The day the SAT results came out, I scored 1500. But my brother, Ken Swinton, immediately turned grim and locked me in the basement.

Because our cousin Nadya Swinton scored 300 points lower, he ordered people to hammer 200 nails into my body.

I knelt on the ground, begging him. But he showed no mercy.

199 nails pierced deep into my flesh.

The last one was driven straight into my heart.

Covered in blood, I heard his cold voice.

"You deserve this! You had Mom, Dad, and my love. Nadya lost her parents young and grew up all alone. You've had enough happiness. Did you really have to humiliate her by scoring higher?!

"Your life's been too easy. Today, I want you to feel what real pain is."

I lay on the floor, barely breathing, completely broken.

To comfort Nadya, Ken booked her a luxury yacht for a month.

When Mom and Dad planned to return home to celebrate my success, Ken ordered me released.

But then the nanny called.

"The hospital... They just sent over Ms. Swinton's death notice!"

***

The nail in my chest missed my heart by two millimeters. I survived, but the pain was unbearable.

Just before the basement door shut again, I crawled out and grabbed Ken's pant leg.

"Ken... it's my fault. I shouldn't have scored that high. Please don't leave me like this."

I begged him, my voice shaking.

He acted like he didn't hear. Instead, he turned and gently pinched Nadya's cheek.

"Oh, look at you—all cried out like a little mess. Alright, I'll send you abroad. Your school will be a hundred times better than Brietta's.

"You can bully her however you like, okay?"

He was about to leave with Nadya when Mom called.

She sounded thrilled.

"Ken! Brietta scored 1400! I'm so happy. Your dad and I can't get back right now, but give her a little reward for us."

He brushed it off with a few words and hung up.

Eyes closed, I forced myself to speak.

"Take me to the hospital. If I die, Mom and Dad will hate you forever!"

I was their late-in-life child. Everyone knew how much they doted on me.

Even a tiny cut on my hand made them tear up.

And Ken knew—nothing could happen to me.

He froze, hesitating whether to let me go and send me to the hospital.

Nadya suddenly bent down, shot me a sinister glare, and poured the water from her cup all over me.

Instantly, it felt like my flesh was being sliced off inch by inch. I screamed in pain.

The water got into my mouth—it was saline!

Right then, Nadya dropped to her knees and started begging for mercy.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Brietta, I just wanted to check on you! I didn't mean to spill water on you! Please don't hit me!"

She acted like she was used to being bullied by me.

Ken frowned, then pulled Nadya into his arms.

She sobbed uncontrollably. "Please, Brietta, let me go, okay? If you keep bullying me, I won't be able to live anymore."

Ken's anger toward me deepened. He kicked me hard.

"So it's true—you've been bullying Nadya at school! She accidentally spilled some water, and you go crazy like this? You're overreacting much!

"I need to teach you a lesson today so you never dare to bully Nadya again!"

I stared at him, confused. "When have I ever bullied her?" I questioned myself.

He never even asked. One word from someone else was enough to convict me.

The nail seemed to sink even deeper from the impact. It hadn't pierced my heart yet, but the pain inside was a thousand times worse than my body.

When we were little, Ken loved me so much he would've given his life for me.

Everyone envied me for having such a doting brother, and I was grateful too.

But after our uncle and aunt died and left Nadya with us, Ken seemed to die overnight.

He was still the doting brother in everyone's eyes—just not to me. Now, it was all for Nadya.

I gasped for breath, my chest aching. He ordered the bodyguards to lock me back in the basement.

What I never expected was that, not long after, the basement started flooding with saline—already up to my calves!

I could handle Nadya splashing me with one cup of saline. But soaking in it? That was no different than dying.

I screamed, feeling like my soul was being ripped out of my body.

But I refused to give up any chance to survive.

Stumbling, I dragged myself to the door and pounded on the iron gate.

"Help me!"

***

The bodyguard outside got annoyed. He kicked the door hard.

"Shut up! Stop yelling! If you piss off Mr. Swinton again, you really won't live much longer!

"Thought you were his beloved sister, huh? A vicious snake like you, always bullying Nadya—better off dead."

I swallowed the blood rising in my throat and gritted my teeth.

