"Roland, you really are pathetic right now."
He traced a finger along my cheek.
"Sarah doesn't love you. She never did. Every time she touches you, it makes her skin crawl."
"Your wedding night? She actually..."
He paused on purpose, covering his mouth as a giggle slipped out.
"She actually hired a streetwalker to keep you company."
"Too bad you ran off before you got to enjoy it."
I opened my eyes and fixed them on him.
Even though I already knew the truth, hearing it spoken aloud still turned my stomach.
I forced myself upright and slapped him across the face.
"Get out!"
Simon yelped and tumbled to the floor.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. Sarah rushed in.
The moment she saw Simon on the ground, the color drained from her face. She dropped to her knees beside him.
"Simon, are you okay?"
Simon clutched his cheek, tears streaming down.
"Sarah, I just felt sorry for Mr. Kaufman. I only came to check on him."
"But he hit me..."
Sarah whipped her head around and glared at me.
"Roland, you have a death wish!"
She stormed over and slapped me hard across the face.
I had no strength left. The blow knocked me flat onto the bed, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth.
All I could hear was a high-pitched ringing in my ears.
"Touch him again, and I'll end you!"
I wiped the blood from my lips and looked up at her with a grin.
"Why don't you just kill me now?"
Sarah seized my chin in a vice grip.
"Kill you? That would be too easy."
"Simon's kidneys are failing. Lucky for us, you're a perfect match."
"Next month. Surgery."
My mind went blank. She was going to cut a kidney out of me while I was still alive.
"I won't do it!"
"This is a crime!"
Sarah's lip curled with contempt.
"In this house, I am the law."
After that, I was kept under constant watch.
Every day they forced needles into my veins—nutrient injections, vitamin drips—all to keep my organs in peak condition.
I tried to escape, but the villa was surrounded by bodyguards. I couldn't even get past the front gate.
Despair swallowed me whole.
Then one day, a maid forgot to lock my door.
I slipped out, crept downstairs, and grabbed the landline. My fingers shook as I dialed 911.
"Hello—I need help. I'm being held against my will. They're going to harvest my organs—"
The line went dead. Someone had ripped the cord from the wall.
Sarah stood behind me, her face like stone.
"Roland. You never learn."