Her eyelids felt heavy as she lifted them. Judging by the warmth in the air and the sunlight pouring through the large window, it must have been midday—a gentle spring afternoon, serene enough to feel like peace itself.

Just after waking, Hailla felt drowsy from the soft texture of the bedding and the clean scent clinging to her body. She turned her head slightly on the pillow and saw, as always, the man with the languid eyes smiling at her.

Ah, our eyes met.

“Hailla.”

He called, his voice echoing through the empty space like a soft reverberation.

He stood up from the chair beside the bed and came closer, seemingly delighted. And at that moment, everything that had happened before she collapsed flashed through her mind. Brutal, horrific memories.

‘…Was it all a dream?’

The day was too peaceful for those memories to be real. If they had truly happened, Lian wouldn’t be gently stroking her forehead like this. Hailla nuzzled into the large hand that moved from her forehead to her cheek, as if seeking comfort. A quiet laugh echoed as she rubbed her face against it.

‘So peaceful.’

What a relief. It was all just a dream. A hallucination, an illusion. There’s no way he would’ve done such things.

‘I must have had an absurd nightmare.’

Her parched lips moved, forming a faint smile.

Lian looked visibly relieved, perhaps thinking she seemed well enough. The bed dipped as he carefully leaned in. Despite his size, he moved with such cautious care that it was almost endearing. Hailla, wanting to feel the man she loved, reached out gently. She knew he would respond like a purring cat, snuggling into her embrace with that mismatch of bulk and tenderness.

“Haah…”

But the moment she tried to move her hand, searing pain scattered through her body, as if the countless stab wounds had once again torn her muscles apart.

It felt like being thrown back into reality.

Hailla gasped and shut her eyes tightly, unable to bear the pain tearing through her left hand. When she opened them again, however, the sensation was still there. Looking down, she saw the source of the pain; her stiff neck creaked as she did so. Bright red blood had seeped through the thick layers of bandages.

It was time to return to reality.

A calm, whispering voice buzzed in Hailla’s ears. Her breathing became erratic and almost spasmodic.

“Does it hurt?”

Lian asked, his brows slightly furrowed. He looked gentle, like a loving man worried about a splinter under his partner’s nail.

This look was so grotesquely out of place that it made the skin beneath her eyes twitch. Pain and contempt began to swirl in her once-innocent gaze. The moment she recognised reality, every memory came flooding back with grotesque clarity. A desperate urge to escape this place surged within her.

She tried to sit up, only to realise that her right hand was bound. A soft leather cuff connected her wrist to the headboard. The strap was a deep yellow.

“I like bright yellow the best.”

She had said that to him before. A chill ran across her cheek. Startled by the shock, she flinched, feeling a wave of pain surge through her left wrist once more. A large hand reached out and touched her tightly furrowed brow. Gently smoothing out her creased forehead, Lian spoke in a coaxing tone.

“If you take your medicine, eat well, and listen to me, you’ll get better in no time.”

That’s a lie. A hallucination whispered to her. And Hailla knew it. Her wrist, covered in cuts, trembled involuntarily. She might never be able to use her left hand again. The pain was too real for that.

As her consciousness sharpened, so did her physical sensations. Lian simply patted her side, testing her and watching her reaction. What a loathsome man. She had to suppress the overwhelming pain and unbearable resentment she felt towards him. He knew this and chose subtle gestures to provoke her.

The pain had now spread through her entire left arm, causing her jaw to tremble uncontrollably.

“A tranquilliser… At least give me a tranquilliser…”

But it was Hailla who gave in first, barely thirty minutes later. Beads of sweat trickled down her face and clung to her chin. The pain was so excruciating by then that she forgot the shame of begging Lian for help. It felt as though her flesh was slowly being peeled away.

She wished she could just sink back into sleep and find peace again. Using her uninjured hand, she clutched at Lian’s collar. Tears welled in her desperate eyes, but his face remained impassive.

He looked down at her in puzzlement, tilting his head slightly.

“Does it hurt?”

“Ah… Lian… my hand… it hurts so… ah, it hurts…”

“Isn’t this what you wanted?”

His smooth smile was beautiful. Ah, she thought, that’s the face he makes when he’s crushing someone beneath him. Hailla felt herself drowning in a pit of despair. She wanted to slap the man who mocked her—and at the same time, cling to his leg and beg. The grotesque duality made her stomach churn with bile.

