Everyone hailed my fiancé, Julian Thorne, as the most principled and reputable attorney in New York. Yet it was him. He twisted my sister’s terrified cries during the assault, dismissing them as mere sounds of passion. All because the rapist was the brother of Seraphina Hayes, the woman he’d grown up alongside and considered family. My fiancé’s declaration that “no crime had been committed” let the monster walk free. The very day we lost the case, my sister took her own life right on the courthouse steps. And those who destroyed my sister? They desecrated her ashes, urinating in them before tossing them at my feet. “Staring at me like that? You have no idea how sweet your sister tasted. It’s been ages since I had that much fun.” I grabbed a vase and smashed it over his head. The shock sent me spiraling, and I was committed to a mental institution. “Ever since her sister died, she’s been hallucinating, constantly talking to thin air.” “What a tragedy, those poor sisters. First one dies, then the other loses her mind…” Overhearing the nurses’ whispers, Julian Thorne conveniently seized the opportunity to break off our engagement, then proposed to Seraphina, the woman he’d practically grown up with. After six months in the mental institution, Dr. Albright came to assess me for discharge. “Do you still see your sister often?” I shook my head. “No, I don’t.” Dr. Albright signed my discharge papers with a satisfied smile. But they had no idea. Lila whispered softly in my ear, “Anya, you’re lying again. You’re finally going to get revenge for me!” I reached out, touching the air, and smiled. “Don’t worry, little one. Big sister will make them pay with their lives.”
The day I walked out of the mental institution, I went straight to Crestwood Manor, cradling Lila’s ashes. Six months had passed, and the place had changed so much. I heard there was a new lady of the house. Julian Thorne was throwing a lavish birthday party for his beloved Seraphina. He planned to announce their engagement there. “What a lively party,” I murmured, my fingertip tracing the photo on the urn. In the quiet courtyard, Lila’s laughter suddenly rang out. “Anya, if I hadn’t died, you’d be the lady of Crestwood Manor right now, wouldn’t you?” “You might even be getting married soon. What a shame, though…” “Nothing to be ashamed of.” I turned my head. Lila had two adorable dimples when she smiled. “Lila, I’m taking you inside. Tonight is only going to get livelier.” I extended my hand to thin air. Inside the mansion, Julian Thorne, impeccably dressed in a custom-tailored suit, held his darling Seraphina’s hand, accepting guests’ congratulations. “Thank you all for coming to Seraphina’s birthday celebration,” he toasted, raising his glass. “On this occasion, I’m pleased to announce that Seraphina and I will be engaged next month.” Amid thunderous applause, Seraphina smiled demurely, the diamond bracelet on her wrist flashing, practically blinding everyone. The style was exactly the same as the one Lila cherished most before she died. Beside them, a man in a blue suit stepped forward, laughing. “Julian, you’ll be my brother-in-law soon, part of the family. You’ve got to look out for me, alright?” “If you dare to hurt my sister, I won’t let you off the hook!” A hideous scar stretched across his face. It was from the vase I’d smashed over his head six months ago. “Brother, I’ll take good care of Seraphina.” Julian Thorne chuckled softly, wrapping an arm around Seraphina’s waist. I stood in the corner, watching it all. The urn in my arms felt like it was burning hot. Lila’s voice rang out again, tinged with a sob: “Anya, it was him. He’s the one who trapped me in the villa, tore at me, defiled me…” “Shhh, don’t rush.” I gently patted the urn, just as I used to soothe her to sleep. A faint smile touched my lips. “The real show is about to begin.” They drank and chatted, the party at its peak. Suddenly, with a crash, the grand crystal chandelier in the center of the ballroom plummeted to the floor. Guests screamed and scattered. A “gift box,” wrapped in gold ribbon, tumbled from the second floor, landing with a heavy thud on the carpet. The wrapping paper tore open, revealing the unconscious man inside. It was Jax, the thug leader who’d disgraced Lila’s ashes six months ago. Everyone shrieked. “What’s going on? What happened?” “Ah!” Seraphina screamed, burying her face in Julian Thorne’s chest. Julian Thorne’s face went utterly pale. He stared at the “gift box,” then sharply turned to the entrance. When his gaze landed on me, his pupils constricted violently. “Anya?” He gasped, “What are you doing here? You’re not….” “… Aren’t you supposed to be locked up in a mental hospital, talking to thin air?” Julian Thorne’s face drained of all color.