"There's saline in here! Less than 30 minutes and I'll be in agony! If you don't wanna get dragged into this, send me to the hospital!"

He yelled for me to die, but he knew damn well—if I actually died, Ken and my parents wouldn't spare him.

He hesitated, about to open the door, but after some thought, he decided to call Ken.

"Mr. Swinton, Ms. Swinton says there's saline in the basement. She's covered in wounds and can't soak in it. Should I take her to the hospital?"

Ken mumbled to himself, confused.

"That's impossible. I filled it with a therapeutic soak for her wounds."

He took a deep breath and suddenly spoke.

"Check if it's actually salt..."

Just then, Nadya's soft, pitiful voice came through.

"Ken, I prepared that water. Don't you trust me?"

Seeing her in tears, Ken reassured her at once.

"Of course I trust you. Brietta is a liar. She doesn't know what's good for her. Ignore her!"

Ken hung up without hesitation. The bodyguard ignored my cries after that.

The saline turned red with blood. My wounds started to swell and split open.

I was barely holding on, feeling like I'd die the moment I closed my eyes.

But my will to live was strong. I didn't want to die.

I forced myself to hang on until nightfall, occasionally shouting, hoping someone would hear me.

Finally, as my consciousness blurred, I heard footsteps outside.

I raised my voice, calling for help.

They heard me. The door opened, and the saline rushed out.

They shined a flashlight inside. As the beam hit my face, I recognized them.

It was Ken's gang of scumbag friends!

They'd always followed Ken in spoiling Nadya, even bullying me behind his back just to make her laugh.

I was terrified of them. But I feared death more.

I begged them, desperate.

"P-please help me. I'm dying..."

Their eyes widened when they saw the nails all over my body.

"Who the hell did this to her?"

But soon, excitement lit up their faces.

"Don't Ken and Nadya hate her? Won't they love seeing her like this? Come on, let's drag her to the yacht!"

Someone interrupted, frowning.

"She's still Ken's real sister. No matter how much he hates her, he wouldn't want her like this. We should take her to the hospital first."

Half of them agreed, but the others pushed back.

"Come on, no way. This is probably some stunt she pulled to get Ken's sympathy. Let's just take her now—the yacht's leaving soon anyway!"

The ones who objected held more power. The others had no choice but to go along.

My throat felt like it was filled with blades—I couldn't even make a sound. All I could do was shake my head, but no one cared.

My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

After they dumped me on the boat, they completely forgot about me while trying to entertain Nadya.

I lay on the deck like a dying, rotting fish, barely breathing.

People passing by covered their noses and walked around me.

I gathered what little strength I had and grabbed a cleaner as she passed.

"Hey, please... help me..."

She jumped, realizing I was human.

Panicking, she pulled out her phone and dialed for an ambulance.

I thought I was finally saved.

But just then, the boat started moving! The ambulance couldn't reach me now.

The cleaner grew frantic, her voice trembling.

"Girl, who did this to you? My God, what a nightmare!

"Mr. Swinton rented this yacht to make his sister happy. Now that we're at sea, we won't be back for a month!"

I gripped her hand tightly, tears streaming down my face, silently begging for help.

She couldn't bear to look at my horrifying wounds. She just patted my hand, trying to comfort me.

"Girl, I'll go talk to Mr. Swinton. Maybe, for his sister's sake, he'll let the boat dock early."

She rushed off to plead for me.

The entertainment area was just one deck above. Their loud laughter pounded in my head.

Soon, the cleaner found Ken.

She even dropped to her knees.

"Mr. Swinton, there's a girl who's badly hurt. She won't last much longer. Please, let the boat dock and get her to a hospital!"

Ken frowned, confused.

"Hurt? Who?"

The cleaner shook her head, speaking anxiously.

"I don't know who she is, but she's in bad shape! Please, save her, Mr. Swinton!"

Ken nodded, but instead of docking, he sent over his personal doctor.

There was finally hope—but my heart felt like it was being crushed by invisible hands, the pain unbearable.

Faced with his real sister, he refused to show mercy. But for a stranger, he was willing to help.

He really did abandon me—for Nadya.

The private doctor recognized me the moment he saw my face, nearly dropping his medical kit.

