Bound by a Curse Ten Years of Pain for a Man Who Never Loved Me

I was born different. My body could heal from anything, no medicine required.

On my fianc's adopted sister's eighteenth birthday, he flew in a practitioner from Thailand to place a Sacrifice Spell on me. The term: ten years.

From that day forward, every ounce of her pain would transfer to me.

Consider it my gift to her for coming of age. His tone was calm. "She loves her thrills but can't stand pain, so for the next ten years, you'll bear it for her."

He stroked my cheek, his voice soft. "You heal on your own anyway. After ten years, I'll give you the title you've always wanted."

So when she drove off a cliff, both my legs twisted and snapped on impact.

When she provoked a gang and took eighteen stab wounds, I was the one gutted open, intestines spilling across the floor.

When her bungee cord snapped, my ribs punctured my lungs and I choked on my own blood.

Year after year, the flesh on my body rotted and knit back together, scars healed and split open again.

Until today, when he brought me to a private diving base at the edge of the Arctic.

His voice was helpless, indulgent. "My little sister's feeling adventurous. She wants to dive under the ice."

In the distance, his adopted sister stood in a skimpy swimsuit, practically bouncing with excitement.

I was shaking all over. "I won't survive this."

He smoothed my hair.

"Be good. The Sacrifice Spell is about to expire. This is the last time."

"You've worked hard these ten years. When we get back, I'll keep my promise and marry you."

What he didn't know was that this time, my wounds would no longer heal.

And I had finally earned enough System points to leave this world.

In the distance, the diving instructor hesitated, then stepped forward.

"Miss Cooley, ice-diving without equipment is no different from suicide..."

"What's there to worry about? I have a body double," Alma Cooley cut him off, not a care in the world.

She flicked a contemptuous glance my way. "As for that one's worthless life, that's not your concern."

She tossed aside the oxygen tank, gave Damien Ashford a playful wink, and without a second of hesitation turned and leaped into the hole in the ice.

He chuckled, shaking his head, his voice dripping with fondness. "Little maniac."

The two of them acted as if this were nothing more than a casual swim.

I was the only one whose body temperature plummeted, limbs going numb in seconds.

My teeth chattered so hard I could barely stand. "It's so cold... Damien, make her come up..."

"Hang on," he said, his gaze tracking the figure beneath the water, eyes gentle. "It's her birthday. Don't ruin it."

"I can't hang on..." I collapsed to the ground, my body seizing beyond my control.

He finally glanced at me, a slight furrow between his brows. "Antonia Winfield, you were never this fragile before."

I squeezed my eyes shut. His voice was already fading.

Alma dove deeper.

Suffocation closed around my throat. My lungs burned like they were about to burst.

I screamed inside my mind: System, can I leave this world now?

The System's reply was sheepish: Bad timing... mid-upgrade...

Then at least restore my healing ability!

Its voice shrank even smaller: All functions suspended during the upgrade. Five days at the earliest. Maybe... try begging Damien?

I sucked in a breath, forcing the words through my closing throat. "Damien, I'm really in pain..."

I used every scrap of strength I had to grab the hem of his pants. "Please. This time is different. If she doesn't come up, I will die."

He looked down at me, something wavering in his eyes.

Then he looked away. "It is different this time. You'll just get a little hurt, but Alma won't have the chance to be this reckless again."

"Tell you what. When we get back, I'll buy you that island you had your eye on. A wedding gift. How's that sound?"

Every time Alma got me hurt, he'd give me a gift to make up for it.

Couture gowns from a Parisian atelier. A pigeon-blood ruby brooch won at Sotheby's. The keys to an island villa.

He seemed capable of seeing everything he'd given me, yet somehow blind to the color draining from my face each time the pain hit, the trembling, the weak moans I couldn't swallow back.

No matter how fast the healing came, it was still my flesh absorbing the blow. I still cried from the pain.

And now I'd lost even that.

I wanted to scream, to call out, but the moment I opened my mouth, a gush of black blood surged up my throat.

It was thick and clotted, laced with fragments I couldn't identify.

Damien's expression shifted.

He barked orders. Someone forced ginseng broth between my lips. An IV needle slid into my arm.

"Antonia, you hold on. You hold on at least until Alma's had her fun."

