"What do I want?"

As if hearing the world's greatest joke, Eva burst into sudden laughter, the sound echoing through the cavernous warehouse.

"I want the two of you to watch each other die! Doesn't Ethan Cross love you? I want to see if he's actually willing to die for you!"

As she spoke, she took a dagger from a masked man and threw it in front of Ethan.

"Ethan, I'll give you a chance. Either you use this knife to kill Seraphina and I'll let you go, or I'll first carve up her face and then make you watch as my men torture her to death."

Ethan’s eyes locked onto the dagger on the ground before turning to Seraphina in the cage, the agony in his gaze nearly overflowing.

"Eva, stop dreaming! I would rather die than hurt Sera!"

"You'd rather die than hurt her?"

Eva arched an eyebrow and suddenly kicked the steel cage. The massive impact sent Seraphina stumbling to the floor of the cage.

"Then I'll let you taste the feeling of losing her first!"

She gave a subtle nod to the men in black. Two masked men immediately stepped forward and smashed an iron rod ruthlessly into Ethan’s knees.

Crack!

With a crisp snap, Ethan let out a heart-wrenching scream, cold sweat instantly drenching his clothes. He fell heavily to his knees, and the blood seeping from them quickly stained the floor red. Yet, his gaze never left Seraphina, and he cried out brokenly.

"Sera, don't be afraid... I will protect you..."

Seraphina remained completely unresponsive to Ethan's deep profession of love. It had long been over between them. Even if he truly died before her eyes, she would not feel a thing. However, the blood covering the floor reminded her of the night she lost her child.

Seraphina looked away, no longer watching the carnage. Eva, however, mistook this for Seraphina being pained for Ethan. A triumphant smile spread across her face.

"Oh? Feeling pained already? Seraphina, didn't you hate him to death? What, you can't bear to let go now?"

Seraphina looked up at Eva, her voice calm without a hint of fear.

"Eva Vance, must you persist in this obsession? Do you realize that what you are doing is a crime? It’s not too late to stop now."

Eva’s gaze turned instantly cold, and she raised her hand to slap Seraphina.

"Who do you think you are! What right do you have to lecture me!"

But before her hand could land, a bodyguard beside her caught her wrist. A muffled voice came from behind the mask.

"Miss, don't dirty your hands. Leave it to me."

Eva smugly handed the knife to the bodyguard. She walked over to Ethan, grabbed his hair, and forced him to look at Seraphina. Her voice was like a cold snake coiling tightly around him.

"Look up! I want you to see exactly how Seraphina is tortured! You and Seraphina are both sinners! This is what you owe me, what you owe that unborn child—today, you pay it all back!"

Ignoring his scalp, which felt as if it were being torn off, Ethan struggled to crawl toward Seraphina. But with his hands bound, it was a futile effort.

Just then, the sudden blare of police sirens erupted from outside the warehouse. Eva’s face changed instantly.

Chapter 27

"How are there police?"

Eva shrieked, looking frantically toward the door and shouting at the bodyguards.

"Go stop them, quickly!"

Her eyes turned venomous as she looked at Ethan, whose gaze now held a flicker of hope.

"You think you're safe just because the police are here? You're wrong, Ethan. I’m going to make you experience the pain of losing your true love."

She let go of Ethan's hair and lunged with the knife toward Seraphina.

"No! Stop!"

Enduring the agonizing pain in his knees, Ethan lunged upward and bit down hard on the hem of Eva's jacket. Both of them crashed to the ground together.

Eva’s face contorted with rage as she tried to pull her clothes away. But even as his gums began to bleed, Ethan refused to let go. He used the momentum to squirm and pin Eva beneath him, shouting to Seraphina with a raspy voice.

"Run! Sera! Don't worry about me, just run!"

Eva’s eyes nearly split with fury. She reversed her grip and plunged the knife deep into Ethan's stomach.

"Ugh!"

Ethan let out a muffled groan. Fearing that Seraphina would worry, he bore the pain without making a sound. Eva twisted the hilt of the knife with force, glaring at him with blood-red eyes.

