The scion of the Blackwood empire, Liam, was a man forged in fire and ice. Those who crossed him invariably faced a whirlwind of brutal retribution. Unluckily for me, the very stepsister I despised most in this world happened to be his cherished darling, the jewel he guarded in his palm. Just days ago, that stepsister had deliberately shattered my mother’s urn. In front of everyone, I broke her wrist. The very next day, Liam Blackwood’s enforcers dragged me into a suffocating black room, a place where no light reached. My limbs were systematically crushed, my tendons severed. In my dying moments, I mustered every last ounce of strength to send a distress signal to my most trusted bodyguard. But then, I heard my captors address him with chilling deference… "Mr. Blackwood." In that instant, an overwhelming tide of despair washed over me, drowning every last flicker of hope. I yearned for death, yet Liam Blackwood utterly unraveled. 1 Liam Blackwood was a broken boy I’d found on the streets. It was a torrential downpour, late at night, and a gang of thugs had cornered him in a grimy alley. I watched from the window of my car, intrigued by the desperate struggle unfolding in the rain-soaked darkness. The way he fought was brutal, yet strangely graceful. His drenched shirt clung to the lean, powerful lines of his muscles, every punch, every kick, traced an arc of deadly allure. I could even see raindrops tracing trails down his sculpted abs, catching fragmented gleams on his bruised skin. Even with his forehead streaming blood from a heavy blow, that stark crimson only added a touch of fractured beauty, turning him into a battered yet proud statue, striking a chord deep within the observer. He was outnumbered, of course. Only when two of his ribs cracked and he lay sprawled in the mud, soaked in blood, did I calmly push open my car door and pull out my phone to call the police. The thugs scattered like startled birds. I extended a hand to him. "I’ll save your life, you protect mine for three years. How does that sound?" Cold raindrops plastered his dark hair to his chiseled brow bone. He lifted his gaze, his dark eyes like ancient wells, radiating an icy chill. He didn't answer, but I took it as a silent agreement. After all, I’d never been some bleeding-heart saint. I was merely acting on an impulse, drawn by a striking face. There was no one in this world to love me; I merely wanted to pick a companion for myself. And he was handsome enough, broken enough, and utterly alone enough. I pursued him for three years, but he remained cold as ice. He was like a wild, untamed wolf. No matter how I tried to extend an olive branch, he always regarded me with a distant gaze, as if I were nothing more than an irrelevant passerby. But strangely, that push-and-pull, that elusive feeling, became an addiction. Though he never claimed to love me, he always appeared whenever I was in danger, his scarred arms shielding me. Perhaps, this wasn’t so bad. Until that charity gala, where he saw my stepsister, Lily White, and fell in love at first sight… That’s when my nightmare truly began. One day, Lily "accidentally" tripped and fell during an argument with me. The next, I was pushed down the stairs, suffering a severe concussion. Another day, my best friend, fed up with Lily's fake sweetness, made her drink a single glass of wine. The very next, I was forcibly made to drink three liters of hard liquor, nearly dying from a perforated stomach. In just a few short months, I faced escalating retaliation. And the source of all the brutality was Liam Blackwood, the notoriously ruthless heir to the Blackwood empire. No one knew when Lily had charmed Liam, but everyone in Riverton knew that the Blackwood heir adored Lily, considering her the apple of his eye. Anyone who dared to touch a hair on her head would face utter annihilation. Slowly, I was abandoned by everyone. Even my closest friend urged me, "Don't cross Lily anymore. Liam Blackwood will torture you to death." But when Lily deliberately knocked over my mother's urn and ground the ashes with her heel, I didn't hesitate. I lunged at her, beating her hands until they were a bloody mess. Predictably, the next day I was kidnapped and dragged to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. As the thugs leered, I watched, horrified, as they used iron bars to break my limbs and severed my tendons. "Mr. Blackwood, as you instructed, the lesson has been delivered." A thug accidentally hit speakerphone. A familiar voice, cold as an ice pick, sliced through the air. "Warn her. If she dares to touch a single hair on Lily's head again, I'll skin her alive." That voice. Flat, merciless. It was a stranger's voice, utterly unlike the boy who had once shielded me from a knife. I shivered uncontrollably. How could I believe it? The boy I’d rescued in the pouring rain, the man I’d guarded with three years of my sincere affection, was the very monster torturing me to my core? The thug smeared the phone with a disgusting, sticky liquid and tossed it in front of me. "Call someone to pick up your corpse. Remember today's lesson!" I lay in a pool of blood, watching them saunter off with grins on their faces. Just before the warehouse door clanged shut, I heard their casual chatter: "Mr. Blackwood calculated she'd call you first… after all, she always relied on you the most…" My last shred of hope utterly extinguished. So, Liam Blackwood had never been my salvation. