Death Is the Only Escape

Hazel's lashes quivered. Instinctively, she reached out, as if to pat my head the way she used to. But she quickly withdrew her hand, a cold laugh escaping her lips.

"Did you think pulling a stunt like this would make us feel sorry for you? If you want to die that badly, go do it somewhere else and be an eyesore elsewhere!"

Hazel shot me a contemptuous glance and, without warning, ordered her people to tie me up.

I thrashed about in panic. "What are you doing?"

"You wish for death, no? Then I won't let you have it that easily. I'll make your life unbearable and death impossible!"

They dumped me in a remote psychiatric hospital. I recognized the place instantly because it belonged to Ophelia.

I was strapped to a hospital bed. Ophelia walked in with her phone, her voice soft and gentle as she spoke to Ryan. "Get some good rest, Ryan. You have nothing to worry about. I'll definitely be at your wedding."

When she looked my way, all I saw in her eyes was pure disdain. "Hah! Hazel already told me everything. You're now using suicide stunts to get attention, Daniel? You're seriously shameless."

A comment appeared. "Here comes the proud Ophelia!"

"She's just jealous that Daniel is always with his fiancee, so she's deliberately acting cold to get his attention."

"That's so funny. She deliberately called Ryan to talk to him in front of the male lead. Her act is absolutely precious!"

The young woman whom the comments were calling precious and proud was currently hurling the most vicious words at me.

She was Ophelia Gill, my childhood friend. She used to follow me around when we were kids and was like a little sister to me.

When we were 15, we were caught in an avalanche while skiing together. I had to dig her out of the snow bit by bit and carry her down the mountain.

Because of that, I ended up with severe frostbite and was rushed straight into the ICU. After Ophelia woke up, she stood outside my hospital room for several days, her eyes red, refusing to rest.

However long I was unconscious, that was how long she was there. When I finally woke up, she threw herself into my arms, crying and calling me stupid.

"I'd rather die myself than let anything happen to you, Danny."

At the time, she was sincere, and I stroked her head with a smile while comforting her. The Ophelia in my memories was completely different from the one before me now.

"You like flirting with death, right? Then go ahead and have a good time in this psychiatric hospital."

With a wave of her hand, a group of people in white coats immediately appeared behind her. They came at me with syringes and, without a word, injected something into my arm.

Struggling desperately, I couldn't help calling out Ophelia's name.

I begged her to save me, on account of having saved her on that mountain back then. Yet, she merely lowered her head to glance at me before walking out with her eyes shut.

They jammed unknown pills into my mouth before making me swallow them with water.

I closed my eyes in despair, tears streaming down my cheeks. The past few months felt like hell on earth.

Whenever I woke up, they force-fed me medicine, gave me injections, subjected me to electric shocks, and gave me nothing but expired, moldy food.

I didn't even feel human anymore after going through the torture. I couldn't even muster the strength to end my life.

A few comments popped up. "Am I the only one who thinks this is going too far? Why is the female lead just letting the male lead be treated like this?"

"What do you know? This is just how angst stories go. It's brutal at first, then blissfulness follows."

"They're right. Why didn't you mention how miserable the female lead feels on the inside? Can you show some sympathy for her for once? Jeez."

After a full month of torment, I was finally going to be taken out. Ophelia walked into the hospital room. When she saw how frail I looked, her gaze wavered slightly. She asked, "Have you learned your lesson?"