Chapter 2 That night, Spencer returned from the hospital with a doctor in tow. After a brief checkup, the doctor reported, "Ms. Kaur's condition is stable. The delivery went smoothly. As long as she rests, she'll recover." Spencer sneered, lips curling. "Hannah, you put on quite the show earlier. I almost believed you. With acting skills like that, you should have been on a stage, not in this house." Hearing those words, Hannah merely tugged at the corner of her lips expressionlessly. There was no rebuttal or explanation. He didn't know that the baby had been born, but after struggling too long in the birth canal, the child passed away within ten minutes. The doctor told her that if not for the injection to delay labor, the baby might have survived. The maid, Tori Vazquez, couldn't stand it. She started to speak. "The baby didn't even―" This book had been She hadn't finished her sentence when Bethany's veiddedomyoung out from the doorway. "Spency." bookshelf. As soon as she appeared, Spencer rushed to support her, worry etched all over his face. "You just got discharged. Why aren't you resting? What are you doing here?" Shrinking her neck timidly, she put on a frightened expression. "I... I came to apologize to Anna. She once told me that if I dared to give birth, she would kill me and take my baby away." With that, she suddenly dropped to her knees before Hannah and knocked her forehead against the floor. "It's all my fault. I never should have had this child. If you're angry, you can come at me, but please, don't hurt my ba- by." Spencer's eyes widened in shock. In an instant, he grabbed Hannah's arm with such force that it nearly snapped. "How dare you threaten Bethany!" Enduring the searing pain, Hannah struggled to defend herself. "I didn't!" But he yanked her straight off the bed. "You still dare deny it? "Bethany already told me everything. You bullied her since the orphanage days, and even after coming to the Ruiz family, you never stopped! You play the obedient, gentle act on the surface, but behind closed doors, your heart is pitch black. How could the Ruiz family have raised such a venomous woman?" Hannah's body hadn't yet recovered, and the heavy fall left her face deathly pale. But the physical pain was nothing compared to the blow in her chest. 0.0 % 09:16 288 Vouchers Tears welled up as she looked at him. "So... that's really how you see me?" His cold gaze pierced her like a blade. "Isn't it the truth?" Her body trembled. As her eyes slid shut, tears spilled uncontrollably. She had come to the Ruiz family at the age of eight, grown up eating and living under the same roof as Spencer. De- spite ten years of shared childhood and adolescence, they couldn't withstand two casual accusations from Bethany. She was a joke. A pathetic, ridiculous joke. Her gaze dimmed until she finally let out a hollow laugh. "If that's what you believe, so be it. Call me venomous or heartless-whatever you like. None of it matters anymore. After all, I'll be gone in a month." Seeing her defeated look, Spencer pinched her chin roughly. "You dare put on this defiant act? Do you really think I can't deal with you?" He raised his voice. "Men, lock her in the punishment cell! No one opens that door for three days." The blood drained from Hannah's face. The Ruiz family's punishment cell was a pitch-black basement with no windows, damp, cramped, and suffocating. Anyone locked inside would break down in less than 24 hours. For Hannah, it was worse. She suffered from claustrophobia. Three minutes in that darkness felt like hell. Three days were beyond imagination to her. "Spencer, you can't do this to me." She shook her head violently, terror in her eyes as she struggled against the bodyguards. Looking up at him, her voice broke as she said, "Back when you were kidnapped by your enemies, I gave up my only chance to escape just to save you. "They locked me in for three days instead. That's how I got claustrophobia. I can't even step into an elevator now. You know how terrified I am of the dark. You know it was because of you. How can you-" Spencer's expression hardened. He gripped her chin even tighter. "If not for what happened when we were kids, do you really think you would get away with this so easily? You bul- lied Bethany for over ten years. I'm only making you suffer for three days in confinement. Is that really too much? "Take her away!" At his command, the bodyguards dragged Hannah into the underground cell. Spencer's face was as cold as stone as he stood at the door. "It's just three days. You won't die. Take it as atonement to Bethany, Reflect on yourself. I'll come for you after three days." 40.2 % 09:16 VI ZIE PONctiers With a loud clang, the iron door slammed shut. Hannah shrank into a corner, trembling uncontrollably. Her heartbeat raced. Cold sweat soaked her skin, and her hands shook violently, She still remembered how, as a child, she gave up her only chance to escape to save Spencer. Enraged, the kidnappers seized her, broke her limbs, and stuffed her into a cramped, dark box where she was locked away for three days and nights. By the time the members of the Ruiz family found her, she was barely alive. Back then, Spencer had held her with bloodshot eyes and made her a promise. "From this day on, you'll be more pre- cious to me than my own life. I'll protect you forever. No one will ever hurt you again." "But Spencer, the one who hurt me the most is you," I thought. The memories tore her apart, over and over, like knives carving into her heart. Hannah screamed and trembled, clawing at her own arms until deep, bloody marks appeared without even realizing it. It wasn't until three days later that Spencer finally pushed the door open. 09:16