My Husband Destroyed My Hands for His First Love, Then Begged Me to Wake Up

On the day the field medical team was evacuated, Vanessa Reed and I were kidnapped by militants. My boyfriend infiltrated enemy territory and found evidence of what they were doing to me. But when he finally launched a rescue, Vanessa was the only one he brought back. Not long afterward, the two of them got married. No one came for me. For seven days and seven nights, I endured unspeakable humiliation. Before my captors were done with me, they severed the tendons in my hands. When I was finally dumped outside the camp, I was barely clothed and covered in blood. Everyone said the once-brilliant surgeon was finished—that I was useless now, ruined beyond repair. When I had nowhere left to turn, Ethan Carter proposed to me in front of everyone. After we married, he cherished me as if I were the most precious thing in his life. However, on the day I successfully conceived through IVF, he spoke in a foreign language with a terrorist leader who had undergone plastic surgery, right in front of me. They spoke right in front of me, certain I couldn't understand a word. "Mr. Carter, you ordered us to assault Sophia in front of her ex-boyfriend. But why did you specifically tell us to sever the tendons in her hands?" Ethan toyed with the pen between his fingers, his expression utterly indifferent. "For a surgeon, her hands were everything. Once Sophia Bennett lost the ability to operate, Vanessa no longer had a rival in the medical field." He paused, then added calmly, "A woman can't rely on marriage alone. She needs a career if she wants a voice in her husband's family." I stood rooted to the spot. For one terrifying second, my heart seemed to stop. All this time, the man who shared my bed had been the devil who personally pushed me into hell. I quietly tucked the pregnancy report and the other document in my hand out of sight. …… Memories of those seven days and nights crashed over me—the endless humiliation, the unbearable agony of having my tendons severed. Every nerve in my body seemed to remember the pain. But if I could no longer threaten Vanessa's position in the medical field, why had Ethan pretended to love me? Why had he proposed to me when I was at my lowest? I had mistaken the monster who condemned me to purgatory for a savior who had come to show me mercy. He even reminded me to take folic acid every day. He told me again and again that he wanted a child with me more than anything. Why? The commander's voice sounded again. "Mr. Carter, the doses of the experimental drug you've been giving Mrs. Carter are already far above the recommended limit." "That compound was developed from an ancient virus strain. It hasn't even undergone animal testing, yet you're already using it on a human subject. It could cause severe neurological damage—even cerebral palsy." "Didn't you marry her because you felt guilty about what happened? How can you bear to use her as a test subject?" Ethan was completely certain that I couldn't understand their conversation. He let out a quiet chuckle. "I married Sophia to keep her away from Vanessa's husband. Besides, Sophia has an extremely rare blood type. She's essential to Vanessa's research." His lips curved into a self-mocking smile. "I can never have a child with Vanessa. Helping her complete this research is the closest we'll ever come to creating something together." The commander fell silent. Ethan continued, "I heard the institute is putting a lot of pressure on Vanessa's project. I'll raise the dosage again over the next few days and get her the trial data as soon as possible." "Mr. Carter, the human body cannot withstand excessive doses for this long. If you continue, the consequences could be disastrous." Each word struck the same wounded place inside me, one after another, until I could barely breathe. They hadn't just stolen my career from me. Now they intended to sacrifice my life to build Vanessa's. No matter how hard I tried to hide my emotions, my body wouldn't stop trembling. The commander noticed. His expression changed slightly. "Mr. Carter, she couldn't have—" I wrapped my arms tightly around myself and forced my voice to remain steady. "Honey, I'm a little cold. I want to go back to our room and change."