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing, the executioner who had personally pushed me into hell. 2 I stared at the filth-smeared phone, recalling the last time Lily was trapped in an elevator. She’d cried, begging me for help. I’d merely sneered, turning on my heel and walking away in my high heels. That night, Liam Blackwood's men seized me and locked me in a dark room. Three days and three nights, without a drop of water or a bite of food. Darkness coiled around me like a venomous snake, gnawing at my sanity. Liam's phone had my location. He was the only one who could save me. I shakily dialed his number, only to hear him say: "Apologize to Lily, and I'll come save you immediately." I preferred death to bowing down and called the police instead. But I don't know what methods they used; the police never found my location. When the police came to my home to investigate, my father, my brother Ryan, and even Liam himself, all denied everything without batting an eye. I even became a regular on the "false reporting" blacklist because of it. That time, I endured for three full days, pushed to my absolute limit. I was truly terrified. I cried and apologized to Lily. It was the first time in ten years I had bowed to that venomous mother and daughter. And it was the first time in ten years that Lily had truly trod me underfoot. She said she was so pleased that "big sister" finally understood her mistake. My father and Ryan were both relieved, saying I had finally become "obedient" and "sensible," and should keep it up. When I emerged from that dark room, I had developed severe claustrophobia. I feared darkness, feared enclosed spaces. But now, lying in this warehouse, I felt no fear at all. Perhaps fear was a meaningless emotion reserved only for those who still clung to life. I didn’t touch the phone. I lay in that warehouse for three days. I remembered so many things. I remembered my childhood, when my mother was alive, and our family of four was filled with joy. I was the pampered princess of the family. I also remembered my mother falling ill, ravaged by chemotherapy and radiation, a skeletal figure. My father started coming home less and less. I remembered my mother's hysterics, and that woman sending my mother intimate photos of herself and my father during my mother's most painful moments. I also remembered her and her daughter shamelessly coming to our house to celebrate my mother's last birthday. My mother trembled with rage. That day, my mother had just returned from chemotherapy, already in unbearable pain. Her heart suddenly gave out, and they couldn't save her. That day, Ryan held me, crying for a long time. He stroked my back, whispering, "Summer, don't be afraid. You still have me. I won't let anyone hurt you." Less than a month after my mother's death, my father eagerly brought his mistress and her daughter home. At first, Ryan and I were allies, united in our hatred for the mistress and her daughter. But when did Ryan start to accept them? Perhaps it was when Lily tremblingly offered him her only candy. Or perhaps it was when Lily was bullied at school, stubbornly refusing to bow her head, yet deliberately squatting on Ryan's path home, wiping away tears… She was always fragile and pitiable, just like her mistress mother. And I was always the brazen aggressor. I don't know when it started, but the way Ryan looked at me changed. When Lily and I argued, he chose to side with her. He seemed to have forgotten my mother's suffering, forgotten why she died. I confronted him, but he seemed impatient. "Mom had cancer. It wasn't curable anyway…" Look. Such familiar, cold words. That was how my father had excused himself and defended his mistress countless times. Now, even Ryan could say it, so naturally. From then on, I had no family left. And now, the person I had personally rescued and treated as family, for the sake of that wicked mother and daughter, had repeatedly, mercilessly plunged the dagger of death into me. I looked at my broken limbs, then at that filthy phone, and finally, I smiled. This life, filled with nothing but hatred and betrayal, was truly meaningless. I didn't touch the phone. I just lay there for three days, until the very last moment. 