I curled into his arms and laughed.

He thought I'd endured ten years without fighting back for the sake of a promise. A title. A ring.

He had no idea.

My healing ability existed because I was bound to the Tragic Novel Self-Rescue System.

Every instance of suffering earned one anguish point.

Years of silent endurance had served a single purpose: accumulate enough points to leave this world behind.

Now the quota was met. The ability had expired. All I had to do was wait for the System upgrade to finish, and I could go.

My heartbeat slowed.

Just before consciousness left me entirely, Alma finally broke the surface of the water.

Deep in my mind, the mechanical voice chimed.

System Upgrade Progress: 90%.

I woke up in a hospital.

"Your healing is gone. Why didn't you tell me?" Damien's voice was low, threaded with a rare exhaustion. "You were unconscious the whole time. The doctors said it was critical. I stayed for three days."

I blinked, caught off guard.

The bruised shadows under his eyes looked real enough. The retort forming in my throat died there.

When I said nothing, he sighed and cupped my bloodless face in both hands. "Still upset with me?"

His thumb traced my cracked lips. "Alma's a little spoiled. I know that. Just bear with her a bit longer. For my sake. Can you do that?"

My nails dug into my palms.

He always did this. Whatever catastrophe Alma created, he smoothed it over with a single word: spoiled. As if that explained everything. As if that excused it.

And then he asked me to pay for it with my body.

I couldn't hold it back. "Don't worry. I'll be gone soon enough. I won't be in your way anymore."

"Gone?" His brows drew together. "The wedding preparations have already started. Where exactly do you think you're going?"

"The wedding?" A cold laugh scraped out of me. "You think your precious little sister would allow that?"

He paused. Then his brow smoothed, and something close to relief crossed his face. "So that's what this is. You're still sulking."

"Don't worry. Alma's been very mature about it." His tone softened. "She's been putting a lot of effort into our wedding."

The words had barely left his mouth when Alma bounced in, tablet in hand.

"Damien! What if we made the wedding's main color scheme black? It'd be so edgy and unique!"

I frowned. Were we planning a wedding or a funeral?

But he just looked at her with a faint smile. "Sure."

"And a mango cake for the wedding?"

I was allergic to mango.

He nodded. "Whatever you want."

"I'm tired," I cut in. "Take it outside."

The room went quiet for a beat.

Alma's lip jutted out. "What's that supposed to mean? You think my ideas aren't good enough?"

"Of course they are. Alma has great taste." He pulled her into his arms, then cast a glance my way. "Apologize to her. Or you can check yourself out of this hospital right now."

The last trace of warmth in my chest went cold.

I ripped the IV needle from the back of my hand. Blood beaded on my skin. I threw off the covers and swung my legs out of bed.

Alma's eyes darted, calculating. She planted her hands on her hips and blocked my path.

"Damien, do you think she's been lying to you?"

"If she really lost her healing ability, why isn't she resting and recovering like she should?"

"Maybe she made the whole thing up for sympathy."

Those words made Damien's expression darken instantly. "Antonia, when did you learn to play these little games?"

"Disobedience comes with consequences. Family punishment."

"The whip or an apology to Alma. Your choice."

Either way, he wanted to see me bleed.

I reached for the fruit knife on the nightstand and dragged it across my wrist without hesitation.

Skin split open. Scalding blood surged out, soaking the white sheets red.

Alma shrieked and stumbled backward.

"Are you insane?!" Damien's face changed too, his eyes full of shock.

"Is that enough of an apology?" My voice was steady.

Alma's lip trembled with practiced hurt. "Damien, you only asked her to apologize. Why would she do this? She's making it look like we're the ones bullying her. She scared me half to death!"

She burrowed into his arms. "I told you she was faking it. She didn't even flinch when she cut herself."

"Don't be scared, Alma." He held her close, his voice soft and soothing. But the look he turned on me could have frozen steel. "Cheap theatrics. Disgraceful. You need to be taught a lesson."

"Bring the whip."

I was pinned down, arms locked in place.

The cane struck my back, each blow harder than the last.

I clenched my teeth. Not a sound.

Only when the cane snapped in two did Damien stop. "You've had your share of pain. Consider the matter closed."

