The first thing Liam did when he returned was pay five million dollars to make my life a living hell. At an exclusive gala, he pointed at me and declared that if I’d publicly kneel and polish his fiancée’s shoes, he’d forgive my past betrayal. Without a word, I knelt and used my sleeve to wipe the wine stains from her heels until they gleamed. The crowd laughed, mocking me for trading my dignity for money. Liam’s face twisted with rage. He kicked over a champagne tower beside us, sending shattered glass spraying across my skin. He gripped my chin. “Isabella, you’re utterly pathetic. Doesn’t any of this hurt?” I looked at his furious face and smiled.”Liam, for the right price, a little pain means nothing.” He didn’t know. A tumor in my brain was pressing on my central nervous system. Three months ago, I had completely lost the ability to feel pain. It wasn’t that I wasn’t hurting. I was dying. Isabella POV They dragged me out of the underground fight club like a dead dog. The few crumpled bills in my hand were soaked through with blood. That punch had landed square on my eye socket. It blurred half my vision, but I didn’t make a sound. The man who beat me cursed me, saying I was like a senseless punching bag, giving him no satisfaction at all. I found it pretty boring too. The moment I tucked the money into my pocket, two bodyguards in black suits seized my arms. They eyed my cheap tank top and the mud-and-blood-stained pants with disgust before shoving me into a luxury car-a model I wouldn’t have recognized. The car pulled up at the entrance of the city’s most opulent hotel. I was dragged, practically hauled, into the ballroom. The heating was on full blast, making my swollen eye throb even more. I struggled to keep my eyes open, trying to make out the man sitting in the center. Liam. Three years had passed. He’d become an even bigger deal. In a tailored suit, he swirled a glass of red wine, one arm draped around a woman in white. I recognized the woman. It’s Maya. Three years ago, when Liam nearly died in that car accident, she was supposedly the one who pulled him back from the brink. Now, she was the envied fiancée of a billionaire, celebrated in this elite social circle. And I? I was the public disgrace, universally despised, who had supposedly run off with Liam’s life savings and sold company secrets to his rival. The entire room fell silent. All eyes flickered between Liam and me, anticipating the show. Liam tapped his wine glass on the table. The sound wasn’t loud, but in the quiet hall, it resonated clearly. “Isabella.” He spoke my name as if calling a dog. I tried to force a smile, but my swollen face probably made it look more like a grimace. “Liam, long time no see.” Liam ignored my greeting. He pulled a checkbook from his jacket, scribbled a string of numbers, then tore out the check and tossed it lightly onto the floor. The thin slip of paper fluttered down, landing beside his gleaming leather shoes. “Five million.” He leaned back on the sofa, his eyes cold. “Drop the worthless pretense of dignity. Polish Maya’s shoes clean, and that money is yours.” A collective gasp rippled through the room. Five million. The price for the former ‘It Girl’ of the social scene to kneel. It was utterly humiliating. Maya shifted in his embrace, her voice sweet and cooing. “Liam, please, don’t. Isabella is, after all…” “What is she?” Liam cut her off, his eyes fixed on me, a hatred I couldn’t fathom churning within them. “She’d do anything for money, wouldn’t she, Isabella? Even eat dirt if I told her to?” I stared at the check. Five million. Enough to buy my mother the best burial plot, enough to pay off a mountain of predatory loans, enough for a stockpile of expensive targeted drugs, so I could face my death with a semblance of peace. What was I still hesitating for? I walked over, bent my knees, and knelt heavily on the hard marble floor. Nothing. No pain at all. I heard the dull thud of my knees hitting the floor, but I felt only the mechanical movement. I extended my sleeve-it was from a fifteen-dollar T-shirt I’d bought at a street stall, the rough fabric perfect for cleaning shoes. I gently lifted Maya’s foot, meticulously polishing her silver high heels, which had only a faint speck of dust. Maya recoiled, startled, but I held her ankle firm. A terrifying silence hung in the ballroom, broken only by the soft rasp of fabric against leather. After cleaning her left foot, I looked up at Liam. “Liam, do I need to clean the right one too? Can I get extra?” Liam’s face visibly contorted. He had expected to see me enraged, humiliated, hysterical over my ruined dignity. But I wasn’t. I was a soulless money-making machine. “Isabella!” He