Ethan chuckled. "You're scared. She couldn't possibly understand." But he didn't know that I spent three years learning the less common language they used in order to study a medical paper. Just as I was about to step into the room, I was grabbed by a large hand. "Didn't you say you had something to tell me when you came back from outside?" I shook my head and clutched the pregnancy test report tightly in the inner pocket of my clothes. "It's alright now..." Since Vanessa is always in his heart, he probably wouldn't want my child with him! As for the other matter, he didn't need to know. Ethan noticed my unusual behavior, took my hand, and kissed the back of my scarred hand. "Honey, you must tell me if anything is on your mind. If anyone dares to bully you, I will teach them a lesson!" Are you bullying me? He himself was the one who bullied me the most. I had no interest in watching his pretentious display of affection, but Ethan shoved a handful of pills into my hand. A year ago, he told me frankly that he envied other people being fathers, and since that day, he has been urging me to take folic acid every day. I used to think he was just eager to have a child, but now I realize that what he wanted from the beginning was not me and his child, but for Vanessa to complete the experimental results. I forced a faint smile. "Can we not eat?" "Taking so many medications will cause problems!" Ethan's gaze was tender, his eyes filled with a smile mixed with a hint of urgency. "Honey, you absolutely can't stop taking the medication. You have no idea how long I've waited to have this child. You have to cooperate fully! We can't let all our efforts go to waste! After this period is over, I'll give you anything you want!" "Be good, listen to me!" In the past, I would have been moved by it, but now, all that remains in my heart is endless sorrow. Ethan thoughtfully brought me water at the perfect temperature, his gaze gentle yet undeniably commanding. I swallowed the pills whole, refusing the water from his hand, and choked until tears welled in my eyes. He felt sorry for me and wanted to go over and comfort me. The phone rang abruptly. I have a deep impression of that special ringtone; it was Vanessa's. Ever since she joined our medical school in our senior year, Ethan has had a special ringtone set for her on his phone. "Honey, it's Vanessa. There are some things at the hospital that I need to go over to take care of. I'll be right back after I'm done." "Be good, I'll bring you something delicious when I come back." I nodded slightly, expressionless, without making a sound. In the past, I would have definitely thrown a tantrum because he answered Vanessa's private phone call. Seeing how considerate and understanding I was today, a hint of surprise flashed in Ethan's eyes, but he left without giving it much thought. A new update from Vanessa on social media popped up on my phone screen. In the 60-second video, at the dinner table, Ethan repeatedly fends off Vanessa from drinking and negotiates more projects for her. Vanessa's emerald bracelet, worn only by daughters-in-law of the Carter family, deeply stung me. What's it like to have a senior who shields you from all external difficulties and always treats you like a little junior? Thank you, senior Ethan, for securing me an international-level medical program. I'll always be your biggest fan!! I swallowed the bitterness in my heart and wiped away the tears from the corners of my eyes.

I remember when we had just married, I accompanied him to a business negotiation, and I was forced to drink so much that I had a stomach hemorrhage. His assistant later told me that Ethan was allergic to alcohol. It turns out that Ethan wasn't a teetotaler; he just wanted to shield me from drinking. Even though he knew he was allergic to alcohol, he was happy to do it for Vanessa. All happiness has vanished like a bubble; it's time to wake up! I'm leaving! I booked an abortion and then placed an order for fake death on the dark web. Ethan didn't come back all night. The next day, when I came out after my abortion, he had just come out of Vanessa's office, disheveled, with a row of teeth marks on his neck. When our eyes met, Ethan felt a little guilty. He quickly stepped forward and explained, "My dear wife, please don't be angry. Last night's social engagement didn't end until the early hours of the morning. Vanessa's in-laws don't like her drinking, so I took her back to her department..." "I know you and Vanessa had some unpleasantness in the past, but ultimately it wasn't Vanessa's fault. It's time to let go of the past!" Is it my fault? And Ethan knows perfectly well who caused all of this. I nodded calmly. "Yes, I will let it go!" Ethan, I will let you go too! The thought of leaving soon. I suddenly felt a strong urge to tell him about my miscarriage and see how he would react. Just as she was about to speak, Vanessa walked out of the office, looking flustered and at a loss. Upon seeing me, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed several times. "Senior Sophia, please, please spare me! Please give me a way out!" “I know you’re still angry about what happened back then, but love can’t be forced! After all, not every man can bear the thought of you being violated by a human being… You’re so happy now, with Ethan treating you so well, why aren’t you satisfied?” "Why...why would someone order me to be assassinated on the dark web..." I stared at her in disbelief. "I don't……" Vanessa showed screenshots from the dark web, with an account ID identical to mine, confirming an assassination order with Vanessa listed as the target. The commotion quickly attracted the attention of onlookers. My former colleagues gathered around, their sarcastic remarks constantly reaching my ears. "Sophia, all the lucky things in life have fallen on your head. You married into a wealthy family and have a husband who doesn't mind that you're dirty, and you're still not satisfied?" "A person's heart is dirty too. I never thought she couldn't even tolerate her own junior classmate. She's just jealous that Vanessa is about to be promoted to vice dean! Jealousy makes people ugly!" "Chairman Carter, as a member of the hospital's board of directors, was really unlucky. He had to take on so much pressure for her, but he never expected her to be so vicious." I looked up and met Ethan's gaze, and the flame of hope in his icy eyes slowly died out. In the past, no matter how others gossiped about me, he would always be the first to stand up and stop them. But today, his indifferent demeanor made me feel utterly unfamiliar. "Sophia Bennett! Why are you so vicious!" "Vanessa has given you so many gifts over the years to apologize. Isn't that enough?"