"The engagement banquet is tomorrow. Make yourself presentable. Don't embarrass me again."

He wrapped his arm around Alma and walked out without looking back.

Through the heavy smell of blood, I heard the system notification.

[System upgrade progress: 95%.]

I lay facedown on the cold floor, and a memory surfaced unbidden.

Three years ago, I could have left.

I gave up that chance. For him.

Three years ago, Damien had been ambushed by a rival. He was on the edge of death.

He survived what everyone called a miracle, and he credited his own resilience.

He never knew that I had already earned enough points, that one foot was already through the exit. I traded half of everything I'd accumulated to buy back his life.

The system called me a fool.

But some things only the person living them can understand.

I remembered the tsunami. How he clawed me out of the mud like a man possessed, his fingers torn and bleeding.

I remembered craving warm ginger pudding in the middle of the night, and how he drove across the entire city to bring it back still hot.

I remembered an ordinary dinner when he pulled out an antique necklace, casual as anything. "Saw it at an auction. Thought it suited you."

And my birthday, when I mentioned offhand that I wanted to see snow. He canceled every meeting and flew me to the Alps.

That day, snowflakes fell into our clasped hands. Real and warm and ours.

But eventually the snow melted. And so did everything else.

I was jolted awake by noise. Damien walked in with his people.

"Time for the engagement banquet."

I had no interest in the engagement, but I was leaving soon anyway. It didn't matter where I went.

At the hotel entrance, Alma came up and linked her arm through mine, all warmth. "I'll take Antonia to change into her gown."

I pulled my arm free. "I can manage."

Her lips instantly pursed into a pout.

Damien glanced over, his tone flat. "She's being kind. Don't be ungrateful."

A look from him, and two of his men seized my arms and steered me after Alma into the dressing room.

The door shut. Two girls ripped my clothes off without ceremony.

The gauze on my back was torn away in one rough motion.

The wounds hadn't healed. Skin and flesh tore open all over again.

Pain blackened my vision. I had no strength to fight.

In the chaos, a kick landed square on my stomach. My body, still wrecked from Alma's poisoning, convulsed, and I spat out a mouthful of bloody foam.

Alma leaned down and whispered in my ear, a smile in her voice. "Antonia, tonight, everyone will know you're nothing but a whore."

When they half-dragged me to the center of the banquet hall, the entire room fell silent.

I turned my head in a daze and caught my reflection in the glass window.

A bunny-girl outfit. Every inch of it obscene.

Fuzzy rabbit ears on a headband, a skirt so sheer it was nearly transparent with a slit cut all the way to my waist, and a fluffy white pom-pom tail pinned just above my backside.

My bare back was a raw mess of torn flesh.

Alma let out a little "Oops," sticking her tongue out playfully. "I must've grabbed the wrong outfit. You won't blame me, will you, Damien?"

He froze for a split second, then patted the back of her hand. "You were in a rush. Mistakes happen. How could I ever blame you?"

"But won't the guests think I did it on purpose?" she murmured, pouting.

"They won't." His voice was certain. Then he seized my wrist and dragged me onto the stage.

My body had no strength left. I stumbled after him like a rag doll.

His steady voice carried through the microphone across the entire banquet hall. "Thank you all for attending my engagement party. This is my fiance. She has a rather... bold sense of style, including her choice of clothing."

"I've always respected her preferences, and I'm sure distinguished guests like yourselves won't mind."

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

"Rich people really do play different games. Marrying a woman like that into the family."

"What do you know? That's exactly the type that hooks a man. That waist, those curves... mm-mm."

"Don't be naive. A trophy like her is just for show. He'll still have his fun on the side."

Someone called out loudly, "Mr. Ashford, what happened to her back?"

He paused, slipped off his jacket, and draped it over my shoulders. "Just a bit of bedroom fun. Apologies for the eyeful."

The press section erupted. Every reporter looked like they could already see tomorrow's front page.

Shutters clicked in a relentless barrage, camera flashes merging into a solid wall of white light that burned my eyes shut.

I stood rigid on that stage, stripped bare in every way that mattered, with nowhere to hide under the weight of a thousand stares.

Somewhere in the roar of gossip and laughter,

a cold, mechanical voice cut through my skull.