suddenly erupted, kicking over the nearby champagne tower. A deafening crash. Dozens of champagne flutes shattered, sending glass shards flying. Many fragments embedded themselves in my neck and back. Golden champagne mixed with my blood, seeping down my collar. I glanced down. A rather large piece of glass was stuck in my arm, and blood flowed freely. But it only looked alarming. I didn’t move, didn’t even flinch. Liam rushed over, grabbing my chin with a force that felt like it could crush my bones. He glared at me, his eyes bloodshot. “Are you a walking corpse? Why didn’t you dodge? Doesn’t it hurt?” I was forced to tilt my head back, looking at his frantic expression. I remembered how, in the past, if I got a paper cut, I’d hold up my finger and cry to him for ages. He’d scold me for being delicate while gently blowing on the wound. Now, covered in blood, he was demanding to know why I wasn’t screaming in pain. I smiled, and blood trickled down my forehead into my mouth, coppery and sweet. “Liam, is this five million in cash or a bank transfer?” I didn’t answer his question. I only cared about the money. Liam’s hand abruptly released me, as if he had touched something vile. He straightened up, looking down at me, his eyes filled with utter disgust. “Isabella, you sicken me.” “I find myself quite disgusting too.” I slowly got up from the floor, picking up the check and carefully blowing off the champagne stains. “Thank you for the generous payment, Liam.”
Isabella POV Liam didn’t let me leave. He had his men shove me into a car and sped back to his sprawling hillside villa. This villa was the one we’d chosen together back when we were a couple. I’d said I loved stargazing, so he bought it here. Now, the house was unchanged, but the life we’d built was shattered, and this place had become my gilded cage. The moment we entered, he dragged me straight into the bathroom. I didn’t resist. I let him pull me along. Resistance was futile anyway. In my current physical condition, I couldn’t even fight off a child. He turned the shower on full blast, setting it to cold, and aimed it directly at me. It was late autumn, and the water was bone-chilling. My body instinctively began to tremble, my teeth chattering-a physiological reaction I couldn’t control. Yet, I still couldn’t feel that “bone-chilling cold.” I only knew my body temperature was dropping. Liam stood by, watching me huddle in the corner like a drowned rat, his eyes dark and menacing. “Isabella, when you ran off with my life savings, did you ever imagine this day?” I had. I had imagined he’d hate me, that he’d seek revenge. But I hadn’t imagined this revenge would feel so… painless. I wiped the water from my face, saying nothing. My silence enraged Liam. He walked over and violently ripped open the collar of my shirt. The glass shards that had been embedded in my clothes at the banquet now tumbled out with his movement; some were still stuck in my flesh. His yank tore the wounds open further, and blood mixed with the cold water flowed onto the floor. Crimson streaks snaked across the white tiles, a horrifying sight. Liam’s movements froze. He stared at a deep gash on my shoulder, a piece of glass still lodged within it. “Doesn’t it hurt?” He asked again, his voice carrying a subtle tremor. I followed his gaze. Oh, it was quite deep, the flesh was exposed. I raised my hand and, right in front of him, pulled out the glass shard. Blood gushed out even more. Liam’s pupils constricted sharply. “I’m used to it.” I tossed the bloody fragment into the drain, my voice as calm as if commenting on the rain. “When you’re desperate in places like that, you learn to handle things yourself.” Liam’s face instantly went ashen. I knew what he was thinking. He believed I had endured all sorts of hardships and suffering for money, that my body had grown numb. It was true. For three years, to pay off debts, I’d been a human punching bag, done hard labor on construction sites, and even participated in clinical trials. But the loss of my pain wasn’t something I’d trained myself into. It was a disease. “Isabella.” Liam gritted his teeth, each word forced out. “You did this to yourself, turned into this… ghost, all for money?” “Money is good, Liam,” I leaned against the cold tiled wall, looking at him. “Without it, Without it, you don’t get a life.” If I’d had money back then, I wouldn’t have sold the engagement ring you gave me. I wouldn’t have sent you to that safe house. I wouldn’t have had to make deals with desperate men. If I’d had money, I wouldn’t have gotten this disease and been unable to afford treatment, letting the tumors grow in my brain until now. Liam suddenly laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. “Fine, you want money, right?” He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “Tell Maya to move in.” He hung up, then looked at me, his eyes filled with malicious retaliation. “From today on, you’ll serve Maya here. The five million will be yours when I’m satisfied.” I paused, surprised. Maya? The woman who had usurped my act of saving his life? Liam’s current “cherished love”? Well, it was fine. I didn’t have many days left anyway. Seeing him “happy” before I died might bring some closure. “Alright,” I agreed readily. “As long as the money’s there, serving anyone is serving someone.” Liam looked at me, and the last spark in his eyes died completely. He turned and slammed the door shut. Only I remained in the bathroom, surrounded by blood and water. I looked down at the bleeding wound on my shoulder, pressing it with my hand. It felt soft, like pressing someone else’s flesh. It truly didn’t hurt at all. I sighed, pulling a bottle of pills with a water-damaged label from my pocket. I poured a few into my hand and swallowed them, not caring if the water was clean or not. These pills were expensive, two hundred each. If that five million had come through, I’d definitely buy a few boxes to stock up.
Isabella POV Maya’s arrival created quite a stir. A dozen servants lined up in two rows, and Liam personally went to greet her, carefully helping her out of the car as if she were a fragile porcelain doll. I stood in the corner, wearing an oversized uniform, holding a broom. Maya spotted me the moment she stepped out of the car. Her smile faltered, then morphed into a look of surprise and feigned concern. “Isabella? Why are you dressed like that?” She walked over, reaching out to take my hand. “How can they make you do such menial labor? Liam, really…” I took a step back, avoiding her touch. “Ms. Maya, I’m an employee here now. I’ll get docked pay if I break the rules.” Maya’s hand hung awkwardly in the air, a flicker of malice in her eyes, quickly masked. She turned and hugged Liam’s arm, whining, “Liam, Isabella never had to do hard work before. How can you be so cruel?” Liam gave me a cold glance. “She brought this upon herself, insisting on earning this money.” Maya sighed, feigning helplessness. “Well, alright. I just brought an antique art piece Liam gave me before, and I haven’t found a place for it yet. Isabella, could you help me move it to the study upstairs?” She pointed to a half-person-high, large box beside her. I recognized the artwork. It was a crystal sculpture Liam had bought for thirty million dollars at an auction as a birthday gift for me. Back then, I’d said it was fragile and I didn’t want to accept it. He’d said, “If it breaks, it breaks. As long as you’re happy, even hearing it shatter is fine.” Now, it belonged to Maya. “Okay.” I put down the broom and walked over to carry the box. The box was heavy. In the past, I wouldn’t have thought twice about this weight. But now, the tumor in my brain was pressing on my optic nerve, and my vision was narrowing, like looking through a tunnel. Only a small central area remained clear; the edges were consumed by black spots. And my body was extremely weak from long-term medication and chemotherapy. I gritted my teeth, lifted the box, and slowly made my way up the stairs. Halfway up, my vision suddenly went dark. It was like someone had abruptly switched off the lights; the entire world plunged into darkness. My foot missed a step. In that moment of losing balance, I instinctively tried to protect the sculpture. Not because it was a gift from Liam, but because it was so expensive; even selling myself wouldn’t cover the cost. Both I and the box tumbled down the stairs. A series of sharp, shattering sounds. Thirty million, gone in a single crash. I lay on the floor, taking a while to recover. My vision was still mostly black, but I felt something piercing into my palm. A viscous liquid seeped out. “My sculpture!” Maya shrieked, running over. Seeing the shattered pieces everywhere, her tears flowed on command. “Liam! This was our token of love! Was she trying to do this on purpose?!” Liam strode over. He first helped Maya up, checking her from head to toe. “Are you hurt?” “I’m fine, but the sculpture…” Maya cried pitifully. Liam then turned to look at me. I was sitting on the floor, my vision slowly returning a little. I saw my palm was covered in crystal fragments, blood flowing freely over my hand. “Isabella!” Liam roared, “Did you do that on purpose?” I looked down at my palm, not meeting his gaze. “My hand slipped.” I said blandly. “Slipped?” Liam sneered. “Your hands, which used to play the piano, can’t even hold