I finished his sentence, stepping forward, the urn in my arms swaying gently with each step. “Mr. Thorne, it’s been a while.” The guests’ eyes pierced me like needles, their murmurs buzzing. “Is that the crazy woman whose sister died six months ago?” “They say her sister was dumped by Marcus Hayes half a year back, then tried to claim rape, lost the case, and killed herself right outside the courthouse. That’s what drove *her* crazy…” “She’s just as twisted as that hussy sister of hers. After all that, Mr. Thorne saw her true colors and broke off their engagement!” “How shameless! How dare she show her face to Mr. Thorne?” But those words only made me arch a brow. They couldn’t hurt me anymore. “Anya, you… you’ve lost your mind?” Julian Thorne’s gaze was fixed on the “gift box” on the floor as he fiercely reprimanded me. “Who let you in here? Get out, now!” Seraphina peered out from his arms, a flicker of panic in her eyes. It was quickly replaced by a wounded expression. “Anya, please don’t be like this… Julian only sent you for treatment for your own good…” “And honestly, your condition was so bad six months ago that Julian couldn’t take it anymore, that’s why he broke up with you.” “For my own good?” I laughed, my voice unnervingly clear in the silent hall. “Was it really for my good, or was it so you, your rapist brother, and this group of degenerates could celebrate in peace?” At the mention of “rapist brother.” Seraphina’s face instantly went white. Jax, the thug on the floor, had woken up at some point. Seeing me, he suddenly thrashed like a madman: “It’s you! You crazy bitch! Let me go! Mr. Thorne, help me!” I knelt down, gently patting his terrified face. “Turn around and look, Lila has come to get her revenge.” Jax slowly turned his head, his eyes widening in horror, then he went insane, scrambling backward. “No, don’t kill me, I didn’t kill you…” Julian Thorne reacted. “Stop him!” But it was too late. Jax charged headfirst into the wall, then slowly slid to the floor. A bodyguard stepped forward. “Mr. Thorne, he’s gone…” “Someone’s dead!” The scene instantly erupted into chaos. Guests screamed and fled. Julian Thorne’s face was ashen. “Anya, what have you done? You killed him!” I smiled sweetly. “Julian Thorne, everyone saw it with their own eyes. I didn’t do anything to him. He chose to die.” “How can you blame me?” Everyone had witnessed the man’s bizarre death and recoiled, fearing they would be next, avoiding me as if I were a plague. Julian Thorne suddenly grabbed my arm. “Anya, what exactly do you want? “I was the one who broke up with you six months ago. If you have any grievances, come find me…” I stared into his eyes, thinking, *Of course I came for you.* Lila’s voice grew clearer in my ear, filled with delight: “Anya, he’s scared…” I looked up at Julian Thorne, then swept my gaze over the varied expressions of the guests, finally resting on a trembling Seraphina. “Tonight’s ‘gift’ was just an appetizer.” I smiled at everyone present. “Next, it’s your turn.” Julian Thorne spun around to face me, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief. This was just the beginning. What they owed my sister, I would collect, principal and interest, bit by bit. Lila chuckled in my ear: “Anya, the show has begun.” Cradling Lila’s urn, I left them with a chilling smile and turned to leave. “Stop!”
