The dank basement was filled with the stench of blood.

A woman covered with wounds was hanging from an iron rack. Her sweat-soaked hair was clinging to her body, her fingers twisted at odd angles. All ten of her fingernails had been pulled off, exposing her raw, flesh-ripped fingers. The sight was painfully grotesque.

Her face had been gradually splashed with sulfuric acid, reducing her once recognizable features to a grueling mess of flesh. All that was left was a face of utter horror, the sound of flesh melting away still ringing in the air.

"Sister, why are you so stubborn? Just tell us where the ring is and everyone will be happy. It hurts me to see you suffering like this..." In the bleak and eerie basement, a smug female voice echoed.

This woman, with her delicate features and designer outfit, adopted a feigned facade of sympathy that harbored malicious intent. Ruby, who had to witness her performance, wished nothing more than to tear her apart, limb from limb.

"You disgust me with your pretentious act, Regina! I don't know anything about a ring, but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" Ruby had been kidnapped while shopping with Regina. The latter didn't ask any questions initially, prefering to torture her before asking about the ring.

Ruby endured her excruciating pain, barely holding back from losing her sanity. At this point, hatred was the only emotion left inside her. The agonizing pain and the deep-rooted hatred had sent her spiraling into hysteria.

She felt blindsided. How had she been so foolish to mistake Regina's deceptive obedience for kindness?

Her face, now hardly discernible, contorted with rage and regret. She was livid. Why? Why was she so foolish?

"What's the point of being so stubborn, sister? You're needlessly enduring all this pain for a mere ring. Isn't it a waste? Don't you know Nicholas has always wanted this ring? "

Regina let out a giggle. Her sweet voice a sharp contrast to Ruby's hoarse screams. Her carefully done makeup added to a pretentiously sympathetic expression, with a hand covering her luscious red lips. Her blatant pretense was overwhelmingly repugnant.

"You had a crush on Nicholas, didn't you? Why not cooperate then?" Regina calmly dropped another bombshell.

Wait, what? Nicholas? Cooperate?

Everything froze for a moment. The air seemed to stop moving, time itself seemed to be halted. Ruby, who was previously enraged, suddenly became confused. Her mutilated face couldn't hide her shock and despair. "What... what did you say?"

Knowing of Ruby's unawareness, Regina laughed even more coquettishly. Acting in a flirtatious manner, she said, "Sister, don't you know? How could I have caught you if it wasn't for Nicholas's move? Oh, and all this was instructed by Nicholas. Ah, it's a pity, Nicholas's child...”

Regina's soft and feisty face made a striking contrast to Ruby's fierce and terrified one. However, there revealed a glimpse of envy and ruthlessness in her eyes when she mentioned the child.

Instructed? Child?

These two words echoed in her mind. Child… Child… Lady Ruby shook violently as though she had been struck by lightning.

Her child, just a moment ago, a wave of warmth and wetness washed over her lower body. She knew she had miscarriage - mother and child share the same heart, and at that moment, it felt as if a piece of her heart had been mercilessly gouged out, causing her unbearable pain.

Her child was lost, her child was taken away by this ruthless person before her, her once dearest sister. Her child, her child!

Ruby was in pain!

She was filled with hatred, so much hatred! Why was she so cruel? Why did she do this to her!

She was on the verge of breaking down, tormented by physical pain, despair, and overwhelming hatred.

Now, after hearing Regina's words, she paused for a moment. She tried to stay calm, to keep from collapsing, but her form was already shaky, seeming like she would be swept away by a gust of wind. "Are you saying… all this was orchestrated by Nicholas?"

Her voice was very light, completely different from her previous hysterical one, so light that it seemed it would shatter at any time. The atmosphere around her was tightening, like a giant hand was strangling her throat, repelling all light with darkness.

Regina opened her mouth wide, pretending to be distressed, and said, “Ah, sister, you really don’t know. Will what I am about to say upset you? However, to live, one must understand the situation. These things were indeed instructed by Nicholas. Otherwise, why would I inquire about a ring? Whatever ring I fancy, Nicholas would buy it for me."

Having said that, Regina giggled, covering her mouth, her expression was a mix of bashfulness and smugness.

Darkness had enclosed the whole place, Ruby gazed blankly at her, staring at a face that was completely different from before. Her beauty was shadowed by cruelty, her softness veiled by harshness. As if for the first time, she realized she had been naive.

She felt her mind completely blank, as if someone was strangling her, rendering her unable to breathe. The anger and pain from just a moment ago seemed to vanish entirely, leaving only mockery behind. Ruby, Ruby! Your life is nothing more than a joke, a cruel joke!

"Hahaha! Hahahaha!" In the silent space, Ruby broke into a sudden burst of laughter, her eyes spilling with tears. Each drop of the salty, bitter tears that ran down her shattered face seemed to stimulate new waves of agony, but it appeared as though she had become utterly numb to pain, allowing the tears to continue washing across the wounds.