a simple object now? I think you just can’t stand to see Maya happy!” “These hands, once capable of playing the piano, are useless now.” I didn’t want to explain that my vision was blurry, nor that I’d felt a wave of dizziness. I extended my other hand and, right in front of them, pulled out the largest shard embedded in my palm. Blood splattered onto the floor. Liam’s eye twitched. I didn’t utter a sound, not even a change in expression. It was like pulling out a splinter. Tossing the fragment onto the floor, I pushed myself up, using my hands to brace against the marble. My legs felt a bit weak, but I stood straight. “Broken property needs to be compensated, right?” I looked at Liam’s blurred face. “Deduct it from the five million. If it’s not enough, I can polish Ms. Maya’s shoes a few more times.” Maya, hiding in Liam’s arms, looked at me as if I were insane. Liam stared intently at my still-dripping hand, his chest rising and falling violently. “Get out.” He pointed to the door. “Go get that wrapped up. Don’t bleed everywhere; it’s disgusting.” I nodded and turned, walking towards the staff quarters. Behind me, I heard Maya’s sobs and Liam’s low murmurs of comfort. I looked down at my hand. My palm was a mess of torn flesh and glass shards. In the past, I would have been crying from the pain. It was truly good now. This illness, though deadly, had become my shield in moments like these, allowing me to maintain my last shred of dignity.
Isabella POV Maybe the fall earlier that day hadn’t been misery enough. Liam woke me at two in the morning. His stomach hurt, he said. He wanted steak. Back when we were together, I’d been a princess who never stepped into a kitchen. But for him, I learned to pan-sear a steak. His stomach was sensitive, so I hunted for new recipes daily, tweaking and testing. He’d told me it was the best thing he’d ever tasted. I pulled on a robe and walked into the kitchen. I pulled on a robe and walked into the kitchen. My sense of taste had started leaving me a month ago. Now everything tasted like cardboard to me. I could no longer tell salt from sweet. I had to rely on memory for the measurements. One spoon of salt. Two of black pepper. My hand shook, and I couldn’t see the markings clearly. I think I added too much. Well. It would have to do. An hour later, the steak was done. It looked decent enough. I carried the plate into the study. Liam sat there, smoking. Smoking with a stomachache? Had to be some kind of death wish. When I entered, he crushed the cigarette and gestured to the desk. “Set it there.” I did, and turned to go. “Wait.” His voice stopped me. “You’ll eat with me.” I paused. “I’m not hungry.” “I said eat.” Liam cut a piece of meat, but instead of eating it himself, he held it out to me. “Taste it. See if it’s like you remember.” I stared at the steaming piece, my stomach knotting. But I dared not refuse. I opened my mouth and took it. Chewed twice. Nothing. No taste at all. It was tough and rubbery, like chewing on an eraser. “Is it good?” Liam’s eyes pinned me. “Delicious,” I lied. Liam let out a short, cold laugh. He cut a piece for himself and put it in his mouth. The next second, he spat it straight into the trash. “Isabella, are you mocking me?” He slammed the knife and fork down. “You call this delicious? It’s inedible! Are you trying to poison me?” My stomach dropped. Too much salt. I’d been right. “I’m sorry, Liam. It’s been a while, I’m a bit out of practice.” “Out of practice?” He rose, crowding into my space. “I think you’d prefer me dead.” He picked up the whole plate. “Since you find it so ‘delicious,’ you finish it.” He thrust the plate at me. “Every last bite. Don’t you dare waste it.” I looked at the meat on the plate. If I ate all that, even without a sense of taste, my stomach would be ruined. But I looked into Liam’s venomous eyes and knew that if I didn’t eat, this night wouldn’t end. “Okay.” I took the plate. Without a knife and fork, I ate it directly with my hands. The scorching hot juices dripped onto my fingers. I watched my skin rapidly redden, but I felt no heat. I grabbed a piece of meat and shoved it into my mouth, swallowing it before I’d even chewed it properly. Then came the second piece, and the third. It felt like something was blocking my throat. My esophagus might have been burned, but I continued to mechanically force the meat into my mouth. Liam stood by, watching. At first, he had watched with a theatrical air, wanting to see me beg, to see me humiliated. But he hadn’t expected me to be so desperate. I kept eating, my face expressionless, as if completing a task. My lips were slick with grease, my cheeks puffed out. I even choked until my eyes