Chapter 1 The Betrayal Chapter 1 The Betrayal +5 Free Coins The moment Dana Archer regained her hearing , the first person she wanted to share the good news with was her fiancé - Hunter Gedge . But just as she unlocked her phone screen , a message popped up from one of Hunter's buddies , " Dana , Hunter's been kidnapped ! You need to get here now ! " Panic gripped her . Dana raced to the bank , withdrew a large sum of money , and rushed to the address she was given - a decrepit , abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town . But the moment she reached the entrance , someone kicked her hard , sending her crashing through the warehouse doors . They slammed shut behind her . Seconds later , several large dogs lunged at her , their teeth tearing into her skin . They tore into her , jaws ripping through flesh . Blood pooled around her as her screams echoed off the walls . Yet through the pain , she shouted desperately , " I brought the money ! You can do whatever you want to me - just please , let my fiancé go ! " Her plea was met with loud , mocking laughter from outside the door . " Hunter , have you seen how silly she looks ? That fool actually fell for it again . Still worried about you even after all that . What a pathetic little thing . Maybe you should just give her a shot - she's clearly devoted . " Another voice scoffed . " Are you kidding ? Hunter's in love with Celine . This bitch ? Only good enough to be dog meat . " Hunter's voice followed , low and cold . " Keep it down . She might hear us . " But another voice chuckled . " Hear us ? She's deaf , remember ? You asked us to slip that hearing - loss drug into her food for three years . She's been deaf ever since - how's she going to hear anything ? " Dana heard everything . The moment she did , it felt like she had fallen into a frozen abyss . Three years ago , she'd been a rising star - a prodigy pianist with original compositions people adored . Piano was her soul , but she was deaf . She wasn't Beethoven - she couldn't compose music after losing her hearing . She used to think it was the car crash that stole her senses . Celine Feron had lost her memory in the same accident . Dana assumed it was all just a cruel twist of fate . Now she knew better . The man she loved had orchestrated it all . Their so - called love story had been a cruel charade from the start . Her heart shattered with the weight of betrayal . Outside , the laughter continued rolling in . " Gosh , this is hilarious . What time is this ? Our thirty - third con ? I've honestly lost count . " 1/4 2:55 pm G Chapter 1 The Betrayal +5 Free Coins " Yup . Girl's a real sucker . Still believes us after all this time . Remember when Hunter told her he was too drunk to drive , and she carried him ten miles home on foot ? " " That's nothing . Not as wild as the hotel setup . Hunter said he was waiting in a hotel suite . When she got there - bam ! Some stranger in the room . She barely escaped being violated , and we still managed to twist it around and frame her for cheating " " She even begged him for forgiveness . I'll never forget that pathetic scene . Man , it still amused me every time I thought of this . " Those words continued to drift into Dana's ears . Dana trembled on the floor , her body shaking uncontrollably. She thought back to that night at the hotel - Hunter had texted her saying he was drunk and couldn't get home . He asked her to meet him at the hotel . Dana packed some hangover broth and rushed over . But when she opened the hotel room door , it wasn't Hunter . It was a huge , burly man . She'd tried to run . That hulking man grabbed her , threw her onto the bed , straddled on top of her , and tore at her clothes . Dana had screamed , begging him with teary eyes to let her go . He hit her - again and again - laughing cruelly . " Slut ! Some guy told me there'd be a hot chick here tonight . I paid big for this , sweetheart . " Don't act all high and mighty . You get paid for it , don't you ? " Dana couldn't even hear him ; she was deaf . But she could feel everything - the rage , the violation , the shame . She begged him - pleaded with everything she had - for mercy . But the man didn't care . He slapped her , hard , again and again . He ruthlessly yanked at her clothes , tearing them apart . Just as Dana felt the last shred of hope slipping away , as terror swallowed her whole , the door burst open , and Hunter barged in . Dana , broken and sobbing , tried to run into his arms - but he shoved her away . Expressionless , he typed out a message on his phone . " I treated you so well , and this is how you repay me ? How could you betray me ? You're disgusting . " Dana had always hated being misunderstood , especially by the one person she loved most . She tried to explain , begging him to trust her . But now she finally understood - it had all been a setup . Hunter knew the truth . He knew she hadn't cheated . It had all been staged - his sick little performance to amuse himself . Why ? What had she done to deserve this ? They had grown up together . Childhood sweethearts , inseparable since they were kids . What changed ? The dogs were still biting her , but the pain in her heart drowned out the physical wounds . She lay there , trembling , numb . Silent . " She's awfully quiet , " someone said outside the door . " Think the dogs killed her ? " 2/4 2:56 pm G ppp . Chapter 1 The Betrayal +5 Free Coins " No way . A few bites won't kill her . And even if she died , she deserves it . She's the one who took Celine out that day - caused the crash , made Celine lose her memory , and made her forget Hunter . " " And remember what the doctor said ? After Dana fell in the hospital that time , Celine started remembering things . Pain and trauma can trigger her memories . " Exactly . You think Hunter would've lowered himself to date her if it weren't for that ? Please . The only reason he put up with her was to help Celine recover . She's not even worth the trouble . But if she dies and Celine sees it ? Who knows - maybe she'll remember everything . " Each word stabbed deeper than the last . Tears streamed down her cheeks . So that was it . Everything that had happened - all of it - was for Celine . She and Hunter had been engaged since their coming - of - age , practically promised to each other since childhood . Everyone thought they were meant to be . Back then , Hunter's world had revolved around her . Dana was all that he could see . They were the couple everyone believed was destined to last forever . But everything changed when Celine entered their lives . Hunter became someone she no longer recognized . The warmth in his eyes vanished , replaced by a coldness that only melted for Celine . Dana had begun to believe the engagement was over . Then the accident happened . Celine lost her memory . And in a move that stunned everyone , especially Dana , Hunter didn't stay by Celine's side . Instead , he turned to Dana - the girl who had gone deaf from that very same accident - and proposed . She'd been so thrilled that night she couldn't sleep . Dana thought , finally , her love had come full circle . But none of it had been real . It was all part of Hunter's scheme - a cruel plan to keep Dana close , to hurt her again and again , hoping her suffering might somehow jog Celine's memory . Over the next three years , Hunter tricked her 33 times . He toyed with her like she was a pawn in his twisted game . He even drugged her - kept her deaf for three years . Dana had laid her heart bare and loved him with every inch of her soul . And he never once truly cared . It was a vicious , unforgivable joke . If Hunter loved Celine so much , he could have her . She was done . The dogs were still biting at her limbs , but something primal surged inside Dana . She flung them off with all her might . Bloodied and gasping , she stumbled to her feet . Her eyes landed on a wooden chair nearby . She grabbed it and hit those dogs . When someone's staring death in the face , adrenaline can unlock a terrifying kind of strength . Once . Twice . Over and over . She didn't stop swinging until the dogs lay on the ground , whimpering , no longer a threat . 3/4 2:56 pm G P p p Chapter 1 The Betrayal And then , she collapsed too . +5 Free Coins With the last ounce of strength she had , Dana pulled out her phone and made a call to an old friend . " Do you still have that private Island for sale ? " she asked , her voice ragged . " I'll take it . " 4/4