3 I thought I was going to die. But at the last moment, someone kicked open the warehouse door. "Why?! Why didn't you call me?!" Liam Blackwood burst in, like a maddened beast. In the faint light, he saw me covered in blood, my wrists a mangled mess, and my shins nearly exposing bone. All other sounds faded away. "Summer Hayes, don't die! I forbid you to die!" He picked up my hand, his own trembling, as if he truly cared whether I lived or died. I cracked a smile, a silent laugh. "Summer Hayes! Summer Hayes! Please, live!" Liquid dripped onto my face. Crocodile tears, perhaps? Ha… I was rushed to the hospital and snatched from the jaws of death. When I opened my eyes, he was there, his eyes bloodshot from a sleepless night. "Why? Why didn't you call me? Why didn't you ask me for help? Why?" He stared at me, desperate for an answer. He couldn't understand why the person who once relied on him the most, trusted him above all else, had chosen death over dialing that rescue number. The phone was right there, he was her emergency contact, her only refuge. "Why? Why didn't you call me?!" Liam repeated, sounding utterly broken and desperate, as if consumed by a feverish madness. I found it almost amusing. Didn't he want me dead? Who was this performance for now? I glanced at the phone he’d picked up. With just a flick of my eyes, Liam quickly handed me the phone. The moment it touched my hand, he finally seemed to understand. The dried filth on the screen dissolved in the sweat of his palm, leaving a sticky, nauseating residue. As a man, how could he not comprehend what that smear on the phone screen implied? In that instant, he completely froze. "They crippled my hands," I rasped, the words tearing from my raw, bleeding throat and lips. "They wanted me to use my tongue…" My throat felt like a broken bellows, the sound truly hideous. Liam's body swayed, as if he might fall. Shock, panic, utter disbelief painted his face, leaving only a tremor. I slowly stretched my cracked lips into a smile. Liam Blackwood, you were the culprit all along. How much longer did you plan to hide it from me? I closed my eyes, not wanting to see him. 4 A doctor came to check on me. "Broken bones are easy enough to set, but ligaments and tendons are extremely difficult to repair. The patient's injuries are too old. If she had come to the hospital immediately after the injury, we could have guaranteed at least eighty percent function recovery in her hands. But now…" The doctor shook her head, regretfully. "The VIP patient upstairs is the White family's heiress. She also suffered injuries a few days ago, just minor fractures, but the Blackwood Corporation brought in a global top-tier specialist team for her treatment. They're still here. If we could get them to help, I believe there's still a chance for the patient's hands to regain some function. Not a hundred percent, but at least daily activities like eating and dressing wouldn't be affected…" The female doctor managing my ward looked at me with deep sympathy. "Our chief personally went to ask them, but they said… they said if it's you, you need to get on your knees and beg Ms. White…" She knew how humiliating this was, but she had to convey it. Lily's stepbrother had explicitly demanded she deliver the message. Remembering the murderous look in his eyes, the doctor still shivered with dread. I smiled. "It's alright. I can always just die." How pathetic, those words came from my own brother. He truly had forgotten everything about our mother's death. The doctor's face turned ashen, unable to utter another word urging me to beg. They knew that if a patient angrily threatened to die, it might just be a momentary loss of control. But when a patient, calm and even smiling, said they could die, it meant they truly wanted to. Liam lost control again. "Summer Hayes, stop being unreasonable!" "You hurt Lily first. It's just kneeling and apologizing… Is a little pride more important than your life?" I turned to him, sneering. "Apologize to the murderer who killed my mother? I. Would. Rather. Die!" Liam's veins bulged with rage. He had always been so composed, so distant. This was the first time I'd seen him so utterly unhinged. Did he truly want me on my knees before Lily so badly? I wouldn't give these animals the satisfaction! I closed my eyes, no longer wanting to see this filthy world. 