Chapter 3

The overwhelming shame enveloped my entire body, making it hard to breathe. I gasped for air in agony.

"Oh my God, it's disgusting. Look at all these wounds."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. His limbs are all deformed. With a face like a toyboy, but doing all sorts of perverted things. Quick, take pictures. It's all good material."

The rising tide of disgust and contempt pierced my chest like sharp knives.

I wanted to tell them to leave, but my throat felt stuck, filled with the taste of blood.

"Young Master Winters, are you too afraid to answer our questions because we've hit the nail on the head? Were you born to do this kind of thing?"

Seeing my panic and helplessness, they shoved the camera in my face and started a live broadcast. "Famous software developer Damien leads a debauched private life with twisted sexual preferences. We urge the public to take care of their bodies and never end up disabled like Damien due to promiscuity."

I was like a stripped-bare clown, unable even to curl up in humiliation.

The flashbulbs kept working relentlessly, capturing every bit of my most wretched and embarrassing state.

"What the hell are you doing? Who let you in here?"

Dane burst in, roaring at them to get out.

My sister took off her coat and wrapped it tightly around me, her tears falling as she looked at me with heartache. "Where are the bodyguards? Are they all dead?""How did reporters get in here?! Everyone pack your bags and get out!"

Their cooperation was so flawless.

So perfect it made me sick.

I couldn't control the trembling of my entire body.

My sister grasped my ice-cold hand, her eyes full of guilt. "I'm so sorry, Damien. It's all my fault for not protecting you better, allowing these reporters to slip through. Don't be afraid, I'll suppress the news and make sure they don't spread any rumors. I swear, from now on, I won't let you suffer even the slightest bit of grievance."

How laughable.

The very sister who constantly claimed she wouldn't let me suffer had inflicted upon me the greatest injustice of my life.

She knew better than anyone that those reporters had already captured what they wanted.

I would be nailed to the pillory of promiscuity, my reputation completely ruined. From now on, I'd live like a street rat, just as she wished, forever trampled in the mud.

For Alec's sake, the two people closest to me had utterly destroyed me.

The shock was too great. My severely injured body couldn't withstand it, and I passed out.

Before my consciousness faded into darkness, I heard my sister's panicked cries and the rush of experts who had been waiting outside the door.

"It's been delayed for too long. The intestines have all rotted. This entire section needs to be removed. Even if the limbs heal, he probably won't be able to pick things up. He'll be confined to a wheelchair. The situation is very serious. We've missed the optimal treatment window. The surgery only has a 50% chance of success."Sister stared in disbelief, "How can this be? You must save my brother, no matter the cost."

Throughout it all, she never let go of my hand, her voice choked with anguish, "Damien, you can't leave us. I can't lose you."

Dane fought back tears, "Damien, we promised each other. We were supposed to be each other's best man, to witness our happiness together. I won't let you abandon me like this."

I closed my eyes numbly, my heart turning to ash.

When I opened them again, I was back in the hospital room.

Except for my left hand, which was slightly less injured, my entire body was wrapped in bandages.

Dane kept vigil by my bedside. Seeing me awake, his face lit up with joy, "Damien, you're finally awake! Are you in pain anywhere? Are you hungry? Do you want some water?"

His usual care masked a cautious guilt.

Suddenly, I felt like laughing.

They were the ones who'd reduced me to this half-dead state, and now that they'd gotten what they wanted, who were they trying to fool with this fake remorse?