I Let a Monster Take Her

A Mistake. The words weren't shouted, yet they tore through his eardrums like shrapnel. A mistake. Just like that, he was reduced to nothing more than a mistake. One misstep, one moment of carelessness, and the CEO of Mo Corporation became nothing but a regrettable error.

Mo Yichen chuckled, but the sound was so hollow it echoed with despair. Lee Jian instinctively took a step back.

"Follow them," Mo Yichen ordered, his voice raw, as if it had forgotten how to speak

Xia Jingxuan reached the hospital within minutes. His wife had already arranged everything: VIP access, private ward, no protocols. They were ushered directly to the secluded wing.

Rong Lihua was waiting. Her face was calm. She knew her husband. She knew that if he said he'd bring their daughter back, he would. Doubt had no place in her heart.

Xia Ruyan was unconscious by then, still in her father's arms. When the stretcher arrived, Xia Jingxuan gently placed her onto it, but her small hand clung tightly to his collar, even in sleep.

He froze. The gesture was so familiar that it hit him like a memory. Since childhood, whenever she was scared, sleepy, or sick, Ruyan would hold onto his shirt like that. As if she believed, no, she knew that her father would keep her safe.

His eyes burned. He carefully pried her fingers loose, his hands trembling.

Mo Yichen had arrived at some point, unnoticed by others. He stood a few steps away, watching the silent exchange. A strange bitterness twisted in his chest. Was it jealousy at their bond? Or bitterness that it was not he at her father's place?

The doctors wheeled her in. The Xia couple sat outside, flanked by their security. Mo Yichen remained at a distance, unsure whether they hadn't noticed him or were deliberately ignoring him.

Moments later, a doctor emerged. He pulled off his gloves slowly, a deep crease etched into his brow. His voice, calm but heavy, silenced the room.

"Mr. and Mrs. Xia… your daughter sustained multiple lacerations across her arms, back, and legs. Some are superficial, but others are deep, likely caused over an extended period. She was shot, though the bullet only grazed her left side. It didn't penetrate, but the surrounding tissue is inflamed."

He paused, his words now more deliberate.

"She was restrained for hours. The ropes were extremely thin… too thin for the tension they bore. They've sliced into her wrists and ankles, leaving wounds deep enough to expose flesh and tendon. This wasn't just restraint… this was intentional cruelty. Whoever did this wanted her to suffer."

Rong Lihua gasped, clinging to her husband's arm. Xia Jingxuan sat stiffly, his jaw clenched, absorbing every word like a blow to the chest.

The doctor continued, softer now. "Her throat is also damaged. She had been gagged.... most likely with paper or tissue. Over time, it dissolved in her mouth, and she was forced to keep swallowing it. This has caused significant swelling in her throat and esophagus. She's currently unable to speak and is having trouble breathing. We've stabilized her, but full recovery will take time. She may require speech therapy."

Silence followed. The weight of the doctor's words hung in the air like lead.

Why her? Why now?

Mrs. Xia buried herself in her husband's embrace. Her frail frame trembled with silent sobs. Mr. Xia held her tighter, whether to give her strength or to take some from her, he didn't know.

Mo Yichen stood behind them, devastated. He felt as though a piece of his soul had been ripped out.

His one moment of irresponsibility, One mistake… And she had paid for it. Brutally.

His voice cracked as he stepped forward. "Doctor… can I see her?"

Mrs. Xia turned to him for the first time; her eyes filled with unfiltered hatred.

"Mrs. Xia, I…..I never wanted this. It was just…" he faltered under her gaze, unable to finish the sentence. Because the truth was, he was at fault. And he knew it.

But they had never told him either. Never warned him she was in real danger, he rationalized. He had assumed wrongly that she was just an ordinary girl. What danger could she possibly be in?

"Mo Yichen," Rong Lihua said, her voice cold and composed. "A man is known by his words… and his actions. You lack both."

"Mrs. Xia, please… trust me, I—"

"I did," she cut him off, deadly calm. "And look where it got us."

"You are not needed here, President Mo," Mr. Xia said firmly, drawing a clear line between them. Mo Yichen didn't belong there, and he knew it. He didn't argue. He couldn't. He knew what she had been through, had heard what the doctors said, and had seen how deeply her parents loved her. He had no right to fight.

Silently, he walked over to a cold, distant bench and sat down, saying nothing.

His mind drifted back to the day they were married, how she had bandaged her own wound, refusing the nurse's help because she didn't like being touched. And now, just two months later, she was again in this cold, sterile hospital. Only this time, she couldn't say no. She couldn't resist the touch of strangers, couldn't express her discomfort. Because of him.

Because he had been careless.

He had let monsters take her, hurt her, and violate the very spirit he had promised to protect. And while it happened, he had been doing nothing.

"Sir…" Lee Jian approached cautiously.

"I want them, Lee. Do you hear me?" Yichen growled, his voice low and shaking. His eyes burned red with guilt and fury. "I want the ones who hurt her. Here. In front of me."

"Sir, we're trying—"

"There's no room for failure, Lee. I want them to feel a hundred times the pain she went through."

"I'll do as you command, President."

Yichen's fists clenched as his voice broke.

"I should've kept her with me. There were so many things I could've done differently… She didn't deserve this cruelty."

"Some things are written in fate, sir," Lee Jian said quietly. "They happen by routine… or by accident."

"I write my own fate," Yichen whispered, eyes dark. "And I will write the fate of those who hurt her."