Chapter 1438 Blinded by Trust
She had no idea whether these men were acting on Lawrence's orders. All she wanted now was to see Lawrence and escape this hellish place.
"Please, spare me! I beg you! I need to see Lawrence. I was wrong—I shouldn't have poisoned anyone or targeted Selena. I nearly killed her. I was wrong! Please let me go."
But the two men showed no reaction.
They seemed deaf to her pleas, leaving Tessa in utter despair.
Her tears had long since dried up; nothing more would come.
When they'd first thrown her in here, Lawrence had visited once, asking if she regretted her actions.
But hatred had driven her mad then.
"Regret? Why would I regret anything? Jason will be bedridden for life. Lawrence, unless you give me a comfortable life, I won't hand over the antidote. And Selena—she doesn't want to see you, does she? You deserve this for trusting me!"
Each word had been a dagger, repeatedly stabbing Lawrence's heart.
Back then, Tessa hadn't realized the consequences, still believing Lawrence would soften toward her.
But Lawrence's expression had remained unnervingly calm, undisturbed by her venom.
He had simply released her, saying only: "I was blind to trust you. Goodbye forever."
Those words had unsettled Tessa, yet her confidence remained. She still believed Lawrence would show mercy.
Lawrence wanted to torment her, didn't he? When they were going to dump her in the river, hadn't he been on speakerphone with his bodyguards? Wasn't that just to gauge her reaction? He still cared.
So what if Selena had returned to the Smith family? Lawrence would never acknowledge her.
Lawrence only cared about Tessa—always had, always would.
This delusion had made her completely ignore her dire circumstances.
Now, Tessa was on the verge of breakdown.
Each time she lost consciousness from cardiac distress, pain would cruelly revive her.
This torture was worse than death. She now only sought release.
Every day she prayed silently: 'Lawrence, please come see me. I just want this to end!'
She faced her executioners, mustering all her remaining strength. Her voice trembled as she pleaded, "Let me die. Please, just kill me—drown me in the river. I can't take this anymore!"
But the scalding water was still poured over her thigh, where the flesh had already been scraped away, leaving only a thin layer over the bone, raw and bloody beneath.
No one could endure such torture, especially not Tessa, who had known only luxury since birth.
"Help me. I just want to die."
"It's all because of Selena. I hate her. Why am I suffering this? Why...?"
But in the dim basement, no one answered.
Her torturers were deaf-mutes from birth, unable to hear the outside world.
No matter how desperate her pleas, to them, she existed in silence.
This was retribution.
While the screams continued in the basement, Lawrence had already left the villa after delivering her there.
He hadn't forgotten that he'd been expelled from the Smith family.
He couldn't seek legitimate employment. All his cards were frozen, leaving him with just a thousand dollars—his punishment.
Initially, he'd considered starving himself to death. After all, look what he'd done to Selena.
The Smith family forbade internal conflict, yet he had nearly killed Selena.
Now she wouldn't even see him. More accurately, even if they met, he wouldn't dare meet her eyes.
Lawrence had sailed smoothly through twenty-eight years of life, never imagining he would end up like this.
Wearing an expensive, tailored suit, he sat outside a bustling university campus. His trouser legs were splattered with mud, yet his inherent dignity remained undiminished.
Even in his downfall, his face and presence drew attention.
College students streamed past, all casting glances his way, but he seemed oblivious, sitting quietly amid the flow of life.
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