The Devil Who Claimed Me

Mila gasped and froze in her place, horror flashing in her eyes.

"Wait..." Serene put a hand on Valentina’s shoulder and stopped her. "Don’t kill her yet," she said coldly. "Death would be too easy. I have a better plan."

Valentina withdrew her gun, glancing at her. "How do you want to punish her?"

Serene looked at Mila, her sharp gaze scrutinizing her. Then her eyes landed on Mila’s hands.

"She is a heart surgeon, isn’t she?"

A cruel smile curved her lips. "Her hands are everything. Without them, she is nothing."

Mila’s face drained of color. She instinctively pulled her hands back, shaking her head.

"If we destroy her hands, she will be finished. We don’t have to kill her."

Valentina’s lips curled into a smirk. "I like that. Break her pride instead of killing her."

They exchanged a satisfied look.

"I’ll do it," Serene said eagerly.

Valentina stepped aside, giving her space. "Be my guest."

Mila scrambled backward, panic surging. "Don’t come near me!" she shouted, her eyes darting between them.

Serene advanced anyway, her expression dark and merciless.

"Now you are scared?" she sneered. "Where was this fear when you betrayed Dominic? At the time, you must be thinking only about hurting him."

"I never thought of hurting him," Mila shot back. "I’ve been working for Dominic, not for Marco..."

"Oh, of course," Serene cut in mockingly. "We are all idiots. That woman lied. Valentina imagined everything. Is that what you expect us to believe?"

Mila felt helpless. Tears welled in Mila’s eyes. "If you don’t believe me, call him. He’ll tell you the truth."

Serene’s eyes turned icy. "Still trying to manipulate us?"

She raised a hand to slap her.

Mila caught her wrist in the air. "Please listen to me," she begged.

"How dare you?" Serene barked. "Guards, hold her."

Two guards rushed in immediately, grabbing Mila and forcing her down to her knees.

"You touched me with those filthy hands?" Serene slapped her hard.

Mila’s head snapped to the side. Red finger marks bloomed across her cheek.

"You bitch." Serene squeezed her jaw. "You are badly exposed. Yet you kept lying."

Another slap followed. Pain exploded across her face. She was in pain, helpless, and terrified. But the fire in her eyes didn’t dim.

"You’ll regret this," Mila said through clenched teeth. "If anything happens to me, he won’t spare you."

For a moment, there was silence. Then both Serene and Valentina burst into laughter.

"Did you hear that?" Serene scoffed. "He’ll kill us for punishing a traitor?"

"She is delusional," Valentina said coldly. "She still thinks Dominic will save her."

She stepped closer, crouching in front of Mila. "Do you know why he hates betrayal so much? Because his father betrayed his mother."

Mila’s mind flashed with what she knew of Dominic’s traumatic childhood. She knew his father had only used his mother, while he already had a family.

"He cheated on her and then dumped her. Since then, he hated the cheaters and liars the most. And you – you betrayed her so badly, broke his trust, again and again. Every time, he forgave you, granted you a chance to correct yourself. But you kept lying to him."

She straightened. "This time... he won’t forgive you."

Valentina turned to the guards. "Break her hands. Make sure she can never perform a surgery again."

"Breaking her hands is not sufficient," Serene chimed in. "It can heal. I want to ruin them permanently."

She pulled a knife from Valentina’s back.

Valentina smirked. "Much better."

"Hold her hands down," Serene ordered.

The guards obeyed instantly, pinning Mila’s hands to the ground.

Serene stepped up, holding up the knife.

Mila struggled, panic surging violently through her. Her whole body screamed at her to fight harder and flee. But the men were pressing her down so hard that she couldn’t move, let alone fight.

"No," she mumbled in fear. "Don’t do it."

Serene’s eyes gleamed with a twisted sense of satisfaction. "I knew from the beginning that you had ulterior motives. You deliberately got close to Dominic – to harm him, to destroy his world."

"I didn’t!" Mila cried, struggling against the grip.

But no one listened.

"Now we’ll destroy you," Serene hissed. "Your career. Your life."

Mila fought harder. She tried to pull her hands back, but it was useless. "Help," she screamed.

"Save your energy to endure the pain," Serene hissed. "Because no one is coming to help you."

She raised the knife high, ready to stab Mila’s hand.

Mila squeezed her eyes shut and screamed in fear.

Bang...

A deafening gunshot exploded through the dungeon.

"Ah..." Serene’s scream followed.

Mila’s eyes snapped open.

Serene staggered back, clutching her hand as blood dripped onto the floor. The knife clattered away.

Mila whipped her head and saw Dominic standing there, his tall frame filling the small space. His gun was still raised, smoke curling faintly from the barrel.

"Dominic," she whispered, almost choking with emotion.

"Leave her," Dominic snarled.

The guards released her instantly, stepping back in fear.

Valentina stood frozen, shock written all over her face. She didn’t move a bit, not even to help Serene.

Dominic rushed over and dropped to his knees beside Mila. "I’m sorry. I’m late. Are you okay?"

Mila sobbed.

He gently reached for her swollen cheek, guilt twisting his chest. But the next moment, rage exploded in him. "You dared to hurt her."

He rose slowly, turning toward Serene. "I warned you to stay away from her. Yet you ignored my words."

Serene, still clutching her bleeding hand, glared at him wildly.

"Are you blind?" she shouted. "Can’t you see what kind of woman she is? She is a spy. She betrayed you."

"Dominic," Valentina added firmly, regaining her composure. "Serene is telling the truth. Mila is working for Marco. I have proof. We treated her like any other traitor. You can’t stop us."

"I said no one touches her." His voice dropped even lower. "She is my woman. If anyone lays a hand on her, they become my enemy."

"Have you lost your mind?" Serene cried. "You are choosing a traitor over your own people?"

"Don’t do this, Dominic," Valentina said. "She leaked your mission. She put everyone in danger. You can’t defend her."

"Oh, so you will now fight me?" Dominic stepped up, his presence overwhelming.

Valentina didn’t back down. She met his gaze head-on. "If you protect a traitor, I have no choice. I’ll fight you."

A tense silence stretched between them.

Then Dominic’s voice thundered, "Who are you calling a traitor?"

His eyes burned with fury. "She is not. She has been working for me."