5 In the end, that specialist team performed the surgery on me. As expected, even world-class experts couldn’t fully restore my severely damaged limbs. From now on, I wouldn't be able to lift anything heavier than a couple of pounds, nor could I run or dance. After the anesthesia wore off, I endured the searing pain of my hands and feet being cut open again. Lily, surrounded by a throng of medical staff and specialists, entered my room. "Big sister, I know you hate me, but resorting to such desperate measures to hurt me will only provoke Mr. Blackwood's furious retaliation. Why bother?" Her eyes, veiled in a misty sadness, always carried that fragile, pitiable air. It was this very demeanor that ignited the protective instincts in all men, including my own father and brother. I remembered when she first came to the Hayes home, her hands rough and calloused. Without a man to rely on, she and her mistress mother had eaten leftovers and slept on the streets. Ten years in the Hayes household had pampered her, her skin like porcelain, transformed into the very image of a delicate young lady from a prestigious family. "This time, out of consideration for Liam, I allowed the specialists to save you. But at my birthday party next month, you will publicly apologize to me. This is the condition for my agreement to save you. I hope you won't go back on your word." I looked up, my voice flat. "Who agreed to that?" Liam stepped forward. "I did." He simply looked at me, his expression unreadable, as if I were the one making a scene. I let out a cold laugh. "All of you, get out!" This man I had loved for three years—I didn't want him anymore! Lily's tears finally fell. "Big sister, I'm doing this for your own good! If you don't bow your head, do you want Mr. Blackwood to handle it personally?" She looked at my injuries and cried even harder, her sorrow seemingly so genuine. Liam frowned, displeased. He gently stroked Lily's back. "Lily, you go back first. On your birthday, I promise I'll make sure she's there to apologize!" Lily was satisfied. As she lowered her head to wipe away her tears, a faint, triumphant smirk played on her lips. When she looked up again, her eyes were clear. "I trust Liam." That look alone probably melted Liam's heart. I watched him as he escorted Lily out until she completely disappeared, then I couldn't help but laugh. "If I don't go, are you planning to drag me there by force?" Liam's brow furrowed. "Lily could have refused to let those specialists operate on you!" His implication was clear: I was ungrateful and didn't know how to appreciate his efforts. "I told you, I was willing to die. I never intended for anyone to save me, including you!" Liam's hand trembled, as if he'd recalled something. His face turned terrifyingly cold, but he didn't utter another word, quietly backing out of the room. 6 Soon, the news of my 'bullying' Lily again reached Ryan's ears. My own brother, who hadn't appeared once while I battled between life and death for days, immediately stormed into my hospital room. "Mr. Hayes, have you come to collect your dear sister's corpse? Should I say you're too early or too late?" Ryan's brow furrowed. "Summer, even after all this, you still don't see your mistake?" His expression, as if I were a naughty, irrational child, disgusted me. My voice turned cold. "Did you tell me to kneel and apologize to Lily White?" Ryan's eyebrows shot up. Rage surged in my chest. "Ryan Hayes, you want me to kneel and apologize to the animal who murdered my mother and deliberately shattered her urn? Ryan Hayes, you're despicable! Do you have any respect for Mom's spirit?" SMACK! Ryan's slap connected with full force. My already weakened body reeled, the impact sending a fresh concussion through my brain. Through blurred vision, I saw Liam raise his hand, then lower it, standing still, observing coldly. A sneer twisted my lips. This was the man I'd picked up from the street, the bodyguard I'd employed for three years… I tugged at my lips, and a drop of crimson stained the pristine white sheets. My mouth filled with the taste of rust. My head spun. I squeezed my eyes shut. Ryan instinctively reached out to steady me, but I recoiled. Slowly, I opened my eyes and stared at him. This was the first time Ryan had ever laid a hand on me. Even he hadn't expected to hit so hard! Regret, perhaps a little, but it wouldn't change his stance. Ryan concealed his trembling fingers. "Summer Hayes, don't pretend! Even if you die right here in front of me, I will never pity you! Lily is not that kind of person. If you dare to slander or harm her again, you won't need the Blackwood heir to act. I'll finish you myself!" I laughed. My own brother, for the sake of a wicked stepsister, said he would personally finish me? Ha ha ha, how could anything be so ridiculous in this world? "Ryan Hayes, don't worry. Even if I die, I'll drag the person who killed my mother to hell with me. Ha ha ha…" My whole body shook with laughter, and my freshly sutured wounds burst open, blood quickly soaking through the bandages. The shrill alarm of the heart monitor blared through the room. Ryan and Liam both panicked simultaneously. Both their hands reached out to hold me down. "Summer Hayes, don't move! I command you, don't move!" "Doctor! Doctor! Why isn't the doctor here yet…" 7 Medical staff arrived quickly, staunching the bleeding and bandaging my wounds. Ryan was a mixture of anger and panic. "Summer Hayes, you are simply incorrigible!" He stormed out after the doctor finished bandaging me, leaving those words hanging