A devilish voice suddenly called out behind me. My footsteps paused, but the corners of my lips curled upward. Marcus Hayes grabbed my shoulder. “Anya, you smashed my head six months ago. I haven’t settled that score with you yet, and here you are, delivering yourself to me?” I slowly turned, looking at the scar on Marcus’s face. My grip on the urn tightened involuntarily. “Tsk, I didn’t get a good look before, but you’re not bad-looking. Quite a bit like your sister, actually…” His face was twisted with a lecherous smirk. “Brother…” Julian Thorne tensed, speaking out. “She’s a madwoman, don’t…” “Shhh—” Marcus Hayes put a finger to his lips. “Julian Thorne, you just worry about my sister. My business is none of yours.” Marcus Hayes approached me with an lewd smile. Just as he was about to lay a hand on me, Julian Thorne suddenly pulled me behind him. “Marcus, you can’t take Anya.” “Six months ago, to help you get off, I went against my conscience in court. Anya, she… just let her go.” Marcus Hayes’s face immediately darkened. “Julian Thorne, are you, a lawyer, really going to go against me?” Julian Thorne remained silent, saying nothing, but showed no signs of giving up. He continued to shield me behind him. The smile in my eyes deepened. Seraphina, however, glared at me, a flash of jealousy in her eyes, then threw herself into Julian’s arms, whining. “Julian, do you still have feelings for her?” “Anya is a mental patient, she can’t marry you now. Do you want her to drag you down your whole life?” “My brother already promised me he won’t cause another death.” “Why don’t you just let my brother send Anya back to the mental hospital…” “Silence.” Julian Thorne cut her off, his tone stern for the first time. “Seraphina, you should go back inside.” “It’s dangerous here. Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.” Bodyguards led Seraphina away, but she looked back every few steps, unwilling and resentful. “Julian, when you’re done, come find me right away!” Watching their affectionate display, I couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “I never thought my fiancé could be so gentle.” “Anya, shut up!” Julian Thorne’s eyes were fierce. “If you don’t want to die, then say less!” Marcus Hayes eventually gave Julian Thorne some face, but he shot me a resentful look and dropped a cold warning. “Julian Thorne, you’re very bold.” “I won’t touch her today, but I’ll see how long you can protect her.” “What Marcus Hayes wants, Marcus Hayes always gets.” They left with their bodyguards. After the crowd dispersed, the villa was left in utter disarray. He quickly had someone clean up the “gift box.” Julian Thorne frowned deeply, looking at me. “Anya, I thought you’d be in the mental institution for a few years, but you just ran out on your own.” “Do you have any idea who Marcus Hayes is? How powerful his family is? You just came here alone, wanting revenge, ready to throw your life away?” Julian Thorne grew more agitated, his voice rising sharply. “Didn’t you consider that by provoking Marcus Hayes, you wouldn’t just fail to avenge your sister, but you’d throw your own life away too?” At the mention of Lila, my expression also turned cold. “So you knew everything, Julian Thorne.” Six months ago, my sister Lila was assaulted while working. She was dragged into a villa by those wealthy scions, tormented all night, and found utterly broken. After emergency surgery, The doctor regretfully informed us that many of her organs were damaged, and she would need a catheter bag for life. A young girl’s entire future, shattered by those animals. I desperately begged Julian Thorne, who was my fiancé at the time, to help us win the lawsuit, no matter what. Julian Thorne had furiously declared to me: “I will wield the weapon of the law and not let those beasts go unpunished.” But after a few rounds, Julian Thorne inexplicably changed his stance. In court, he unexpectedly changed his testimony. Based on a recording held by the wealthy scions, he declared it was just ordinary intimacy. “Hear that, Anya? Even your own defense attorney says your sister gave up her dignity for money, actively seduced Marcus, took off her own clothes, and cried out so passionately…” In court, my eyes burned red. “Julian Thorne, how can you lie through your teeth?” “Tell the truth! Were they threatening you?!” But Julian Thorne refused to look at me again, stubbornly insisting that “no crime had been committed.” The lawsuit was lost, and the culprits walked free. Julian Thorne, however, looked at me, crumpled on the floor, with pity. “Anya, he’s Seraphina’s brother. If he goes to prison and gets a record, Seraphina’s reputation will be ruined.” “Besides, the Hayes family is too powerful. We can’t win against them.” “Since it’s already happened, I’ll help your sister get more financial compensation. Let’s just put this behind us.” But could money fix any of this? If he wouldn’t help me get justice for my sister, I would do it myself. But I didn’t tell Julian Thorne any of this. I smiled and pushed his hand away. “You’re wrong. I didn’t come here for revenge this time.” “Julian Thorne, I heard you’re getting married to your fiancée. I came to give my blessings.” Julian Thorne’s face suddenly changed. “Just that ‘gift box’ from earlier?” “Who would see that and not think you deliberately came to cause trouble?” “Anya, your condition hasn’t cleared up yet. I’m sending you back to the mental institution immediately. This is for your own good.” “For my own good?” I laughed out loud, tilting my head to look at him, puzzled. “Then why cancel the engagement?” Julian Thorne’s face stiffened. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. The truth was, when he was defending Lila’s case. Julian Thorne and Seraphina were already flirting behind my back. He thought I didn’t know. I just played along, pretending not to know. As long as he could help my sister win the case, and get her justice. As long as he could silence those who called my sister a “gold-digger” and a “whore.” A man was just a man. I could let him go. But he didn’t. So he, too, was a killer.