rolled back, but I kept stuffing more in. “That’s enough!” Liam suddenly swung his arm, knocking the plate from my hands. The plate shattered, and steak scattered across the floor. “Isabella, are you insane?” He looked at my reddened fingers and my greasy mouth, and for the first time, a hint of terror appeared in his eyes. “You don’t feel the burn? You don’t taste the salt? Are you a robot?” I swallowed the last bite of meat in my mouth and wiped my lips with my sleeve. “Liam told me to eat, so I ate.” I looked at him, my voice calm. “Even if it were poison, I’d eat it if it made you happy.” Liam took a step back. He looked as if my words had scalded him. “Get out.” He pointed to the door, his voice hoarse. “Go brush your teeth. Get that taste out of your mouth. It’s disgusting.” I nodded and turned to leave. The moment I closed the door, I heard the sound of glass smashing against the wall inside. I leaned against the wall outside, clutching my stomach. It began to cramp, churning violently. Though I couldn’t feel the specific pain, the nausea, like my insides were being squeezed, was real. I rushed into the restroom, hugging the toilet, and retched violently. Everything I’d eaten came back up, mixed with streaks of blood. After I finished, I looked at myself in the mirror. My face was ghostly pale, my lips raw with burn blisters. So ugly. Isabella, you used to be so fond of beauty. How did you end up like this?
Isabella POV The next day, I was secretly taking my medication in the corner of my room. They were targeted therapy drugs specifically to inhibit tumor growth, with severe side effects, but they prolonged my life. Just as I poured a few pills into my palm, the door was kicked open. Liam strode in, his eyes immediately spotting the pills in my hand. “What are you hiding?” He grabbed my wrist with surprising force. I tried to pull my hand back, but he pried my fingers open. A few white pills rolled onto the floor. He picked up the pill bottle; I had already torn off the label. “What is this?” He held up the bottle, demanding. “Party drugs? Or some new designer drug?” My heart skipped a beat. I absolutely couldn’t let him know I was sick. If he knew I was dying, given his personality, he wouldn’t just refuse to let me off the hook; he’d think I was trying to gain sympathy. He might even cut off my medication, leaving me to a fate worse than death. Besides, I hadn’t yet uncovered the true mastermind who still wanted to harm him. I had to stay alive to finish this last piece of business. “Speak!” Liam slammed the pill bottle onto the table. I took a deep breath and forced a flippant smile. “Liam, you’re overthinking it. This isn’t some drug.” I bent down, picked up the pills from the floor, and blew off the dust. “These are birth control pills.” Liam froze. “Birth control pills?” “That’s right,” I said, feigning indifference. “In my line of work, there are so many clients. What if I got pregnant? That would be such a hassle. Abortions cost money and hurt the body, so it’s safer to take pills every day.” Liam’s face instantly turned ashen. “So many clients?” He gritted his teeth, repeating the words. “Isabella, how many men have you slept with?” “Too many to count.” I shrugged. “Anyone, as long as the money’s right. You know how I am, I just love money.” “Have you no shame?!” Liam suddenly exploded in rage, pinning me against the wall. He stared intensely into my eyes, as if trying to find any hint of a lie. But I was too good an actress. These three years of my life had already forged a thick mask on my face. “Liam, don’t worry.” I kept smiling, though the smile didn’t reach my eyes. “I’m very professional. I would never get pregnant with a client’s child, and certainly not with yours. I’m dirty, I know my place.” “Shut up!” Liam looked as if something had stung him, and he suddenly recoiled from me. He looked at me with an expression of contempt and disgust. “Don’t let me see you taking those things again.” He disgustedly wiped his hand, as if I were something repulsive. “In this house, do nothing but your chores. And go get a full physical exam. Don’t contaminate Maya with some disease.” “Of course, Liam.” I agreed obediently. “Will the medical expenses be reimbursed?” Liam’s face was contorted with rage as he turned and kicked the door open, storming out. Watching his retreating back, I let out a shaky breath. A sudden warmth flooded my nostrils. I touched it, and my hand came away covered in blood. I quickly tilted my head back, stuffing tissues into my nose. The nosebleeds were getting more frequent. This medication, it seemed, needed a higher dosage. Otherwise, I’d die before that five million ever materialized.
