Chapter 1

The night of the family banquet, everyone but Serena Lorne and Elliot Lowell were present. Unbeknownst to the others was that beyond a single door, the two were intimately entwined, lost in a passionate embrace. As Elliot unbuckled his belt and sank into her entirely, he let out a low, sultry moan. Serena's back arched, and she had to bite down on her lip to stifle her own cries. She pleaded softly, "Gently, Eli. Mom and Dad are right outside." The door rattled violently as he planted another kiss on her neck. With a cynical smirk in his voice, he whispered hoarsely, "So what? If they ever find out, we'll just elope to Ezvora and get married." Serena blushed in response and said no more. She couldn't hide the hopeful gleam in her eyes as she stared at the devastatingly charming man before her. Her shyness caused Elliot's eyebrow to rise, and he deliberately thrust a little harder just to tease her. "No response? You've devoured me clean, and now you don't want to take responsibility, huh?" Her eyes shimmered with a thin film of tears. A few years ago, she would never have imagined being so wild. Look at her—sleeping with her stepbrother, especially when her presence was expected at a family banquet! The infatuation in her eyes did not diminish at all as she choked back a whimper. "I'll take responsibility. I want to marry you, Eli." The clock ticked on, round and round. After an unknown amount of time, they finally called it a day. Elliot watched her limp toward the door. He couldn't help the smirk tugging at his lips. He scooped her up by the waist and teased, "Didn't you say you were meeting your friends today? Come on. It's almost time." She snapped back to reality and tried to fumble to her feet. However, Elliot carried her straight into the bathroom instead. The two ended up having another steamy session inside before Serena threw on an outfit and dashed out the door. Fortunately for her, the family banquet had already ended by then. The living room was empty, and not a single soul was in sight. As she exited the villa, she fished out her phone to call her friends and inform them of her lateness. All of a sudden, she heard a loud buzzing in her ears. Looking up, she saw a car lose control and skid toward her. Her pupils shrank in terror as the distance between them diminished by the millisecond. Before she could react, the car collided with her. The impact sent her flying several yards away before her body crashed heavily to the ground. The pain ripped through her nerves, tearing through her like lightning. Blood gushed out and pooled beneath her. With great effort, she pried her eyes open. ​​Through her fading consciousness, she saw Elliot running toward her frantically. "Rena!" From there on, Serena's surroundings became distorted. Accompanied by the ringing in the background, footsteps and voices faded into a distant blur. Sometime later, her mind briefly regained clarity amid being submerged in darkness. In the haze of unconsciousness, she overheard Elliot and his buddies talking. "Eli, there's still a chance to save your stepsister's legs with surgery. Are you really forgoing the procedure? If not treated, she'll be disabled for life." Elliot's voice that followed was colder than she'd ever heard. He sneered. "I arranged the accident myself. Why would I choose to save her? She's the daughter of the woman who wrecked my family. This is their karma. It's the payback they deserve." "I get it. But she loves dancing. If she finds out she's crippled, she'll lose her mind. Come to think of it, you've dated her for five or six years now just to get back at them. You've slept with her all this time, and now you want to take her legs away, too? Can you be any crueler? Be honest. Do you really have no feelings for her?" "Feelings?" Elliot cackled, amused. "All I want is for the two of them to suffer the pain my mom went through—ten times over. I could never fall for her. Cut the crap about feelings. Oh, do remember to pay the driver off. Make sure he takes this secret to his grave." Every word struck Serena's heart like a lightning bolt. She couldn't believe it. All these years, Elliot had been dating her not for love but for revenge. When she was 15, her mother married into the Lowell family. Overnight, Serena became the stepsister of the most popular boy at Greenfield High School, Elliot Lowell. At Greenfield High, there was a phrase that went around, saying, "You might not know the principal, but you're sure to know Elliot Lowell." It was because all the girls in the school had a crush on him. The statement wasn't at all exaggerated. Serena was also one of the girls who fell for his charms. She quietly crushed on him and never fought for the chance to get close to him. When she learned they would be stepsiblings, she was dejected. Nevertheless, she still did everything to win his favor. Despite her efforts, he remained distant and indifferent. On Elliot's graduation night—the year she turned 18—she went to pick him up only to find that he had been drugged. She was going to send him to the hospital, but he pinned her down in the car. That night, they were each other's firsts. From then on, the wall between them started to crumble. Elliot was insatiable, addicted, and unable to hold himself back. He was no longer cold and distant with her. Instead, he would often haul her into bed with him. He would call her his good girl as he made love to her. The man she loved loved her back. Serena fell even harder than ever, giving her body and soul to him without any restraint. The two dated secretly for six years, hiding from their families. They would hold hands under the table, kiss in the living room and kitchen, and share late nights together. But she now knew that it had all been a trap, a carefully laid scheme. The pain consumed her. Her breathing grew erratic, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood before passing out again. When she regained consciousness, she found that she was still in the hospital. Elliot was at her bedside. As soon as he saw her open her eyes, he grabbed her hand. "Rena, I'm so sorry. I failed to protect you. It's my fault that you were hurt so badly and may never walk again. But don't be sad. I promise I'll do everything I can to fix it." She would have believed his every word without hesitation if she were still in the past. She would have broken down instantly at such news. However, she could only stare at him with empty, numb eyes, trembling as she watched him put on his performance. His haggard appearance and bloodshot, teary eyes seemed almost flawless. But to her, he looked like a stranger on second glance. Elliot was quick to notice something amiss. He cooed, "Rena, why aren't you speaking? Does it hurt? You can tell me if it hurts." Did it hurt? Of course it did. She was in so much pain. Her silence sent him into a panic. He rushed out to call for the doctor. It wasn't until he left the room that Serena clutched her chest tightly, overcome by grief and gloom. Tears streamed down her face as she gasped strenuously to catch her breath. Six years. She had slept with him for six whole years. It had been six whole years of revenge. As she waddled in the depths of her sorrow, Karen Foster came through the door. When she saw her daughter strewn with bruises, tears filled her eyes. "Mom!" At the sight of her mother, all of Serena's walls collapsed. She threw herself into Karen's warm embrace, sobbing uncontrollably. The two cried in each other's arms for a long time before Karen finally calmed down enough to speak. "Don't worry, Rena. Your legs aren't beyond hope! Do you remember Julian Simmond, your arranged marriage partner from childhood? He moved abroad over ten years ago. He studied medicine, graduated with a doctorate, and now specializes in orthopedics. "I got in touch with him, and he said that there's a good chance he can heal your legs. I know you can't bear leaving your boyfriend and that you've always hated arranged marriages. But right now, your legs matter more than anything. Please just listen to me this once. What do you say?" Hearing there was still a chance to save her legs, Serena felt as if she were in a dream. She wondered if her legs could truly be fixed. She hastily wiped her tears. Her withered heart, long overshadowed by despair, began to see a glimmer of light. "I'll go!"