[System upgrade progress: 99%.]

[Initiating countdown to world departure...]

The reporters finally cleared out. Damien hauled me into a back room, his expression black as a storm.

The first thing out of his mouth was an accusation. "When are these wounds going to heal? You're really getting addicted to this little act, aren't you?"

"Making it look like we owe you something. Did you do this on purpose?"

My voice came out hoarse. "Nobody owes anyone anything. Damien, we're even now."

"From here on out, we go our separate ways."

Damien's brow creased. He grabbed my wrist. "What do you mean, 'even'? What do you mean, 'separate ways'? Stop talking nonsense."

"The engagement is done. Once the wedding is over, you'll be Mrs. Ashford. Officially."

He paused. The jut of my wrist bone pressed sharp against his palm, and his tone softened a fraction.

"I won't treat you badly. You'll have the kind of wealth and status most people couldn't dream of in a lifetime."

I looked at him. The calm in my eyes unsettled him. "No..."

"Enough. Stop saying things you don't mean." He cut me off before I could finish, shooting to his feet. Something flickered behind his eyes, quick and panicked.

"I need to see to the guests. Clean up your wounds. And stop embarrassing me."

He tossed gauze and a bottle of antiseptic onto the table and slammed the door on his way out.

I didn't move.

I was leaving soon. Medicine or no medicine, what difference did it make.

I lay down on the cot and waited for the moment to come.

But someone couldn't let me have even that.

Alma shoved the door open, venom dripping from every word. "What are you playing dead for now?"

"Let me make one thing clear. No matter what stunts you pull, Damien will always choose me."

"So what if you marry him? Even when I'm the one who's wrong, he'll protect me just like he did out there and grind you under his heel."

I didn't bother opening my eyes.

Her voice dropped low, laced with vicious delight. "You didn't know, did you? That miscarriage you had? It happened because I drank herbicide."

My eyes flew open.

"You were writhing in pain, bleeding everywhere. I watched the whole thing, and I loved every second of it." Her shoulders trembled with quiet laughter. "Damien knew too. But he never blamed me."

Every drop of blood in my body went still.

No wonder he'd had tears in his own eyes that day, yet ordered everyone not to investigate.

"This child wasn't meant to be. There's no use dwelling on it."

"We'll have another. I promise you."

The fresh flowers replaced daily for weeks. The sudden trips. The gifts that came out of nowhere. All of it had been to keep me distracted.

But that child was the one thing I'd wanted to leave behind for him, something to remember me by once I was gone.

I ground my teeth until they ached. "That baby was innocent. It wasn't even born yet."

She scoffed. "Blame the little bastard for picking the wrong mother."

Rage surged through me. I forced myself upright and slapped her across the face with everything I had.

She didn't hit back. Instead, she ripped the bedsheet free and set it on fire.

Then she splashed gasoline she'd hidden behind the cabinet across the floor.

Flames roared to life. She let out a piercing scream.

The fire alarm shrieked overhead, and frantic footsteps pounded closer from the hallway.

She turned to me with a slow, curling smile.

"So tell me. Who do you think he'll save first this time?"

I looked at that radiant, grinning face and sank my teeth into her neck. The taste of rust flooded my mouth.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Damien's roar exploded from the doorway.

"Damien! She hit me, she bit me, she's trying to burn me alive! Save me!" Alma's voice cracked into a wail instantly, and she crumpled toward him, trembling.

In the same breath, a boot slammed into my chest and sent me flying.

Damien scooped Alma into his arms and glared down at me where I lay crumpled on the floor. "You want to die?!"

My lips parted. No words came out.

There was no point in arguing, because the System's voice had already begun.

[System upgrade complete. Host will now be extracted from this world.]

[Detected: Host has exceeded mission parameters. Triggering newest function 'Truth Revealed'!]

[Target: Damien Ashford. Every misunderstanding from the past will be brought to light.]

His eyes met mine, and whatever he saw in them made his body lock up.

"We'll deal with this later. Stay here, don't move. I'm coming right back for you."

He turned and carried her away.

My consciousness began to pull loose.

I watched his silhouette flicker through the flames, and a laugh slipped out of me.

Damien, there is no "later" for us.