in the air. Liam poured me a glass of water and held it to my lips. "Take a sip. Your lips are cracked and bleeding." I watched him coldly, neither moving nor speaking. Liam sighed. "Everyone is on Lily's side. Even your own brother. I heard Ryan used to dote on you. Haven't you reflected on why you ended up abandoned by everyone?" "I have," I replied. "Three years ago, I shouldn't have saved you. I shouldn't have brought you home. And I certainly shouldn't have regarded you as family…" Liam's face, which had just begun to relax, tightened into a mask of coldness. That same night, after I'd fallen asleep, Liam went to the restroom and took a call. The hospital room was quiet, and I faintly overheard their conversation. "Were those people dealt with?" "Dealt with! Mr. Blackwood, I'm sorry, I never expected them to smear that kind of stuff on Ms. Hayes's phone! I've already taken care of them with a 'physical' lesson!" Liam nodded, satisfied. "Mr. Blackwood, we checked. Ms. Hayes wasn't lying. It was indeed Ms. White who provoked her, shattered her mother's urn, and even dared her to break her hand, saying she wanted to see how you'd retaliate!" "Mr. Blackwood, you really did misjudge Ms. Hayes…" The truth was so easily found. Liam, now, what do you intend to do? "The person I care about naturally has the right to act as they please. As for others…" Liam paused, not continuing. Even without saying it, I understood. Others, even if Lily killed them, he would cover for her. And I was one of those "others." This was Liam's stance. Even if Lily killed me one day, he'd probably still commend her for protecting herself. Ha ha… I squeezed my eyes shut. I had truly given my heart to the wrong person. Liam returned from his call and tucked the blanket around me. His movements were gentle, but my heart stirred with no ripple of emotion. The next morning, I woke up my phone's assistant. "Call Alex Stone." The dialing tone hummed. Liam returned with breakfast and, seeing the situation, suddenly realized. "That day, you could have called for help using voice commands…" I looked up. "And then?" Liam fell silent. "And then, like before, you would force me to apologize to the enemy who smashed my mother's urn? If so, I'd rather die!" Liam's body stiffened, unable to utter another word. He remembered the emergency doctor's words that day: "If she had arrived a little later, not even a god could have saved her!" That sentence haunted him like a nightmare. Even now, he dared not close his eyes fully. He clenched his fists, then slowly released them. The call connected on the last second. "Alex, help me find a bodyguard." 8 Liam's nerves were violently frayed again. "You said you only wanted me as your bodyguard!" His eyes held a raw fury, a sense of betrayal and abandonment, just like when his own mother had left him. That woman who claimed to love him, who abandoned him no matter how he cried and begged… Liam's emotions were a tumultuous storm, but I remained calm. "Liam Blackwood, haven't you always wanted to leave? I'm granting you your freedom. Now, you can go to Lily White! I'm sure she'll be more than happy to have you!" Liam's face immediately turned ashen. "The contract was for three years! There's still one month left!" This was what he wanted, yet now that I was giving him his freedom, he seemed displeased. Ha, men! I didn't care. Even another word felt like too much effort. "Whatever. Stay if you want to…" Liam's already severe face grew even colder. Soon, Alex arrived with his men. Alex was my sworn rival, yet he was also the only person I trusted not to stab me in the back. Alex leaned against the hospital room door, casting a cool glance at me, then at Liam. His schadenfreude was almost palpable. "Want to mock me? I'll give you three minutes." I met his gaze. We'd been at odds since kindergarten; we knew each other inside out. But this time, Alex, unusually, held his tongue. With a wave of his hand, three bodyguards entered the room. All three were over six feet three inches tall. Taller than Liam, more muscular than Liam, and even strikingly handsome. I casually picked one and also asked Alex to find me a female nurse to help me with washing up until my hands and feet could move. I was discharged from the hospital after more than ten days. The first thing I did when I got home was reassign the rooms. The nurse and the new bodyguard would stay on the second floor. Liam was to move to the first-floor guest room. As he moved his things downstairs, Liam's face was clouded with resentment. He said, "You and Alex are rivals. The people he finds might not be trustworthy." I laughed. "However untrustworthy, they wouldn't stand by and watch my enemies abuse me, nor would they threaten me during a crisis to apologize to my enemies!" Liam fell silent. 