Julian Thorne ultimately didn’t send me back to the mental institution. He looked at the scars on my body, the ones inflicted by my torment, and his eyes reddened with tears. “I’m sorry, Anya. You’ve suffered so much these past months…” Just as he reached out to touch me, his phone rang. Julian Thorne’s expression shifted, and he immediately answered. Everything suddenly became tense. “Seraphina, what’s wrong?” “Julian, my stomach hurts so badly, I’m writhing on the floor! Please come see me…” Julian Thorne immediately agreed. “I’ll be right there.” He locked me in the basement of Crestwood Manor. He instructed the housekeeper and bodyguards to keep a close watch. Before leaving, he told me: “Anya, don’t run off, or I won’t be able to protect you.” “Do you really think six months ago I only gave false testimony because of Seraphina?” “The Hayes family’s power is far greater than you imagine. We can’t twist the arm of a giant, Anya. The Hayes family is too powerful.” Julian Thorne said we couldn’t fight them, urging me to accept my fate. He told me to give up on revenge, take care of myself, and live a good life. But I didn’t believe there was no justice in this world. If there was no way to get justice for my sister, then I would get revenge myself. After his retreating figure disappeared, I clutched the urn tighter, my eyes burning with resolve. Julian Thorne rushed Seraphina to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with acute appendicitis. After handling the admission and coaxing Seraphina to sleep, Julian Thorne looked up to see the sky was already growing dark. He sighed, then instructed his driver, “Head back. Prepare a hidden place for Anya to stay.” He feared Marcus Hayes and his thugs wouldn’t let me go. Many thoughts raced through his mind. But when he returned, he heard the housekeeper’s panicked cry: “Mr. Thorne, it’s terrible! Ms. Anya is gone!” Julian Thorne’s head snapped up. “What did you say?” “Wasn’t she locked in her room?” The housekeeper stomped her foot in distress. “She was! But a group of men suddenly broke in, smashed the lock, and took Ms. Anya away!” Julian Thorne immediately ran up to the second-floor study to check the security cameras. He saw Marcus Hayes leading the group. Julian Thorne’s mind went blank, a strong premonition seizing him. “No, Anya’s in trouble!” Julian Thorne clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot. “Six months ago, I couldn’t get justice for Lila, and it’s been eating at my conscience. This time, I absolutely won’t let anything happen to Anya!” Julian Thorne dropped everything and frantically investigated my whereabouts. He saw Marcus Hayes’s group taking me into a car and heading towards the Hayes estate. Julian Thorne didn’t even pause for breath; he charged out. “The Hayes estate.” He rushed in alone, fearing the worst, only to witness a scene that shocked him to his core. Marcus Hayes’s underlings were sprawled out, tangled limbs everywhere. Julian Thorne almost lost his footing, his breathing nearly stopped. “Anya, you… you killed them?!”
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