Chapter 3

3、

After I left, my mother gripped Silas's arm nervously.

"Silas… she wasn't serious, was she?"

Silas was rattled, but he put on a brave face to comfort his mother-in-law. He snorted.

"She'd actually leave? Don't worry, Mom. Within two days, she'll be back here on her knees begging for my forgiveness."

Silas looked at the signed paper, his eyes dark with resentment.

"She cares about you and this home more than anything. Where is she going to go?"

"But this time, even if she begs, I won't make it easy. She's going to do that experiment whether she likes it or not!"

"Seraphina is meant for great things. We can't let her suffer that kind of pain."

My mother nodded repeatedly.

"You're right! Avery was completely out of line today. Seraphina was being so noble, and Avery just threw a tantrum. I've spoiled her too much!"

Listening to her, Silas became even more convinced that I was the one in the wrong.

"Exactly. Your daughter is just a spoiled brat. She's too old to be running away from home!"

"We'll stay in the lab tonight. Let's see how she handles being alone! Once she cools down, she'll realize her mistake by tomorrow."

The two of them sat there, comforting Seraphina and chatting happily.

It was as if I were the intruder and they were the real family.

I watched the synchronized surveillance footage on my phone, my heart feeling absolutely nothing.

I calmly turned off the screen. I remembered how, in my previous life, from the moment I was shocked into a coma until the hospital issued my death certificate, they never visited me once.

While I was fighting for my life, they were busy throwing a victory party for Seraphina.

When the death certificate finally reached them, Seraphina had accidentally nicked her finger on a broken champagne glass. They were so worried about her that they used my death certificate to blot the tiny drop of blood.

It took my lawyers forcing the issue for them to even show up at the morgue.

Even then, they just stood behind the glass, looking at my unrecognizable body and saying:

"Avery, you died for science. We will always remember your contribution."

My soul had seen everything clearly.

They had told me they were giving me muscle relaxants to help me "relax" before each session.

I hadn't fought back. I had only asked them one thing.

"When the experiment is over, will you finally be proud of me?"

Silas had smiled and stroked my hair, his eyes empty.

"Of course. You'll be the most important part of our success."

I didn't expect that the promised "once a week" sessions would become non-stop testing once I was strapped down.

The high voltage made me lose my hearing instantly. I lost control of my bowels and couldn't even find the strength to scream.

Eventually, I could smell my own skin charring.

They said my body was in an "adaptive stress phase" and that the data was too valuable to stop.

It hurt so much. A deep, bone-chilling agony. My body twitched uncontrollably, I was bleeding, and my eyelids felt like lead.

Yet they kept pinning me to that chair, adjusting electrodes, and plugging me back in.

"She still has vitals. Keep going."

"This data fluctuation is perfect. We're so lucky."

"Just one more threshold and we're done."

I became a "she" to them. Not a wife, not a daughter, not a person.

Just a specimen.

Back then, my only wish was to die quickly.

But I just wouldn't die.

Later, when Seraphina became famous and gave interviews, she looked perfect.

She stood under the spotlight in elegant suits, speaking eloquently.

"My success is inseparable from my mentor, Mr. Silas Sterling, and my dearest Mrs. Vance. Their unconditional support made my dream a reality."

Nobody ever mentioned my name.

That was when I truly realized the truth.

In this grand scam they called "benefiting humanity," I wasn't even worth being remembered as a sacrifice.