Isabella POV Perhaps retribution came too quickly. I fainted while cleaning the villa. That day, I was wiping the crystal chandelier on the second floor, perched on a ladder, when a sudden wave of vertigo washed over me. This time, it wasn’t the black spots of tunnel vision, but a complete sense of disorientation. I fell from the ladder, hitting the back of my head on the floor, and lost consciousness. When I woke again, I was in a hospital. White ceilings, the pungent smell of disinfectant. I shot upright, tearing the IV from my arm, ready to flee. I couldn’t stay in the hospital. What if Liam checked my medical records…? “Stay put!” A stern voice rang out from the doorway. I turned and saw a man in a white coat walk in. Carter. My attending physician, and my college classmate. For these three years, he had secretly gotten me medication and helped me conceal my illness. “Are you trying to die?” Carter slammed the patient chart onto the bedside table. “With intracranial pressure this high, you dare run around? Do you want to be brain dead by tomorrow?” “Where’s Liam?” I asked nervously. “He’s outside paying the bill.” Carter’s face was grim. “Isabella, I can’t help you anymore. I have to tell him about your condition. You need surgery immediately!” “No!” I grabbed his sleeve. “Carter, please, don’t tell him! If I tell him now, everything I’ve done will be for nothing! He’ll think I’m using my death to blackmail him. You know what he’s like, he won’t believe it!” “But you’ll die!” Carter’s eyes were red with urgency. “So be it,” I released his sleeve and leaned back against the headboard. “I’ve lived long enough anyway. I just need that five million to buy my mother a good burial plot, pay off my debts, and then I can leave cleanly.” The doorknob turned. Liam was about to come in. I steeled myself; there was no time to hesitate. I lunged into Carter’s arms, wrapping my hands around his neck, and cried out loudly, “Take me away! Carter, take me away! I don’t want to be with him! I want to elope with you!” The door opened. Liam stood in the doorway, holding the payment slip. He saw Carter and me embracing, and his entire body froze. Then, his handsome face instantly contorted. “Isabella!” He rushed forward, tearing Carter and me apart. “What did you just say? Elope?” He pointed at Carter, then at me. “Is this the man you’ve been keeping? The gigolo you spent my life savings on?” Carter stumbled backward from the shove, about to explain. “Liam, actually, Isabella, she…” I cried, cutting him off. “Yes, I love him! I don’t love you, Liam! I took your money so I could run away with him. Are you happy now?!” As I shouted, I desperately motioned to him with my eyes, begging him to stay silent. Carter saw the frantic plea in my gaze. His lips parted, but in the end, he swallowed the truth. Liam let out a cold, humorless laugh. He nodded, his eyes looking at us as if we were already dead. “Good. Perfect.” He turned and drove his foot into Carter’s stomach. A pained grunt escaped Carter as he crumpled to the floor. “You think you can run? Not a chance.” Liam grabbed my hair, forcing me to look at him. “Isabella, since you love him so much, I’ll show you how I ruin him.” “From today on, Carter, you can forget about a career in medicine. Any hospital that dares to hire you, I’ll buy it.” With that, he ignored my hospital gown and dragged me out of the ward like a rag doll. I looked back and saw Carter clutching his stomach, his eyes filled with sorrow and helpless resignation. I’m sorry, Carter. To keep this secret, I had to drag you down with me.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “357214”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance
Leave a Reply