They Sabotaged My Future, Then Begged Me to Come Back When I Built a Better One Chapter 06

They Sabotaged My Future, Then Begged Me to Come Back When I Built a Better One Chapter 06

He muttered to himself, forcing his mind to steady. 

But one cigarette followed another, the butts piling up at his 

feet. 

The unease inside him spread wildly, tightening around his chest until he could barely breathe. 

He suddenly remembered the look in Brielle’s eyes last night, 

when he locked the chain around her leg. 

There was nothing in them. Not a flicker of light. 

What if it was real? 

The moment that thought surfaced, the hand holding his cigarette began to tremble nonstop. 

“Damn it.” Soren cursed under his breath. He crushed the 

cigarette and yanked open the car door. 

He ran six red lights, speeding toward Lakeside Medical Center 

like a madman. 

All the way there, he kept lying to himself. 

But the moment he burst into the hospital room, his blood ran 

cold. 

Red. There was blood everywhere. 

Brielle lay in a pool of blood, her face pale, the wound on her 

wrist so deep it exposed bone. 

For the first time in his life, Soren lost his composure. 

He rushed forward like he had gone insane, his hands shaking 

as he pressed down on her wrist. Warm blood seeped through 

his fingers. 

“Brielle! Wake up! How dare you!” 

His eyes were bloodshot, his roar echoing down the hallway. 

Even the doctors who rushed in hesitated for a moment at the 

sight of him. 

Outside the emergency room, Soren stared at his 

blood–soaked hands, his whole body trembling. 

He forced himself to breathe, repeating in his mind over and 

over. 

“I just don’t want Vivian to feel guilty if she dies. That’s all it 

1. is. It’s for Vivian…” 

But the panic clawing at his chest refused to subside. 

Three hours later, I was wheeled back into the hospital room. 

My life was saved. 

When the anesthesia wore off, I opened my eyes. 

I didn’t cry or make a scene. I simply stared at the ceiling, empty and hollow. 

Soren stood by the bed, his eyes bloodshot. 

Seeing me lying there like that, a surge of anger and residual fear ripped through him. 

He grabbed my chin, his teeth clenched. 

“Brielle, are you that desperate to die? You think you can use 

death to threaten me?” 

I was forced to meet his gaze. 

Seeing the panic hidden in his eyes, I suddenly smiled, soft 

and obedient. 

“Soren… I won’t try to die again.” 

With my good hand, I reached out and gave a small, gentle tug 

at the hem of his shirt. 

“I know I was wrong. I won’t cause any more trouble.” 

“From now on, I’ll do whatever you say. Please don’t be angry, 

okay?” 

Soren froze. He had expected me to hate him, to curse at him. 

But I didn’t. My obedience was unsettling. 

He let go of me. Staring at my compliant smile, the irritation 

in his chest only intensified. 

After the SAT ended, Soren took me to his private residence on 

the outskirts of the city. 

He called it recovery. In truth, it was house arrest. 

In that massive villa, I became a doll without a soul. 

When Soren told me to take my medicine, I swallowed the bitter pills without hesitation, not even bothering with water. 

When Soren told me to take my pills, I’d swallow the bitter tablets in one go, dry–without a second thought. 

Even as pain shot through my wound and cold sweat drenched 

me, I never said a word. 

The more I humiliated myself like this, the more volatile his 

temper grew. 

Often, when he saw me standing there with my head lowered in submission, he would suddenly smash the glass in his hand 

and storm out. 

The day before the results were released, Vivian came to the house. 

She held her estimated score sheet, her confidence obvious as she strolled around in front of me. 

Soren was seated on the sofa. 

Vivian made a point of pressing herself against him, her voice dripping with honeyed coquetry. 

“Soren, I’ll probably be one of the top scorers in the state.” 

After saying that, she turned to me, covering her mouth in mock surprise. 

“Oh, Brielle, what a pity you couldn’t take the test.” 

“But don’t worry–once I take over the family business, you can come work as a janitor. I’ll even pay you double.” 

Soren’s brow furrowed. He opened his mouth, an instinctive urge to stop her mockery rising in his throat. 

But before he could speak, I had already stopped what I was doing. 

I leaned on my crutches, turned to Vivian, and gave her a small, polite nod with a faint smile. 

“Thank you, Vivian. You’re amazing.” 

“A lowly wretch like me—I’m only fit to scrub floors for you.” 

“Having a job like that would be a blessing.”