And then—nothing.
My eyes fluttered open to a blinding white light. My hands and legs were bound to an operating table. Doctors in sterile white coats moved around me, their expressions unreadable. I struggled against the restraints, panic surging through me.
"Please… what are you doing?" I sobbed, but my voice went unheard.
They secured me tightly, ensuring I couldn't move. Six of them gathered around, their faces void of emotion. Even my mouth had been clamped shut.
Then, a creaking noise echoed through the room. A second hospital bed was wheeled beside me.
When I looked over—my heart stopped.
Anamis.
I froze, my mind scrambling for an explanation. Were we kidnapped? What happened to her? Despite everything, despite all the pain she had caused me—I still loved her. And seeing her unconscious, vulnerable, and pale, made me feel powerless. Tears spilled down my cheeks.
A chilling voice cut through the sterile air.
"Is everything ready?"
I knew that voice. I could never mistake it.
"Surprise, Mary," my mother said, stepping into view.
My breath hitched. Confusion clashed with fear as I stared at her. She wasn't just calm—she looked… pleased.
"Well," she continued, her voice dripping with malice, "I told you to protect her. And you failed. So now, she needs a kidney transplant."
The words hit me like a dagger to the chest. My heart pounded. My breath grew erratic.
What happened to her? And why—why was my own mother the one doing this?
"So many questions, right?" she taunted, reading my expression effortlessly.
She took a step closer, tilting her head. "Well, guess what? You're a match." Her lips curled into a wicked smile. "And that's your purpose."
I thrashed against the restraints, screaming through the gag. My body shook with terror.
"Begin," she commanded.
The doctors moved swiftly. A cold blade cut through the thin hospital gown draped over me. Instruments clinked against metal trays.
Wait.
They weren't going to use anesthesia?
A fresh wave of horror crashed over me. My body trembled uncontrollably.
Then—agony.
A scalpel sliced through my flesh. My skin burned as pain unlike anything I had ever felt consumed me. It was like fire, like knives twisting inside me, tearing me apart. My vision blurred with tears.
At every cut, the pain ripped through me like an electric current straight to my heart. It wasn't just unbearable—it was inhuman.
Ely… what have you become?
The torment stretched endlessly. I lost track of time. But eventually, they extracted my kidney and placed it somewhere I couldn't see.
And the worst part? They injected me with something—just enough to keep me from passing out. To keep me awake through it all.
But finally, even that failed. Darkness consumed me.
When I woke, I was alone.
I lay in a hospital bed, the room silent except for the faint beeping of machines. My stomach throbbed, a deep, searing ache radiating from where they had sliced me open.
Something inside me felt… missing.
That's your kidney, Ely.
Yeah. And now I only have one.
A doctor entered, but when I tried to move, I realized—my wrists were tied down.
I froze.
The door creaked open again. A voice sent chills down my spine.
"Mary Tom."
I didn't need to turn. I knew who it was.
My mother.
She walked in, her heels clicking against the cold floor. "Untie her," she ordered. The doctors obeyed immediately, scurrying to loosen my restraints.
She had always commanded fear. A mafia leader's wife—respected by all.
But I lived with her.
And so?
I barely had time to react before—
"Agh!" I screamed as she shoved me off the bed.
Pain exploded through my body, but I knew better than to resist.
"Mary Tom," she sneered. "What did I say you must do whenever you see me?"
I swallowed, my throat dry. "I-I should k-kneel to g-greet you," I stammered, barely getting the words out through the overwhelming pain.
"So do it."
I dared to glance up at her, but her gaze burned like wildfire. I dropped my eyes immediately.
Even though my body screamed in agony, I forced myself to sit up. Trembling, I lowered my head in a bow.
"Welcome, ma'am."
A sharp kick to my stomach sent me sprawling back to the floor.
I barely managed to scream before the pain overtook me, stealing my breath. She wiped her expensive shoes on my trembling body like I was nothing more than a filthy rug. Then—her heel pressed down on my hand.
My brain shut down.
When I woke again, I was still alive.
Barely.
How? How had I survived being operated on without anesthesia?
A knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts.
"Come in," I whispered hoarsely.
A tall, blonde nurse entered, holding a small box.
"Hey," she said gently. "I know you don't know me, but when I saw how they treated you earlier, I—I just couldn't stand it." She placed the box on the table beside me. "I brought food for you."
I stared at her, frozen.
Then, without warning, I broke down, sobbing as I ate.
For the first time in forever, I tasted something other than salt, bread, and water. It was warm. Savory. It melted in my mouth like something divine.
It was the first bit of kindness I had felt in a long, long time.
But my joy was short-lived.
The door burst open.
Three figures stormed in.
My father's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "Ay, fat girl, why are you still lying down?"
My stomach twisted.
What did I do now?
You don't have to do anything to be punished.
His next words sent a shiver down my spine.
"Mary," he said, his tone mocking, "so you were the one who pushed Anamis, causing her to need a transplant."
The room spun.
What?
My fingers trembled as I clenched the sheets. How could they say that? How—when it was my back that had been torn open? When it was my blood staining the floors?
A loud crack echoed through the room as my father's hand met my cheek.
My vision blurred from the impact. Pain doubled—tripled.
"Mary," Anamis whimpered from her wheelchair, fresh tears streaming down her face. "I—I couldn't lie when they asked."
She wept harder, acting the perfect victim.
"They're our parents," she sobbed. "And when you said you hated them, I lost my temper. That's why I talked to you that way."
The act was flawless.
My mother's face twisted with rage. Without warning, she grabbed my arm and hurled me to the floor.
Pain exploded in my stomach.
A scream tore from my throat as my stitches ripped open. Warm blood seeped through my hospital gown.
Everything became dizzy.
Doctors rushed in, their voices frantic.
As I was wheeled out, I heard it—chaos. Yelling. Blurred voices. And only two words stuck:
"Come, hurry."
When I returned to the hospital ward, Dante and Sébastien were waiting.
The ride back home was silent.
But as the car pulled to a stop, dread sank its claws into me.
I was back.
Back to hell.
I stared at the towering, dark mansion—majestic and foreboding.
A house straight out of a novel.
But the people inside…
They were sent from hell.
"Welcome," a voice greeted as we stepped inside.
A chill ran through me.
My body trembled.
And deep inside, I knew—this was far from over.