9 In the days that followed, I never asked Liam to do anything. I didn’t even call his name. He used to complain when I called his name constantly, even for a fruit bowl within arm's reach. Now that I no longer bothered him, he seemed displeased. When I started going out without calling for him, he finally couldn't sit still any longer. He gripped the armrest of my wheelchair, his eyes simmering with a molten intensity. "Half a month left!" "Alright." I replied without a trace of hesitation. He seemed to visibly relax, then leaned down and lifted me into the car. I caught his familiar scent. Every time he’d rescued me before, he’d held me just like this, carefully enveloping me in that reassuring scent. I had approached him countless times, craving his presence. But now, that scent only brought back memories of my past foolishness, the terror and despair of being trapped in that dark room, and the broken limbs, the hands that would never be whole again… My body began to tremble uncontrollably. I turned my head away, wanting to be as far from him as possible. Sensing my reaction, a strange emotion surged within Liam. He just knew Summer couldn't bear to leave him. She was still the same, trembling with nerves when he got close. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Liam's lips. "Where do you want to go today?" "The bank." "You want me to apologize to her, don't you? I should at least get a decent gift." Liam looked at me through the rearview mirror, his mood clearly improving, pleased by my "sensibleness." I stared out the car window, not glancing at him again. 10 The moment we arrived at the bank, I spotted a familiar car. Last year, on my birthday, I had won a prestigious jewelry design award. I'd fallen in love with that supercar; it was the only ladies' exclusive model in the entire country. But my brother, Ryan, had bought it first, presenting it as a gift to Lily. From then on, that car became another trophy in her arsenal, a symbol of her triumph over me. Anything I desired, Lily would snatch—the sports car, and Liam too! After finishing my business and exiting the VIP lounge, I saw Lily. She was in another private room, holding a jewelry box, "humbly" showing off its contents amidst the staff's lavish praise. "Tomorrow's my birthday. Ryan told me to pick out a few pieces to wear. Which one do you think looks best?" These jewels were part of my mother's inheritance to Ryan, now reduced to trinkets used to curry favor with her murderer. A wave of bitter resentment washed over me. Liam also looked over, his eyes soft as water. "Aren't you going to say hello?" I asked, a sneer in my voice. He squared his shoulders. "I said I'd stay by your side and protect you." I gave an ambiguous hum. At the bank's entrance, Lily and I inevitably crossed paths. "Liam!" Lily called out sweetly, spotting him immediately. Just then, a car careened out of control, rushing straight towards me. "Watch out!" Liam's expression changed instantly. He dropped me without a second thought and rushed to Lily, pulling her out of the way. I, utterly immobilized, was completely exposed to the unforgiving steel of the out-of-control vehicle. Everyone gasped in terror. I felt no fear, only a mocking gaze fixed on the man who had just vowed to protect me. In the final second, Liam seemed to remember me, frantically turning his head, his eyes meeting mine. A sudden, inexplicable dread gripped him. He lunged back towards me, but it was too late. "Summer Hayes!" A powerful force pulled me away. The car barely scraped past my wheelchair footrest. Alex's face was ashen, his lips trembling, momentarily speechless. Liam finally reached me, his hands shaking. I looked coldly into his eyes. "You said you'd protect me. Ha…" Liam slowly clenched his fists. He wanted to explain, but I no longer wanted to listen. I told Alex to take me home. For the first time, I left Liam behind. For the first time, Liam took a taxi to follow me home. It had started to rain, I don't know when. I sat by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the endless downpour. He stood downstairs, looking up at me, his gaze stubborn and determined. He looked exactly as he had the day I picked him up. That day, too, it had been raining heavily. I turned my head. "Close the curtains." The nurse immediately obeyed. The heavy curtains fell, completely shutting off my world from his. 11 On Lily's birthday, Ryan called first thing in the morning to warn me. "If you don't come apologize to Lily today, you don't need to come back to the Hayes home ever again!" He seemed to have forgotten that I hadn't set foot in that so-called home for three years. But I still went. When Liam saw me leaving, he once again was the first to reach for the armrest of my wheelchair. But this time, I didn't move. I simply looked at him, silently. Meeting my gaze, his hand slowly released the chair.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "392757", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel