Chapter 1

On the eve of my wedding, I was abducted and subjected to an agonizing, livestreamed nightmare.

As the captors snapped my fingers one by one, Julian stared desperately through the screen from the other end:

"Don't touch her! Take me instead. My life is worth more—let me be your hostage!"

When I was finally rescued, half my body was numb and incontinent. He refused to let anyone else carry me, holding me tight all the way to the hospital, unwilling to part for even a single second.

I thought he loved me.

Until glowing lines of text began drifting through thin air before my eyes.

【I love a good obsessive stepbrother trope. Dark, twisted romance at its finest.】

【He broke her wings just to cage her by his side forever. Julian's love is so intense.】

【Now that the little songbird's legs are ruined, she'll never escape his grasp.】

It turned out the abduction had been orchestrated by Julian all along.

He ruined me—simply because he loved me.

But I never wanted his sick version of love, nor did I ever want my wings clipped.

"Again? The guys have already taken turns. If we push it any further, she might not survive."

Through the voice distorter on the line, the command came through ruthless and cold:

"Keep going until she bleeds. She might be pregnant. That baby cannot be born."

Like a dull blade sawing through flesh and bone, sheer agony drew hot tears from my eyes. My screams became a sick symphony for those men.

I tried to crawl away, but a heavy hand seized my ankle. A sledgehammer swung down, shattering the bone into pieces.

I nearly blacked out from the shock, but someone grabbed a fistful of my hair, plunging my head into a tub of ice water to shock me awake.

In that endless stretch of torment, death felt like a mercy just out of reach.

"She's bleeding! Snap a picture and send it to the client. Pull her head up—get a clear shot of her face."

"Look at our masterpiece! She won't be standing on those legs ever again!"

Amid their guttural laughter, the distorted voice crackled through the speaker:

"It’s your own fault, Tia. This is your punishment for falling for another man. This is karma for your betrayal."

"Now, I’m the only one you have left. You’ll never be able to leave me."

"Stay by my side forever, sweetheart."

【Julian is practically dying of jealousy watching his girl almost marry someone else.】

【Thank God she wasn't actually pregnant. But Tia has zero self-respect, choosing some trashy guy over Julian, who’s guarded her for years.】

【Julian needs to claim his girl. Toxic, dark romance is so thrilling.】

【I’m obsessed with this creepy, possessive stalker vibe. Tia, stop fighting it and just be Julian’s obedient pet for life.】

Through my fading consciousness, countless floating comments drifted past my eyes.

The name that appeared the most was Julian.

They were saying... the man who hired these monsters was Julian?

How could that be?

I was resting against Julian’s chest now. His rapid heartbeat pounded against my cheek, and his face was streaked with fresh tears.

Julian had always cared about me more than anyone. If I so much as scraped my skin, he would fuss over me for hours.

How could he have paid men to brutalize me while begging on screen to take my place?

"Don't be scared, Tia. I’m here. I won't let anyone who hurt you get away with this."

My body reeked of a foul, nauseating stench that made the nurses gag, yet Julian clung to me tightly, as if terrified that loosening his grip would make me vanish into thin air.

Even as they wheeled me toward the operating room, he refused to let go of my sleeve, pleading frantically with the surgeon:

"My sister has a low pain tolerance. Please, use the strongest anesthetics you have. Don't let her suffer."

"Tia, I’ll be right outside this door waiting for you. Don't be afraid. Just treat this like a nightmare. You’ll wake up, and everything will be fine."

I managed a weak nod. The moment the double doors swung shut, the tears I had been desperately holding back burst forth.

How could this ever be just a nightmare?

The hideous scars carved into my skin, the mangled bones in my fingers, and the relentless, throbbing agony were all cruel reminders:

My bright, beautiful life was gone.

The anesthesia barely took the edge off the pain. Every time a sharp jolt shot through my nerves, my fingers would instinctively reach for Julian’s hand.

And every single time, he was there, gently covering my eyes with his warm palm.

"Sleep, Tia. I'm right here."

When I woke up again, I overheard a hushed argument between Julian and the doctor.

"Mr. Vance, shouldn't we proceed with the surgery? If we wait any longer, the tissue in her finger joints will become completely necrotic."

The doctor’s voice was laced with urgency:

"If that happens, she won't just lose the ability to play piano—she won't even be able to bend her fingers!”

“She’s already paralyzed from the waist down. If you ruin her hands too, how is she supposed to survive?"

"I will take care of her," Julian replied, his voice chillingly detached. He let out a low, mocking chuckle. "Even if Tia becomes completely helpless, she will live a better life than most people could ever dream of."

"What? Are you feeling sorry for her?"

"N-No, of course not, sir."

Just hearing the doctor's teeth chattering made it easy to picture the cold smirk on Julian's face—the very look that always made his corporate subordinates break out in a cold sweat.

"I just meant... she had an international tour scheduled for this year. It was supposed to be her debut alongside a world-renowned maestro.”

“ It seems such a tragic waste to throw away an opportunity she worked so hard for."

"It's not a waste. Someone else will take her place."