Chapter 4

Carter's injuries weren't serious at all. After a few medical staff treated him, Scarlett pulled him over.

When they saw the extent of my wounds, they all gasped and didn't dare waste a second before administering anesthesia.

Before closing my eyes, I glanced at Susan.

She was hugging Carter, who had just escaped death, crying and repeating over and over that she'd never let him go again.

As the anesthetic entered my body, my consciousness began to fade.

My mind couldn't help but wander back to everything from my past life.

After learning of Carter's death, Susan had only cried for a long time behind my back.

Faced with my consolation, she seemed detached, saying life was unpredictable and no one knew what the future held.

Her fragile appearance made me pity her, and I swore to treat her twice as well for the rest of our lives.

However, what I got in return was a spiked drink on my birthday.

I was locked in the basement by Susan, without food or water for five whole days.

Every day she would come to see me, using a paring knife to slice off pieces of my flesh.

She would lie on top of me, pouring alcohol onto my wounds.

Susan ignored my pleas, torturing me day and night."Without Carter, my life has no meaning. Only after his death did I realize that he was the one I loved most, not you."

"You have nothing, but what about Carter? How much pain must he be in?"

Susan sobbed, but her actions became even more brutal.

She flayed my skin and hung me, barely clinging to life, on a tree branch next to Carter's gravestone.

"I'll make you atone for your sins!"

The stabbing pain in my chest made my whole body break out in a cold sweat.

Suddenly awaking, I found myself transferred to the city hospital.

The doctors around me were constantly monitoring my vital signs. Seeing me open my eyes, they visibly relaxed.

"It's a good thing your will to live is so strong, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to do anything."

My entire body was wrapped in bandages, with an empty space where my left leg should have been.

Pale-faced, I looked towards the doctor.

"My leg..."

The doctor spoke with a hint of sympathy.

"The muscles in your left leg had already been frozen to death. Originally, we might have been able to save it. But too much time was wasted, and even after being transferred to the city hospital, it was too late."

"To save your life, we had no choice but to amputate."

Hearing the doctor's words, I collapsed weakly onto the hospital bed.If it weren't for Susan withdrawing all the rescue teams, I wouldn't have ended up in this situation.

I gritted my teeth, a sense of resentment blooming in my chest.

Just then, there was a commotion outside the hospital room, and the next second, the door was kicked open.

Susan stormed in with a cold expression on her face.

"Where's the $300,000 from my card? Did you use it? I knew Scarlett was helping you deceive me. Did you spend all that money on other women? How could you be so cheap!"

"Asher, do you know that money was meant for Carter!"

She berated me without rhyme or reason.

If it weren't for the doctors and nurses holding her back, she probably would have rushed over to hit me.

I clenched my fists tightly, glaring at Susan with bloodshot eyes.

"Without that money, I almost died, do you know that?"

"Is it that you wouldn't care even if I died?"

Susan let out a cold laugh, looking extremely disdainful.

"Don't try to fool me again. I won't fall for it this time. What could possibly be wrong with you? How could it be more serious than Carter's condition! I haven't even settled scores with you yet. You must have spent all my money on Scarlett."

"She used to hate you the most, and now she's willing to perform surgery on you? I don't believe it! You're just a liar."

She brushed off others' attempts to stop her and forcefully yanked my blanket off.

Her cursing abruptly ceased as soon as the blanket was pulled away.

Susan stared intently at my empty left leg. Due to her rough actions, the wound began to bleed, staining the sheets red.

Her expression shifted from confusion to disbelief. Her lips quivered for a moment before she looked up at me.

Susan's eyes welled up with tears, her voice trembling.

"What happened? Where's your leg?"