He Cut My Tendons to Make Room for Her, Then Promised to Keep Me as a Pet Chapter 01

He Cut My Tendons to Make Room for Her, Then Promised to Keep Me as a Pet Chapter 01

The night before the Elite Performance Corps showcase, I was abducted backstage.

When they found me, my face had been carved beyond recognition. The tendons in my wrists and ankles had all been severed. I was barely breathing, clinging to life by a thread.

Elias Reed had been stuck in a border command briefing and couldn’t get back in time. He spent an entire day and night praying in the base chapel, begging for me to wake up.

But when I finally regained consciousness, I overheard the conversation he had with his subordinate after rushing back.

“She’s your wife,” the man said quietly. “Just to get Miss Amber Thorne into the Elite Performance Corps, you had someone destroy her like this. That’s… brutal.”

Elias, who had always been gentle with me, sounded cold enough to freeze blood. “The Corps only has a fixed number of slots. If someone goes in, someone has to go out. I owe Lily for this, but I’ll take care of her for the rest of her life.”

The truth hit me like a blade.

The man I thought loved me had never held a place for me in his heart.

…

“The patient’s vitals are unstable,” the doctor urged. “We need to operate immediately. Family, please come sign the consent forms.”

Elias grabbed the doctor’s arm, his voice low and firm. “No surgery. Not yet.”

The doctor frowned. “Her facial injuries are severe but not immediately life-threatening. The real danger is the severed tendons in her hands and feet. If we don’t repair them right away, she could be permanently paralyzed.”

Elias’s subordinate hesitated, then tugged lightly at his sleeve. “Sir… maybe we should prioritize your wife’s surgery. She’s danced her entire life. If she can’t stand again, it’ll destroy her.”

Elias’s response was ice-cold. “That’s the point. I did this so she can’t dance anymore. Once she’s unable to perform, the Corps will have no choice but to cut her. That slot will go to Amber.”

Then he turned to the doctor. “Keep her alive. Do whatever you have to. But no surgery today.”

The doctor opened his mouth to argue, but the sight of Elias’s military uniform and rank insignia made him swallow his words.

I stared up at the sterile white ceiling as tears slid from the corners of my eyes, soaking into the pillow beneath me.

Inside, everything had gone silent.

The man I had shared a bed with for years had been plotting behind my back, calculating how to destroy my career just to clear the way for the woman he truly wanted.

No wonder Elias had always tried to convince me to leave the Elite Performance Corps.

He had been making room for Amber all along.

The man who had once seemed so attentive and loving revealed a face I had never known.

Grief surged through me like a tidal wave. My breathing turned ragged. Tears slipped into the open wounds on my face, the pain so sharp it nearly stopped my heart.

The machines connected to me began to beep wildly. People rushed into the room.

My vision blurred as I struggled to breathe, my lips turning a deep shade of purple.

Elias lunged forward and pulled me into his arms, his eyes red. “What’s happening to her? Get over here and check her!”

Wrapped in his warmth, I felt nothing but cold.

In front of others, he always looked like a man deeply in love with his wife. Even now, I couldn’t tell if his concern was real or just another performance.

He had orchestrated my ruin with his own hands, yet now he wore a mask of anguish and regret. It left me disoriented, unable to separate truth from lies.

The doctors rushed in, too intimidated by his rank to say anything in return as he barked orders at them.

They carefully began treating my wounds.

Elias gently brushed the sweat-dampened hair from my face. “Lily, the hospital’s out of anesthetic. They’re bringing more in from St. Novell. Surgery will have to wait until tomorrow. Don’t worry. A delay won’t affect the outcome.”

Pain twisted through my chest. Clinging to the last shred of hope, I forced the words out. “I’m not afraid of the pain. Can we do the surgery now?”

He froze for a brief second. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes before it disappeared, replaced by resolve.

He softened his tone, as if comforting me. “Lily, one day won’t make a difference. Without anesthesia, it’ll be unbearable. I don’t want you to go through that.”

His words shattered the final piece of hope I had left.

The pain in my body was nothing compared to the one in my heart.

I turned my head away, staring blankly out the window. “Okay,” I whispered.

He seemed like he wanted to say more, but the doctor had already begun cutting away the bandages on my face, forcing him to hold his tongue.

Layer by layer, the gauze came off, revealing the mangled flesh beneath.

Elias went completely still.

His voice trembled, barely audible. “How… how is it this bad?”

Of course it was.

The people who abducted me had taken their time. Some used sharp blades. Others used blunt stones. They carved into my face like it was nothing.

They had even laughed, saying they wanted to create a masterpiece out of scars.

This was their masterpiece.

There wasn’t a single untouched patch of skin left. Flesh had been torn open, exposing bone beneath. Even the corners of my eyes had been sliced apart, as if they were trying to give me a new face.

Even the doctor, clearly experienced, recoiled in shock.

“Animals,” he muttered angrily. “Who could do something like this to a woman?”

He did his best to clean my wounds as gently as possible.

Elias’s eyes reddened. He couldn’t bear to look any longer and turned, striding out of the room.

I closed my eyes.

Through the open window, his voice drifted back in, along with his subordinate’s.

“Ms. Beaumont is already like this,” the man said. “Do we still need to submit that report accusing her of stealing props from the Elite Performance Corps?”

There was a long silence.

Then Elias spoke, his voice hoarse but unwavering. “Submit it. We need to make sure there are no loose ends. Even if her legs somehow recover, the Corps would never keep a thief as their lead performer. I’m staying by her side now. The least I can do is secure Amber’s future.”

A bitter laugh rose in my chest, but it broke apart into silent tears.

They soaked through the freshly wrapped bandages, forcing the doctor to scramble and redo them.

Their conversation continued outside, but I no longer had the strength to listen.

There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart.

The man I loved was not only the one who destroyed my career. He was the one who shattered my soul.

At that moment, all I wanted was to stand in front of him and ask one question.

Why?