Lian wasn’t going to allow her anything that could ease her pain. This was punishment. She realized that vaguely and bit hard into her lower lip. Anger and resentment surged up to her jaw.

“I’m sorry. No tranquilizers.”

“Hh… uhh…”

“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not because I hate you.”

‘How could I ever?’

The man sensed the emotion buried in her sobs and let out a quiet laugh. He gently laid her back down, placing a large hand over her lower abdomen and stroking it slowly and tenderly, as he always did.

“They said you’re pregnant again.”

It felt as if someone were squeezing her heart. In an instant, every muscle in her face froze, unable to form any expression. Hailla looked up at him with dazed eyes. Lian’s face remained serene. Just beyond him, a blurry figure appeared — her sister Rethe’s ghost, who had been by her side for a long time. It was the same voice that often echoed in her hallucinations.

“It’s a relief your body takes to pregnancy so well.”

His voice was filled with relief and pride flickered in his steady gaze. It wasn’t an act. He was truly basking in happiness. Despite the fact that the woman he loved had cut her own wrists and rushed towards death, he radiated joy simply because she was now pregnant.

Before she could gather her scattered thoughts, Lian leaned in and sucked the side of Hailla’s neck, clearly intending to be s*xual. A shudder ran through her.

“No… please…”

It was horrifying. Shaking her head against the pillow, she heard the sound of rustling fabric. Rethe’s ghost had moved closer to the bedside and was whispering unintelligible words.

“I’m confused. Don’t do this. Both of you, go away.”

Meanwhile, the man kept whispering things softly into her ear. Their overlapping voices blurred together, clouding her mind from within.

“…Rethe…”

Without meaning to, Hailla uttered her sister’s name. Lian’s movements stopped cold. In that moment, she saw fury flicker behind his eyes. Lian and Rethe had always hated each other. Even after Rethe’s death, he hadn’t changed. In fact, he had become more obsessive in his desire to erase Rethe from Hailla’s memory.

“Yes. Rethe.”

He pressed gently against her flat stomach again, his face thoughtful as he lost himself in thought. These moments always filled Hailla with dread.

He wasn’t normal. There was no telling what he might do.

“Shall we name the baby after her?”

Her full lips parted, but no words came out. She hoped that what she had heard was just a tasteless joke. She desperately wanted to believe that. But the man, who seemed incapable of understanding basic human emotions, genuinely believed that this was how to win her over.

He despised Rethe, but thought that having a child who resembled her might lift Hailla’s spirits. After all, she had always been the kind of woman who would throw herself in at the deep end for her sister, so surely she would do the same for her own child. Lian kissed her trembling eyelids.

“I’ll be more careful this time so that we don’t lose the baby.”

“Ah… Aah…”

She had once thought that leaving would be a relief. The child was innocent. But inevitably, the child would be used as a hostage and manipulated. It would become her shackle, and its future was already clouded with unhappiness. And yet… and yet again…

Hailla squirmed in his arms. Her stomach churned, she felt nauseous, and the pain in her arm intensified, but she struggled with all her might. She needed to get away immediately. Otherwise, she felt she might die. But the man easily restrained her.

“Don’t! Let me go!”

“Shh… Hailla, you’ll reopen your wound.”

He calmly pressed down on her forearm and looked down at her. The contrast between her matted baby hairs and the redness of her flushed face, caused by her fury, was strangely beautiful. Even now, all he could think about was how beautiful she was.

Lian kissed her frantically, as though possessed. His moist lips parted hers, his tongue entering her mouth. He sucked and caressed her lower lip, then bit and nibbled it. When blood welled up, he licked it greedily and the faint scent of iron spread between them.

His swollen lower half nudged her dry abdomen. Lian exhaled, hot breath escaping from his lips and blowing gently on her fringe. Then, in one swift motion, he pulled down his trousers and underwear. *rect p*nis sprang forward, twitching slightly as it swung.

Hailla’s body tensed beneath him. He ran a slow hand along himself, gauging something as he looked down at her. Then he let out a low sigh.

“I was told I shouldn’t go in yet.”

His voice dripped with displeasure. All Hailla could do was stare up at him with a vacant expression. The eyes of a woman who had given up everything gradually grew more hollow.