She was only able to laugh now. A hysterical, wild, uninhibited laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

The mirthless laughter was jarringly out of place in the quiet, dimly lit basement, setting one's teeth on edge and making the heart palpitate with anxiety.

The sight of Ruby in such a state of manic laughter -- her body bound to a metal rack, all four limbs broken -- was heart-wrenching and terrifying. With the thought of her current condition, Regina consoled herself that there was nothing to fear from the already thoroughly incapacitated woman.

With that comforting thought, Regina's groomed facade beamed even brighter.

Just then, the door to the basement suddenly swung open, the sound echoing ominously through the room, making Regina startle.

Nicholas had arrived.

As Nicholas took in the scene before him, he could not help but frown at Regina and ask, "Is she still not talking?" his voice carrying a hint of impatience.

Seeing the newly arrived figure, Regina hurriedly threw herself into his arms. Her carefully sculpted eyebrows furrowed gently in apparent fear, her small face wearing the look of a terrified woman. Who wouldn't want to protect a woman looking like that? Who wouldn't want such a woman?

Except, she failed to notice the discontent and disgust in Nicholas' eyes. But Ruby did.

Her laugher grew even more unrestrained, wild and audacious.

"Nicholas! Nicholas! Hahahaha! That I was so blind, trusting such an ungrateful wretch, hahaha!" This man had never loved her. But the joke of it was that she, in her delusional confidence, had believed that he, a man admired by all, had fallen in love with her. What a silly, silly thought! Hahahaha!

Her heart felt as if it was being repeatedly ripped apart, causing a pain so intense that it was hard to breathe. But never had she felt as lucid as now! Her agony and despair had never left her more clear-headed.

"Ruby, I'm losing patience. Where is the ring?" Nicholas looked at the horrid state of Ruby, seemingly untouched emotionally by it all. Not even the sight of blood between Ruby's legs stirred any reaction within him, his apathy was chilling to the bone.

"How ridiculous, I thought I actually caught your eye. How hilarious, I actually believed you loved me. Laughable, I gave you my virginity, and even carried your child. Is this how you treat me? This is how you treat me?! Ring? What ring? I don’t know! Even if I knew, I would never tell you! Never!" Ruby's voice was hoarse and torn from shouting, her emotional state was intense, and the hatred in the air was so palpable it was as though there was no more light in the world.

If heaven could give her another chance, another chance! She certainly wouldn't be so naive, so good!!

Ruby's words clearly angered Nicholas, his lips were pressed tightly together, and there was no warmth in his eyes. "Your first time? You think too highly of yourself. How could I possibly touch a woman as oblivious and shameless as you? The person who touched you that night wasn't me."

Ruby used to be a beauty, pleasing to the eye, but the Ruby now was disfigured, with an emotionally disturbed manner, looking abnormally harrowing. If there were female ghosts, they would be prettier than her. Just looking at her repulsed Nicholas, as though even a glance at her was disgusting to him.

Upon hearing Nicholas's words, Ruby's heart was stabbed several times. It wasn't him? Wasn't him? Her heart fluttered in panic, but she immediately felt a sense of relief. Yes, it wasn't him! She even thought this was the best news she had heard today. Amidst this hellish scene, it was like heavenly music to her ears. It wasn't him, thankfully not this beast!

Ruby's eyes were filled with bitter hatred, but she seemed to have calmed down a bit. Her laughter ceased, as though her earlier frenzy was merely an illusion. Her quick emotional shift was astonishing, yet those eyes seemed to be a sharp knife, scraping against one's nerves.

Seeing this, Nicholas cruelly remarked, "Do you want to know who you slept with? Who's bastard you're carrying?" He was clearly trying to provoke Ruby.

But to his surprise, Ruby grew even calmer. She stared at him with resentment and composedness, and then she answered word by word. "Even if I had slept with a beggar, I would be thankful that it wasn't you, the beast. At least a beggar is a human!"

Ruby tried not to show any more weakness in the face of this rotten pair, at least not in front of this despicable man and woman. If she had a chance, if she had a chance, she would make this terrible pair beg for their lives but wishing for death. Definitely!

Under Ruby's terrifying gaze, Nicholas felt as though a snake was wrapping around his neck, the cold feeling creeping down his spine and spreading all over his body. Nicholas was even more enraged. He already knew that Ruby could not reveal the whereabouts of the ring, he no longer entangled, suddenly there was a black gun in his hand, the dark muzzle aimed straight at Ruby, "Hmph, remember who killed you when you go to hell."

Ruby showed no signs of fear, she stared coldly at him, her distorted face was terrifying. She said calmly, "Nicholas, I will make your life hell, even as a ghost."

Bang!!

A splash of bright red blood bloomed horrifically, and then the world became tranquil.