Chapter 21 Morinne Ayla's vision was going blurry. For a brief, terrifying moment, she truly believed her soul was about to leave her body. Just when she thought her life was going to end right there-Alexander Lowell let go. He slowly withdrew his hands, pulled a packet of sanitizing wipes from his coat pocket, and began cleaning each of his fingers with surgical precision, as if her very existence had contaminated him. "Cough-cough..." Morinne doubled over, gasping desperately for air. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She had been seconds. away from suffocating. That sensation of drowning in nothingness... she never wanted to feel it again for the rest of her life. Shaking with fear, she backed away from him, trembling as she tried to put distance between them. But Alexander had no intention of letting her go. Clap. Clap. He clapped his hands twice, and several bodyguards in black suits appeared out of the shadows. They stood tall, their gazes sharp and unflinching. "Morinne..." Alexander said slowly, his voice low and chilling, like a devil whispering into her ear. "Do you still remember how Amaris died?" His tone was almost gentle-almost. Morinne's face drained of color. She let out a strangled sob and dropped her designer heels in a panic, scrambling across the pavement like a crazed animal, desperate to get away. But the bodyguards moved quickly, blocking every possible escape route. They surrounded her, forming a tight circle. Then came the sound of knuckles cracking. The first punch landed with a sickening thud. "Ah! No! Stop-please! I'm sorry! I swear I'm sorry!" Her screams rang out in the still air, desperate and cracking. But Alexander's face remained expressionless. Ice cold. Unmoved. Time passed-how much, no one knew. Her cries grew weaker and weaker, until they were barely more than a whisper. Only then did Alexander raise a hand, signaling them to stop. Morinne collapsed to the ground, her body mangled and swollen, lips split and bloodied. Her clothes hung off her in torn shreds, and she had already vomited blood multiple times. She was barely recognizable. "Does it hurt?" Alexander asked flatly, pressing the tip of his polished shoe against her bruised cheek. He leaned in just slightly, voice still maddeningly calm. "Because I imagine Amaris was in even more pain than this." Chapter 21 80.77% "She died because of you. So tell me-why should you still be alive and well?" He twisted his shoe against her face, grinding it in with cruel precision. Morinne's eyes rolled back. Rage and humiliation surged in her blood. A cat. He was doing all this over a damn cat? Just a filthy little stray. And worse-it was Cynthia's pet. It deserved to die! Why the hell should she be treated like this? She had done nothing wrong! Alexander caught the flicker of defiance in her eyes and let out a cold, dismissive laugh. "She still doesn't think she did anything wrong," he said. Turning to his men, he ordered calmly, "Go again. Beat her until she's ready to apologize. Keep her alive-barely. She still has plenty of sins to atone for." Without hesitation, the bodyguards dragged her to a dark, windowless room. There, she was kept alive through medication-just enough to sustain her. But the beatings never stopped. Time inside that dark cell slowed to a crawl. By the time Morinne finally cracked and begged for forgiveness, she had no idea how many nights had passed. Her body was covered in injuries too grotesque to hide, but she still managed to crawl out into the light. Weeping, she ran toward the nearest police station, which was just across the street. All she had to do was make it there-just cross the street, and she'd be safe. She could finally bring Alexander Lowell down. That monster would pay. But just as she saw the building within reach...Several hands grabbed her from behind. Again. 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