"Go to hell! Go be buried with my child!"

The blood gushing out turned Eva into a crimson figure. She tried to push Ethan off, but he used his last shred of consciousness to hold her down firmly. Eva was so enraged she saw stars; she pulled out the knife and threw it at the feet of one of the bodyguards, screaming shrilly.

"Do it! Kill Seraphina Thorne!"

The bodyguard leaned down as Ethan watched in despair. Salty tears mixed with blood dripped into Eva’s mouth; she tasted it and then laughed manically, mocking him.

"Ethan, look at how useless you are. Whether it's your grandfather, Seraphina, or the child—you can't protect a single person you want to. You're a jinx; anyone who meets you is doomed. If I were you, I'd rather die early and be done with it, instead of harming everyone else."

Ethan was deaf to her mockery, his eyes filled only with worry for Seraphina nearby. He sobbed with a raw, hoarse voice.

"Sera, I’m sorry... it was my fault... I beg you, don't hurt her... take me instead, just let her go..."

Amidst Ethan’s despairing gaze and Eva’s arrogant laughter, the bodyguard picked up the knife and lunged toward Seraphina’s back.

"NO!!!"

"Hahahaha, die! All of you, die! Trading my life for both of yours—it’s worth it! You... what are you doing!"

Eva watched as an unharmed Seraphina stood up, supported by the two bodyguards. She nearly went insane with shock. In contrast, although Ethan didn't understand what was happening, seeing that Seraphina was safe allowed him to breathe a sigh of relief. He immediately slipped into a semi-conscious state.

Taking the opportunity, Eva shoved him aside and scrambled to her feet, pointing at the two bodyguards and cursing.

"This is betrayal! Did Seraphina give you money? How much? I’ll give you ten times that! Kill her right now!"

The two bodyguards remained unmoved and pulled off their masks. When she saw the face of one of them, Eva froze completely.

Ethan let out a surprised cry. "Uncle Arthur!"

When he saw Sun Mingyu, his expression stiffened, and he fell silent.

"What is going on? Where are the men my father left behind?"

Seraphina said calmly, "There were never any men from your father."

Chapter 28

Eva narrowed her eyes, looking at Seraphina with pure malice.

Seraphina smiled slightly. "If no one had let you out, how could you have committed these atrocities? And how could I have ensured you have no way to escape death and no possibility of a comeback?"

Eva’s frame swayed, her mind a chaotic mess. "This was all your trap?"

Seraphina shook her index finger, smiling gently. But her words made Eva feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"This is all of your own making. Originally, if you had stayed a law-abiding person after being 'saved,' the single crime of causing Grandpa's death wouldn't have been enough for the death penalty. But now, your death is certain."

Just as Eva tried to bolt, Sun Mingyu pinned her to the ground from behind. The warehouse doors were kicked open by the police. Blinding searchlights flooded the room, illuminating everything instantly.

The police rushed in and surrounded Eva. She roared in defiance, trying to lunge at Seraphina, but the officers held her down firmly and clicked the handcuffs into place.

"Seraphina Thorne! You bitch! I'll kill you! Even as a ghost, I won't let you go!"

Eva was still screaming manically as she was hauled away. Her voice was quickly swallowed by the sirens.

With the crisis resolved, Arthur immediately moved to protect Seraphina as they prepared to leave. Ethan’s ropes were untied, but his injuries were so severe he couldn't stand. Moving him carelessly would only worsen his condition, so the police had to wait for a stretcher.

He lay in a pool of blood, looking at Seraphina with a gaze full of tenderness and expectation, yet he didn't dare call her name, fearing he would annoy her further. However, the creeping cold in his body finally overcame his cowardice.

Ethan’s weak voice was choked with sobs. "I know... I did many things to hurt you. I don't expect you to forgive me. From now on... I won't disturb you again. Take good care of yourself... forget me, forget the past, and start over..."

Seraphina’s body stiffened almost imperceptibly, but she continued walking forward without any response.