"She gave you her whole heart, yet you want to take her life!" "Cancel the order immediately! And apologize to Vanessa!!" Perhaps due to excessive emotional excitement, a series of sharp pains shot through my abdomen, followed by a warm flow from below. I fled the hospital in a disheveled and panicked state. Just as I was about to open the car door, a figure blocked my way. It's Vanessa. She looked down at him with a smug and arrogant air. "Medical sage, tsk tsk tsk, it's not bad to be a rat in the gutter, is it? No one's praising you anymore, you must be feeling quite uncomfortable, right?" “You don’t need to look at me like that. You probably already know that everything back then was a carefully planned scheme by Ethan for me.” "You probably already know that I'm using you as a test subject in my drug development, right? But even if you do know, what can you do about it?" She stepped forward and leaned close to my ear. "By the way, you don't know this, do you? Why is Ethan so obedient to me? It's because I helped him get his family property back and saved his grandfather. Speaking of which, I have to thank you for this, Dr. Bennett." "This was all meticulously planned by me. How to capture the hearts of two men, how to get them to willingly hand over their resources to me, even if I only use them, so what?" "As for you, a cripple with nothing, whether you live or die in the lab is entirely up to my mood!" I can't believe it! The hellish torment and excruciating pain I endured were all part of her scheme! "Aren't you afraid of backlash if you do this?" "You treat everyone like playthings, aren't you afraid of the inevitable consequences? Can you really be at peace with yourself for what you gain by relying on men?" Vanessa scoffed, then snapped her fingers, and a group of people rushed out of the darkness and pinned her down. "Relying on men? So what, Sophia? I've received all the benefits I've gained. Otherwise, how come I'm a top doctor now, while you're just a cripple who can't even lift a scalpel? If it weren't for keeping you as a test subject for my experiments, do you think you'd still be by Ethan's side?" "Ethan doesn't love you. All these years of yours are a joke. If you don't believe me, just look for yourself. See how crazy things Ethan can do for me when I'm in danger!" Before I could fully grasp the meaning of her words, Vanessa, her face contorted in pain, knelt down and begged for mercy: "No...don't kill me! Ethan, please save me!" When Ethan arrived, a group of men in black had Vanessa pinned to the ground. What's going on? She groaned in pain, "I'm sorry, Senior Ethan. I just wanted to talk to Senior Sophia, but I never expected her to be so determined to kill me. These people... these people were all sent by her to kill me..." Ethan's expression was cold and stern, his eyes like ice, radiating endless chill. "Sophia, get these people out of here!" He held me tightly, and when he saw the blood flowing between my legs, he paused for a moment in surprise. "you……" However, the next second, the other person's words made him instantly suppress all his emotions. "Although we are acting on someone else's behalf, we have heard that you have experimental subjects of ancient poison strains. If you hand over the data, we can cancel this assassination operation!" "Can!" Ethan agreed almost without hesitation and forcibly dragged me into the experimental chamber and locked me up. "Speed up data collection, and if that doesn't work, increase the dosage! Ten times, a hundred times! As long as the data is available immediately!" It was the first time I'd ever seen panic on Ethan's face. And all of this was for Vanessa. "The subjects' conditions are not suitable for a hundredfold dose, Chairman Carter, this..." "Just do as I say. I know what's going on with her. Nothing will happen to her!" I was forced to take a hundred times the dose of the medicine, but the pain in every cell of my body was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. In my remaining moments of consciousness, I sent some messages to people on the dark web, instructing them to give them to Ethan after my death. I once thought I could fake my death and be reborn, to reclaim the life that belonged to me, Sophia. It seems that's no longer possible... At this moment, Ethan paced anxiously, oblivious to my pain. The moment he received the data report, his tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. He eagerly handed the data report to the group of men in black, then carried Vanessa back to the hospital for a thorough full-body examination. After confirming that everything was alright, they breathed a sigh of relief and hugged each other tightly. The new interns in the lab couldn't stand it any longer and stepped in to interrupt Ethan and Vanessa's intimate moment. “Chairman Carter, your wife’s heart has stopped beating…”