Chapter 1
“Taking advantage of my illness to seduce my girlfriend, Declan, you’re despicable!”
“If you like holding other people’s girlfriends’ hands, I’ll make sure you can’t do it again. Let’s see if you can keep seducing others with crippled hands!”
With familiar voices, I felt something sharp stab into my wrist. The sharp pain snapped my muddled brain awake.
Opening my eyes, I saw Asher grinning as he twisted a scalpel in my wrist. Seeing this familiar scene, I instantly realized I had been reborn. Reborn to the day Asher kidnapped me to the abandoned factory to cut off my hands.
From the Bluetooth earpiece blocked by my messy hair, I heard my sister Phoebe’s cold voice. “Stop pretending, Declan. Asher is upright. How could he kidnap you?”
“Even if you’re jealous of Asher, don’t use such vile means to frame him. He’s my future husband; it’s not worth dirtying his hands for you, understand?”
Feeling my right hand gradually lose sensation, I closed my eyes, not uttering a word to Phoebe for help. Recalling my past life, I frantically explained to Phoebe that I wasn’t jealous of Asher, dropping all dignity, crying and begging for her to save me. But Phoebe still coldly refused, and my unusual behavior was noticed by Asher.
Thus, my secretly hidden phone was smashed, cutting off my only hope of rescue. Asher pulled out the knife from my wrist and swung it fiercely at my face.
“Stupid loser, keep pretending. Let’s see if you can still act after this!”
With one slap, I felt half my face go numb, warm liquid flowing down my face, numbing it with pain.
Asher, seeing my miserable state, left in a good mood. But I knew this wasn’t him letting me go; he was just tired and going to find thugs to continue for him.
Watching Asher’s disappearing back, I struggled to bite open the rope on my hand. Pulling out the phone hidden in my pocket, I hung up on Phoebe and called my mom.
As the call connected, I heard Asher’s scream from behind.
“Declan, what are you doing?!”
My heart raced, instinctively wanting to run, but the call connected at that moment.
Seeing Asher approaching with three thugs, the nightmare of my past life overwhelmed me.
Frozen in place, I used my last bit of strength to speak into the phone.
“Mom, hurry and save me.”
The next second, Asher was in front of me, smashing the phone to the ground.
But this time, I wasn’t worried. I knew Mom would come save me.
I am the Harper Family’s only biological son, the only child left by the person she loves most. From a young age, I was strictly protected by the family, and anyone with ill intentions towards me met with a miserable end.
If Mom knew I was hurt like this, she would be furious and make those who dared to harm me pay a thousandfold.
Asher shoved me to the ground, fiercely grinding his shoe into my wound.
Pointing at the three thugs behind him, he looked at me viciously and said, “I knew you weren’t honest. Beat him until he calls me daddy!”
At Asher’s signal, the three thugs with fists like sandbags approached me.
I racked my brain, thinking of how to save myself.
Suddenly, a slender figure blocked me.
I looked closely; it was Adeline, who in my past life sought justice for me but was killed by Phoebe.