Chapter 1 The Human Trial

"Rufus, please… give me something for the pain. I can't take it anymore."

Cecilia Thorne's face was drained of color as she looked at the man in front of her—Rufus Chapman, impeccably composed, his expression carved in ice. Her voice trembled with desperation.

Her body had reached its breaking point.

She didn't know if it was because she had been testing Blair Ember's medication for too long, or if the recent combinations were clashing inside her system. This time, the pain was worse than ever—like thousands of tiny, merciless teeth gnawing at her bones.

Rufus's lips curved slowly, but his eyes stayed cold. "You want relief? I'll give it to you."

Hope surged in Cecilia's eyes.

But in the next instant, Rufus yanked her coat from her shoulders and shoved her down onto the bed, his tall frame pressing her into the mattress.

Her pupils constricted. She fought to push him away. "Rufus, I'm in real pain. I don't want to do this… please, let me go."

Every day she ingested countless experimental drugs, trying to find one that would work best for Blair with the least harm. The prolonged trials had left her body in ruins.

But Rufus never understood the concept of mercy. In bed, he was relentless—changing positions, pushing her until she was beyond exhaustion.

For her, intimacy had become a form of punishment.

Her strength was gone. Even when she threw everything she had into resisting, to him it was nothing—like brushing away a feather.

Her slender wrists pressed weakly against his chest, a gesture that looked less like defiance and more like a half-hearted tease.

He caught her hands with ease, pinning them above her head, his gaze glacial.

"Stop pretending. Your mouth says no, but your body's always honest. When you married me and drugged me to seduce me, wasn't this exactly what you wanted?"

His eyes flicked to the empty pill bottle on the nightstand—the new batch she had already swallowed.

"Remember the reward system I told you about? Every time you take the medicine, I reward you."

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the edges of her vision. She didn't know if they came from pain… or humiliation.

"I didn't…" she began.

But her words were swallowed by his kiss—hard, unyielding, leaving her breathless.

The tear clinging to the corner of her eye finally broke free.

When it was over, she lay limp against the sheets, feeling as if she had died once already. The pain in her body was nothing compared to the ache in her chest.

She had given Rufus everything she had, loved him without restraint… and this was what she got in return. Not even a shred of respect.

The sound of running water stopped.

Rufus emerged from the bathroom, opened the nightstand drawer, and took out two white pills. He held them out to her. "Take them."

Bitterness and grief swelled in her throat. Her lips trembled. "Can we skip it today? I promise I won't get pregnant… I'm already in too much pain."

She suspected the trial drugs were reacting badly with the contraceptives. Every time she took them, it felt as if invisible blades were twisting through her abdomen.

It was agony beyond endurance.

Rufus's gaze sharpened, cold as a blade. "Planning to get pregnant so you can stop testing for Blair?"

If Cecilia carried a child, she wouldn't be able to continue the trials.

Her eyes lingered on the pill bottle. Slowly, she pushed herself upright and swallowed the pills.

For the sake of the trials, every dose of birth control was administered by Rufus himself. It was one of the rare moments he handled her with something resembling gentleness.

She thought the pain would be the same as before—a matter of gritting her teeth and waiting it out. But she underestimated the drug's strength.

The agony hit like a tidal wave, ripping through her body. She stumbled to the bathroom, and this time, what came up wasn't bile… it was blood.

She collapsed to the floor, clutching her abdomen, the pain splitting her in two.

When she finally managed to stand and step back into the room, Rufus's eyes met hers—cold, unreadable.

The door opened. Dr. Lyle Warner stepped in. "Mr. Chapman."

"Draw her blood," Rufus ordered, his tone flat.

Cecilia's body flinched.

It was part of her daily routine. Rufus refused to use Blair's blood for tests, so he used hers instead.

She watched the needle slide into her vein, the dark red spilling into the vial—a mirror of her own life draining away.

The blood loss left her pale, her head spinning. She bit the inside of her cheek, forcing herself to stay conscious, her gaze locked on Rufus.

"Rufus."

Today was her birthday.

And this morning, she'd learned she had three months to live. If she continued with the trials, that time would shrink to one month.

She wanted to ask him—beg him—to spend those three months with her. After all the blood she'd given, all the pills she'd swallowed… could he give her that much?

He turned his head toward her. "What is it?"

"I just…" she began.

But the sharp ring of his phone cut her off.

She couldn't see the caller ID, but she didn't need to. His expression softened instantly, and she knew.

Blair. Only Blair could melt the ice in Rufus's eyes.

"Not feeling well? I'll be right there," he said, his voice gentle—worlds apart from the way he spoke to Cecilia.

He hung up, left without hesitation, and didn't spare her a single glance.

Cecilia lowered her head, sorrow clouding her eyes.

No one remembered it was her birthday.

Rufus hadn't even had the patience to hear her out.

After the blood draw, she drifted into unconsciousness. When she woke, it was already the next day.

Her phone was ringing nonstop. The caller ID read: Brad Ember.

Brad was her biological father, but as an illegitimate child, she had never truly belonged to the Ember family.

She answered. Brad's voice came through, brisk and commanding. "Cecilia, Blair wants you at her birthday party. Come now."

Her grip on the phone tightened. They shared the same father. Their birthdays were only a day apart.

But their worlds could not have been more different.

"I understand," she said.

After hanging up, she chose a heavy coat to hide her frail limbs and the marks left by countless needles.

By the time she reached The Ember Mansion, the party was about to begin.

Blair stood in the center of the room, crowned with a custom headpiece, surrounded by the Ember family's adoration. Her gown was bespoke, every detail perfect.

Rufus approached, holding a jewelry box. "Happy birthday, Blair."

Her eyes lit up. "It's the bracelet I've always wanted! Rufus, you're so good to me."

From her place in the shadows, Cecilia felt the ache in her chest sharpen… and her eyes sting.