The first strike of the thorny rod tore into Nicholas' cheek, leaving a burning trail of pain and a thin stream of blood running down his face. The sting was sharp and painful, but it was nothing compared to the humiliation he was experiencing.
Nicholas had always passed through humiliation in the Cooper mansion, especially when the Cooper relatives were around, yet none of it compared to being treated like a disobedient bulldog.
Seeing him grit his teeth in silence, Evelyn's smile faded.
"Still acting tough, huh?" she asked coldly.
Before he could answer, she raised the rod again and slashed his face a second time. The pain made him groan, instinctively, he lowered his head as warm blood dripped onto the marble floor.
Not satisfied with his reaction, she stepped closer and swung the rod across his neck. The metal thorns scraped his skin, leaving angry red lines. Nicholas sucked in a sharp breath, his jaw tightening to keep himself from crying out.
Then came the final blow. She slashed his back, the rod biting through his shirt and into his flesh. His body arched from the pain, and his hands clenched tightly at his sides.
Evelyn leaned in, her eyes glinting with cruel delight. Yes! She was happy to torture this useless husband her family had arranged for her to marry. At the corner of Nicholas' eyes, she caught a shimmer of tears fighting to fall.
That was what she wanted. For a man to tear up was, to her, no different from calling him an incompetent woman.
She smiled in satisfaction and then scornfully spoke.
"Look at you… All it takes is a little pain, and you are already on the verge of crying. Pathetic."
Evelyn tossed the bloodied rod to Axel, who had been expressionlessly watching the scene.
"Clean this. I am done here."
She turned back to Nicholas.
"Now, sign these."
Axel handed Nicholas a stack of documents. Evelyn's tone left no room for argument.
"This is the divorce agreement. It states that you, of your own free will, agree to nullify our marriage and will receive nothing from me. No matter what the reason. Sign them and we will go to the Civil Bureau. Your six million will be ready immediately after."
Nicholas stared at the papers. His pride screamed at him to refuse, but Nevaeh's pale face came to his mind. She was all he had left.
With slow, trembling hands, he signed it.
"Good. Now get up. Axel, take him to the car. We have an appointment to keep."
****
The ride to the Bureau was silent. Evelyn scrolled through her phone while Nicholas kept his gaze on the passing streets.
They arrived, and just as she promised, the proceedings for the divorce were fast. Ten minutes later, they walked out as strangers in the eyes of the law.
Nicholas turned to her.
"The divorce is officially completed, Miss Cooper. The money…"
HAHA!! Evelyn's cold laughter cut him off.
"Oh, Nicholas… did you really think I would give you a cent?"
His eyes widened.
"You… you promised you were going to give me the six million for Nevaeh's treatment after the divorce. Are you just going to go back on your words?"
Hearing her chuckle again felt like a slap across his face.
"Oh, Nicholas… you really thought I'd hand you six million euros just like that? How adorable. Do you have my promise in writing? A recording, maybe? No? Then this is just you, an ungrateful beggar, trying to swindle me. I could sue you right now and watch you rot in prison."
Nicholas staggered back, blood still trickling from his face.
"You… lied to me?" he stuttered, disbelief and desperation warring inside him.
"Lied?" Evelyn stepped closer, her stilettos clicking sharply against the pavement. "No, Nicholas. I crushed you. And I did it while you watched. Do you know why?" She leaned in, her breath warm against his ear. "Because I can. Because you're weak. And because humiliating you is the only thing you've ever been useful for."
She circled him like a predator, her gaze slowly raking over his slumped figure.
"Oh, and about your dear sister…" Her lips curled into a cruel smirk. "I told the hospital to stop wasting time and money on her. She was a burden, just like you. She'll be gone soon, and you'll get to watch that happen too."
Nicholas' fists trembled, his teeth clenched so tight that it hurt.
"Evelyn…"
"Shhh." She pressed a finger to his lips, mockingly tender. "Don't speak. You'll ruin this perfect moment for me. I want to remember the exact look in your eyes right now , the broken, desperate, and helpless look."
Straightening her pose, she smoothed her dress and flicked her hair back.
"I've found someone better. The richest man in the country, in fact. Compared to him, you're not even worth the dirt under his shoes. If you weren't a Brown, I might've kept you around as my personal toy… but I have higher standards now."
Her eyes glittered with pride as she stepped back.
"Since you're so useless, here's my final gift to you, Nicholas, freedom. Freedom to go and die alongside your precious sister. The world will never miss either of you."
She turned, sliding effortlessly into the sleek black car waiting for her. The engine purred to life. Without a backward glance, the car drove away, its taillights fading into the distance, leaving Nicholas standing alone.
****
Nicholas could no longer hold back his tears. In an instant, everything he had endured over the past three years in the Cooper mansion came crashing down on him. The insults, the beatings, the endless humiliation, and now the thought of losing Nevaeh.
She wasn't gone yet, but time was slipping away. Every minute without that surgery pushed her closer to the edge.
A single tear slid down his cheek and dropped to the ground. As it touched the floor, Nicholas, with his gaze still fixed downward, saw it shimmer unnaturally.
Before his mind could process it, the clear droplets began to fuse together, glowing until it transformed into a perfect golden teardrop.
He blinked hard, convinced the stress and pain were playing tricks on him. But when he lifted his head, the world had gone still.
The shouting couples who had been about to step into the building froze mid-stride, their shoes still hovering just above the floor.
The worker carrying a stack of documents stopped mid-step, eyes glazed, and paper caught in the air as if time itself held it up.
Even the buzzing housefly circling nearby hung suspended in place, with its wings locked in an invisible grip.
Nicholas' stomach tightened. His eyes darted around, searching for movement… anything. But no one had any reaction. He was the only one not affected by the sudden change.
What… is happening?
The golden teardrop rose from the ground as if pulled by invisible threads and floated toward him. It hovered briefly, spinning slowly as if studying him, before settling warmly and gently onto the back of his hand.
"Well, well… so you're my new host. Try not to bore me, hmm?"
WTF!!! Nicholas gasped. A living and talking tear? What is this!?
Two black dots suddenly appeared on the golden tears looking like the eyes, a crescent shape as the mouth and a small dot as the nose.
Nicholas rubbed his eyes with his other hand to confirm he wasn't seeing things.
[Hello! Nicholas Brown. I am KIPS – Karma Insight Protocol System. Your companion, your power and your guiding system.]
[After accessing your poor life and its hazzard, the system has assigned you as my new host. KIPS is a multifunctional system interface. Currently, only one of six modes are activated - Secret Archive Access SSA. This mode allows you to reveal personal secrets, scandals, or information of targeted individuals never made public. I'll display your information panel]
Host: Nicholas Brown
Age: 28
Status: Injured, weak
Background: Fallen heir of the Brown family
Family: Sister Nevaeh (critical condition)
SYSTEM MODES ACTIVE:
Secret Archive Access (SSA)
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 12/100
Intelligence: 75/100
Resolve: 3/100
[I have just calculated your sister's estimated survival period. Less than fifteen hours>]
"Use me well, Host. Go to the hospital, let's meet the doctor, with this skill, you do not need to pay for her treatment. Your sister's life depends on it."