Chapter 7
The bodyguards dragged her up to the roof, where howling winds whipped through her frail body.
To make her taste complete despair before she fell, they didn’t even bother pushing her off directly. Instead, they tied her to the railing with coarse rope, then pulled out a dull blade and started sawing at it slowly, making her feel every excruciating cut.
“Scritch… scritch…”
Each stroke of the blade felt like torture, forcing her to stay conscious as death crept closer and closer.
Celia looked down at the courtyard below, where bloodstains from Raya’s jump still remained.
The rope grew thinner and thinner, her body starting to sway.
When the last fiber finally snapped, Celia fell like a dead leaf from the sky.
SLAM.
She hit the ground hard, blood spreading out beneath her, gleaming eerily in the moonlight.
Through waves of agony, her last conscious sight was Aurelian and Silas walking away without looking back.
When Celia woke up again, harsh sunlight streamed through the curtain cracks.
She forced her eyes open, every inch of her body screaming in pain–proof she was still alive.
The door opened and Raya walked in with a group of men, wearing a victor’s smile.
“Awake already?” She looked down at Celia, her voice sickly sweet. “Now you know just how much Aurelian and Silas love me, don’t you?”
She leaned down to whisper in Celia’s ear. “But let me tell you–this is just the beginning.”
Without warning, Raya suddenly raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face!
SMACK! SMACK!
The sharp sounds echoed through the room.
Before Celia could react, Raya tore open her own collar and ran out screaming: “Help! Somebody help me!”
Rapid footsteps pounded down the hallway.
“What’s going on?” Aurelian burst in first, his suit and cold demeanor filling the doorway.
Silas followed right behind, his gaze turning to ice when it landed on Celia.
Raya sobbed in Aurelian’s arms. “She… she brought those men here to assault me…”
“Celia!” Aurelian grabbed her chin roughly. “Can’t you go one damn day without causing trouble? You’re half–dead and still pulling this shit?”
Celia lay motionless on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her lips were cracked and pale, an IV needle still in her wrist, her body so thin she looked skeletal.
When she didn’t respond, Aurelian’s rage flared. “Say something! Did you or didn’t you get these guys to hurt Raya?”
The room fell deathly quiet except for the steady beeping of the heart monitor.
23:58
Killed Me for Your Precious Angel? Now Pray She Can Save You from Hell
28.6%
Chapter 7
“Tine. Just fine.” Silas let out a cold laugh. “Since you love playing these sick games so much, you can stay locked up with your friends here.”
He nodded at the bodyguards. “Lock the door.”
As they dragged Raya out, she threw a fake worried look back. “Aurelian, Silas… is this okay? Leaving her alone with those men, what if they…”
“What could happen?” Aurelian said coldly. “She’s the one who brought them here.”
Despite his words, both men stopped in the hallway.
They held their breath and listened for a few seconds. The room was completely silent, so they finally walked away satisfied.
But what they didn’t know was-
Inside the room, the men were peeking through the door’s window to make sure they were gone.
“Coast is clear.” The leader grinned and turned toward the bed. “Alright boys, let’s take real good care of Miss Fairborne!”
Rough hands clamped over her mouth as her hospital gown was torn with a violent rip.
The moment cold air hit her skin, Celia fought like hell.
“Mmph… let go…”
Tears blurred her vision, desperate whimpers muffled by the palm over her mouth.
Her nails clawed bloody scratches down the man’s arm, but it only made them rougher.
“PFFT-”
Suddenly, blood sprayed from her mouth, splattering across the white sheets.
The men froze.
Then came a second mouthful, a third…
Blood poured from her lips like a broken dam, quickly soaking half the bed.
“Shit! She’s bleeding out!”
“Get a doctor!”
The men scrambled back in panic, someone knocked over the IV stand, glass shattering as alarms started wailing.
Celia’s consciousness began fading as chaos erupted around her.
“Blood pressure crashing! Code blue!”
“Where’s her family? Someone call her family!” The doctor’s urgent voice seemed to come from far away. “Liver failure, coagulation disorder–she could stop breathing any minute…”
A nurse’s voice was thick with tears. “I’ve called dozens of times. Her brother and fiancé won’t believe us–they think she’s paying us to fake it…”
Celia’s unfocused eyes reflected the ceiling lights.
Soon…
They’d find out real quick whether she was acting or not.
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