“Say it," Zachary ordered.
“She’s… she’s resisting,” the doctor stammered. “She's avoiding that part of her memory deliberately.”
Zachary's lips curved into a cold, twisted smile.
“Good,” he said softly. “Very good.”
"Then increase the current," Zachary said coldly. "I want to see just how tough her bones really are."
The doctor hesitated for a moment, but then he obeyed Zachary’s command.
Electricity surged through my head and limbs, and slowly, I began to lose all sensation. It felt as if my body was shutting down.
I knew my time was running out.
I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stay silent, not letting a single sound escape.
“Who the hell are you protecting?!” Zachary roared, his voice thick with rage.
I opened my eyes, tears clouding my vision.
Through him, I thought I saw that bright, sunny boy I once knew.
"I... I can't say," I whispered weakly.
Zachary’s face darkened, his eyes growing colder. He stood up, walking toward me, towering above.
"If you won’t speak, I have my ways. Zoey endured more pain than this. What you’re going through is nothing."
I closed my eyes, refusing to look at him, silently praying in my heart.
'Let this end quickly.'
The current intensified, and my body was on the edge of collapse.
Just as I thought I couldn’t bear it any longer, a sharp adrenaline shot was thrust into my veins.
My numb body suddenly came to life.
The pain that followed felt like being crushed by a steamroller.
Cold sweat soaked through the sheets of the hospital bed.
Zachary stood there, cold and indifferent, watching as I suffered, his eyes fixated on finding the truth from years ago and seeking justice for Zoey.
"Joanne," he said, his tone flat, “you brought this on yourself. You’ve kept Zoey from resting all these years. This is what you owe her."
Finally, in the last second, the screen flickered and began to play again.
In the dimly lit underground room, I curled up in a corner, my body trembling.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open.
A group of men entered, and the last to walk in was Zachary.
“So you really won’t talk?” he asked, his voice cold as ice. “They’ve all got something wrong with them, one way or another. I’m giving you one last chance.”
I shook my head desperately, tears streaming down my face.
"No, no, it’s not like that. I really can’t say. Zach, you have to believe me. I have my reasons."
Zachary stepped forward, his fingers tightening around my chin.