicious grin. “What are you waiting for? Get to the party and serve!” I braced myself against the wall to stand, my legs so weak I almost collapsed, but there was no room to refuse. I hastily applied some medicine, drank some water, ate a little food, and then was rushed to the banquet hall. Just as Tiffany said, Damien had spared no expense for the birthday party. The entire hall was decorated like a starry night, crystal chandeliers reflecting brilliant light, champagne towers stacked higher than a person. And the most eye-catching thing was Damien’s gift to Seraphina. A blue diamond necklace worth over a hundred million. He personally put it on her, and the entire room erupted in applause. Even so, whispers could be heard— “Did Damien really lose his memory? He used to be so crazy for Iris…” “Shhh! Lower your voice! The Maxwell family has a lot of nerve, arranging a fiancée for him while he has amnesia. Who knows if he’ll tear the whole family apart if he ever remembers…” “I heard his memory can’t be recovered, the doctors said…” I kept my head down, quietly going about my tasks, as if these discussions had nothing to do with me. Until— A pair of high heels stopped in front of me. I looked up and met Seraphina’s smiling eyes. “Iris.” She swirled the champagne in her hand, her red lips curving slightly. “Are you satisfied with the ‘welcome gift’ I gave you last time?” I looked up at Seraphina. “You really didn’t have to do this.” I said softly, “Damien has amnesia now. He has no feelings for me, and I won’t disrupt your relationship.” Seraphina laughed, her red lips twisting into a mocking curve. “You say that so easily. I’ve loved him for so many years. Do you know how happy I was when the arranged marriage was finally settled?” Her nails dug into my arm, her eyes swirling with twisted hatred. “But what happened? He turned around and declared he couldn’t live without you! I loved him so much, I even went to him and offered a billion-dollar company as a dowry, but he didn’t even blink and threw me out…” My voice started to tremble. “That day, it was pouring rain, and I wouldn’t give up trying to find him. Then I saw him again, coaxing you into bed. I watched with my own eyes as he pinned you against the floor-to-ceiling window, so gentle, so deeply in love, saying that out of everyone in the world, he only wanted you…” “Do you know how desperate I was that day? And now, a simple ‘I won’t disrupt your relationship’ is supposed to erase all the pain I suffered?!” She stepped back, elegantly smoothed her dress, her smile sweet and malicious. “Iris, remember this. I will make you wish for death but be unable to find it.” With that, she turned and walked away. I stood there, cold sweat beading on my back, a strong sense of unease washing over me. I put down the tray and was about to leave when Seraphina’s panicked voice suddenly echoed through the banquet hall— “My necklace is gone!” The entire hall gasped. “That was the blue diamond necklace Sir Maxwell just gave her!” “Who would be so bold as to steal it?” In the chaos, Seraphina looked at me with pitiful eyes, her finger pointing directly at me: “I was just talking to Iris a moment ago…” In an instant, all eyes turned to me. Damien’s gaze was the coldest, like an ice-淬刀. Before I could react, Tiffany had already rushed over with bodyguards. “Search her!” she shrieked. I struggled to back away. “I didn’t steal it…” But the bodyguards roughly grabbed me, publicly stripping my clothes. “Found it!” Tiffany declared triumphantly, holding up the blue diamond necklace. She swung her hand back and slapped me again. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth. “Haven’t you had enough of a lesson yet?!” I shrieked. My vision blurred, but I still insisted, “I didn’t steal it… There are security cameras here, you can check the ca—” “Whack!” Another slap cut off my words. Tiffany turned to Damien, her tone venomous. “Brother, it seems Iris still won’t give up on you. First, she deliberately scalded Seraphina, and now she’s come to steal Seraphina’s necklace. I think she needs to be taught a final lesson!” She flashed a cruel smile. “I just saw a homeless man outside the hotel. How about we let them spend the night together?” My blood ran cold. But the next second, I heard Damien calmly say, “Hmm,” his eyes filled with utter disgust. In that moment, I felt like I’d been struck by lightning. I no longer cared about anything else. I lunged, grabbing his sleeve. “I didn’t steal the necklace! I don’t have any designs on you! Damien Maxwell, check the cameras, I…” Tiffany’s face changed drastically. She snapped, “Drag her away!” The bodyguards roughly yanked my hair. I clung to Damien’s sleeve, my fingertips white with strain. But he pried my fingers off, one by one. An icy sensation spread from my fingertips to my heart. When the last finger was pried away, I heard him say— “Dirty.” In that moment, I bit my lip hard, tears streaming down my face uncontrollably. Memories surged like a tide—the days he held me in the palm of his hand, the times he would worry endlessly if I so much as bruised myself…
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