“You really don’t know?” Hadley’s expression stayed warm.

“If I hadn’t come, would you still be breathing?”

That answer stunned Linda. Realization then swept over her, sending shivers through her body.

“It was you… You gave consent for the surgery?”

“That’s right.” Hadley nodded again.

“Ernest refused to come. So I stepped in.”

A bitter laugh escaped Linda’s lips.

“Then why bother? Don’t you despise me? Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted—to see me gone?”

“That’s right.” Hadley didn’t even hesitate to confirm it. Her gaze stayed fixed on Linda, and in it burned a hatred that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.

Each word came out with deliberate force, her jaw tight.

“Letting you die would’ve been far too easy.”

The shock in Linda’s expression was immediate. Her pupils expanded as realization hit her.

“Take a good look at yourself…” A quick laugh escaped Hadley before she yanked the blanket away, exposing Linda’s damaged leg in all its pitiful state.

A shrill cry tore from Linda’s throat.

Hadley’s lips curled into a smirk, her eyes flashing with contempt.

“You used to be the goddess every man dreamed about, and both the Flynn brothers adored you. No woman could rival you.”

But that smile faded quickly, giving way to something sharper.

“Now you can’t even bear to look at yourself in the mirror, can you? You’re aging, broken… and one leg short.”

“Ah…” Clutching at her ears, Linda rocked side to side, desperate to block it out.

“No more! Please stop!”

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But Hadley had no intention of stopping.

“That’s not the end of it.” Hadley’s smile turned cold, her voice low and cruel.

“You’re suffering, aren’t you? The kind of pain that no pill can numb, no sleep can escape.”

Shaking uncontrollably, Linda clutched her head with both hands.

A harsh sound escaped Hadley—half laugh, half scoff.

“Even while nearly unconscious, you wouldn’t approve the amputation, would you? Still chasing death like it’s some kind of mercy?”

That made Linda lift her face in shock. Tears spilled freely down her sunken cheeks, raw and helpless.

“You’re not getting off that easily.”

Hatred surged in Hadley’s eyes as she leaned in, her voice sharp with fury.

“I won’t let you have your way!”

“You must live!”

Countless memories surged through Hadley’s mind, each one sharper than the last. Tears glistened in her eyes, but a chilling smile spread across her face.

“Actually, you must live in torment!”

“ARGH! ARGH!” Linda’s mouth gaped open. Her body trembled, and tears poured down her cheeks.

“You… you’re ruthless!”

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