"Brietta! What happened to you?!"

My dry, cracked lips couldn't form any words.

Panicking, he rummaged through his supplies, only to realize nothing he brought could help me.

In a frenzy, he quickly called Ken.

"Mr. Swinton! The injured girl is your sister! I can't treat her here! We need to dock immediately and get her to a hospital!"

Ken's voice shook with urgency.

"I was only away from Nadya for a moment—how did she get hurt?!"

He immediately ordered the captain to dock.

But then the doctor clarified.

"Not Nadya—it's Brietta!"

The moment he heard my name, he let out a breath of relief. His voice turned cold.

"She got you to call me? Trying to trick me into coming to her, huh? You're one of her people now? I don't want liars around me. You're fired!"

He hung up viciously.

The doctor was left standing there, helpless, out of a job—and he no longer cared for me.

Only the kind-hearted cleaner stayed by my side, trying to give me hope.

But my breathing grew weaker.

Numb all over, I stared blankly at the ceiling, waiting for death to finally take me away.

The music above stopped. Conversations buzzed all around.

Suddenly, I heard Ken's voice. My whole body trembled uncontrollably.

He—he actually mentioned the one thing I had been avoiding for years.

When I was ten, my parents' enemies kidnapped me to threaten them.

And I—I was violated by a pervert—he pleasured himself in front of me.

Because of that, I shut myself off for three whole years.

Back then, Ken still cared. He looked at my pain like he wished he could rip his heart out to ease mine.

All these years, no one at home dared to mention it.

"So? Feel better hearing that? See, Brietta's not perfect either. In my heart, you're still the best."

The moment those words hit me, my tears finally burst out.

Every sob sent sharp pain through my body.

Just to please Nadya, he threw my deepest, ugliest scar out in public.

For a second, I didn't even know if he was still my real brother.

Forget it. As far as I'm concerned, my brother died the day Nadya entered our home.

Overwhelmed, I suddenly coughed up blood.

Right then, the whole yacht started getting restless.

It turned out Nadya was seasick—they had to dock.

The cleaner's eyes lit up with hope. She told me excitedly, "Girl, you're saved! You're finally gonna be saved! All thanks to how much Mr. Swinton loves his sister. Otherwise, this yacht would never stop."

I didn't say a word and just forced out a bitter smile.

Once we docked, the cleaner quickly called for an ambulance.

At the same time, Ken urgently summoned his private jet's medical team for Nadya.

Unfortunately, the private jet and ambulance arrived together.

Ken boarded the jet with Nadya, treating her seasickness on the spot.

But their jet blocked the ambulance's path.

The doctors rushed out, shouting anxiously, "Sir! Can you take off first and clear the way? There's a critical patient inside. Every minute we lose could cost a life!"

At first, Ken couldn't care less.

But the doctor kept pleading, growing more desperate.

Annoyed, Ken finally rolled down the window and snapped, "My sister's seasick and throwing up! No one matters more than her. If that one dies, so be it. She was born for this!"

He cursed again, then slammed the window shut.

The doctors, helpless, paced around anxiously.

In the end, they rushed through the narrow gap between the jet and the ambulance, carrying the stretcher.

Finally, they got to me.

The moment the doctors saw my condition, they gasped in shock, muttering as they ran, "My God... These wounds..."

As we passed by Ken's private jet, one of his buddies happened to glance out the window.

The glimpse of my pale profile made him stumble backward in terror.

He stammered, "K-Ken, I think... I think that's Brietta on the stretcher!"

Ken's face darkened. He kicked him hard.

"Bullshit! How could she be here? She's too smart to ever end up in real danger."

Hearing this, his buddy swallowed back the truth—that he was the one who'd brought me onto the yacht.

After all, the whole thing was supposed to be staged. No way she'd really need an ambulance. Maybe he just saw it wrong.

Ken stayed by Nadya's side for three whole days and nights, caring for her seasickness.

By the time he almost forgot about me, he received a call from our parents saying they'd be back soon to celebrate with me.

He figured by now my "water therapy" should've healed my wounds, and I could be let out.

Just as he was about to call the servants to release me, the housekeeper called first.

"The hospital... They just sent over Ms. Swinton's death notice!"