Chapter 5

The three days in the Silent Prison felt as long as three centuries.

In the darkness, I hallucinated my mother's calls and saw Julian's indifferent back countless times.

But I didn't go mad. Hatred sustained me.

At dawn on the third day, the cell door opened.

I dragged my weak body out; the sunlight stung my eyes so hard I couldn't open them.

At the gate, Julian leaned against his car, a cigarette in hand.

Seeing me emerge, he stubbed out the cigarette, his eyes indifferent. "Are you sober now?"

I said nothing, walking straight past him.

"Stop." He grabbed my arm.

I threw off his hand with a strength that surprised him. "Don't touch me."

Just then, his phone rang.

"Julian... my hand hurts so much... the amulet feels like it's burning..." Selena's tearful voice came through.

Julian's expression instantly tensed. "Don't be afraid, I'm coming back right now."

He hung up and looked at me. "Go back and reflect on yourself. I have business."

With that, he got in the car and sped away.

Again. Always like this.

I stood by the road and suddenly burst out laughing. I laughed until tears streamed down my face.

Reflect? Yes, I should reflect. Reflect on why I fell in love with such a blind bastard.

I hailed a taxi and went straight to the Vance estate.

I scaled the wall into my father's study and accessed the computer connected to the family intelligence network.

I wanted to find out the truth about the past.

In the encrypted files, I found a document titled "The Thorne Protocol."

Dated three years ago.

*"The Vance family sends their eldest daughter, Elena, to the Thorne family as a hostage. In exchange, Julian Thorne promises to provide two hundred million in financial aid, and... assist in 'taming' Elena, to eliminate her potential threat to Selena White."*

So that was it.

So this was the so-called "discipline."

From the very beginning, I was a pawn. He demanded to take custody of me to protect Selena.

Not only did he not love me, but years ago, he had already deemed me a hypothetical enemy.

I closed the computer, feeling the last shred of lingering affection for him vanish with those words.

I took out a bottle of strong spirits and splashed it over the expensive carpet in the study, over the portraits recording the family glory.

Then, I flicked my lighter.

"Goodbye, Vance family. Goodbye, Julian."

Flames leaped into the sky.

I walked out of the burning estate, leaving behind the soaring fire and the sound of alarms.

I took out my phone and transferred every cent I had received from Julian over the last three years—including the cash value of gifts, medical bills, living expenses, totaling eight million—back to his account.

Then, I tossed the phone into the sewer grate.

A black off-road vehicle pulled up at the intersection.

The window rolled down, revealing a wild, untamed, handsome face with a scar. It was the Young Master of the Northern Wolf Clan, Gabriel.

"Get in, Princess." He whistled, his golden beast pupils holding a smile. "Heard you're marrying a dying lunatic like me?"

I pulled open the door and sat inside.

"Drive. To Boston. I don't care who the lunatic is, as long as it's not Julian, I'll marry him."

Gabriel laughed loudly and slammed the gas pedal to the floor.

"Then you've hit the jackpot, Princess. Not only am I not crazy, but..." He glanced sideways at me, his gaze burning hot. "I've been waiting for you for ten years."

Meanwhile, in Manhattan.

Julian looked at the transfer notification on his phone, his brows knitting together tight.

Eight million. Note: *Debt Settled.*

He dialed Elena's number. It was out of service.

A panic he had never known seized his heart.

"Boss!" The butler rushed in, panicked. "The Vance Estate is on fire! Miss Elena... she's gone!"

"What?" Julian stood up abruptly, the wine glass in his hand crushing into powder.

"And..." The butler swallowed hard. "The intelligence network shows she got into a car heading North. That was... the werewolf Gabriel's car."

Julian's red eyes instantly turned a terrifying scarlet.

"Prepare the jet! Go to Boston!"

"NOW!"