Chapter 17
1263words
Serafina wants to expose my identity. This means she's desperate enough to make a last-ditch effort. But what she doesn't know is that I've been prepared for this move all along.
I took out my phone and dialed a number.
"It's me. Execute Plan B."
The person on the other end remained silent for three seconds: "Are you sure? Once initiated, there's no turning back."
"I'm sure." I looked at the New York night view outside the window, "Let the whole world know Sophia Chen's story. But tell it according to my version."
If Serafina wants to play the exposure game, I'll show her what a real public opinion war looks like. When the whole world sympathizes with a girl who was bullied to death, what ground will she, the perpetrator, have to stand on?
---
Sarah Blanchard's screams echoed between the concrete walls of the prison for a full three months.
No cocaine, no white powder to numb the nerves, withdrawal symptoms like thousands of needles piercing every inch of her skin. She curled up on the cold iron bed, her nails scratching her arms raw, searching for insects that weren't there.
"Mom... Mom help me..." Her midnight mutterings echoed throughout the cell block. But Mrs. Blanchard had disowned her daughter the day after her arrest, publicly announcing she had severed all ties with her.
From a noble family, reduced to a prisoner.
Meanwhile, Jackson Thorn's hell was just beginning.
---
"Hey, color-blind guy, got another letter."
In the West District detention center cell, Jax's cellmate—a drug dealer named Marcos—waved the photos in his hand, his face wearing a malicious smile.
Jax raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, with sunken eye sockets. Three months of torment had reduced this once arrogant and domineering heir of a wealthy family to a haggard shadow of himself.
"Let me guess," Marcos leaned in closer, "another photo of your 'good daughter' calling someone else dad?"
The photo was thrown in front of Jax: little Evelynn sitting on Damian's shoulders, both laughing happily in the amusement park. Evelynn was hugging Damian's neck tightly, her little mouth pressed against his cheek.
On the back of the photo, written in red: "Evelynn called Damian 'dad' for the first time today. She said she has forgotten what you look like."
Jax's hands began to tremble.
"Oh, by the way," Marcos continued, "I heard your ex-wife is pregnant again? This time it's Damian Blackstock's seed. Evelynn will soon have a little brother or sister, what a happy family indeed."
These words cut through Jax's heart like knives. What he valued most—his bloodline, his daughter, his pride—was being stripped away bit by bit.
"You... why are you all doing this to me?" Jax's voice was almost pleading.
Marcos patted his shoulder, "Someone is paying us to 'take care' of you. And honestly, seeing a former rich boy like you reduced to this state, it's fucking satisfying."
What Jax didn't know was that every week, anonymous payments were being deposited into the accounts of Marcos and several other inmates. And these funds were being transferred by Ella through complicated offshore accounts.
Even more frightening was that Jax discovered his eyesight was rapidly deteriorating.
---
"Mr. Thorn's color blindness has existed since birth," Julian explained to the warden while standing in the prison infirmary. "But in recent months, his optic nerve has developed serious complications. I recommend immediate intervention treatment."
The warden nodded, "Dr. Davenport, you're the expert in this field. Everything will be arranged according to your instructions."
Julian smiled as he wrote out the prescription. These medications appeared to treat complications of color blindness, but actually contained components that could gradually damage the optic nerve. The dosage was controlled with extreme precision, neither detectable in routine examinations nor reversible in its slow destruction of Jax's vision.
"Twice daily, after meals," Julian told the nurse. "Remember, this patient needs special care."
After leaving the prison, Julian called Ella from his car.
"How's the progress?" Ella's voice sounded calm.
"Proceed according to plan. In two months at most, he will be completely blind." Julian started the car, "The psychological attacks are showing obvious effects too, those inmates are doing their job well."
"Good." Ella paused for a moment, "Julian."
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
"No, Asha, I should be thanking you." Julian gripped the steering wheel tightly, "Letting me become an accomplice in your revenge... this is the most meaningful thing I've ever done in my life."
Two months later, Jax's world fell into eternal darkness.
---
The riot at the West District Detention Center happened on a rainy night.
Jax was now completely blind, sitting in the corner of his cell all day, repeatedly mumbling Evelynn's name. The other prisoners looked at him as if he were a stray dog.
"Daddy... Evelynn wants daddy..." Jax banged his head against the wall, "Please... let me see my daughter..."
Marcos exchanged a glance with several fellow inmates.
The riot was meticulously planned. Marcos and others deliberately provoked the fight, and in the chaos, several people surrounded and attacked the already-blind Jax. Fists and kicks rained down on him like a storm, but the most lethal blow came from a steel pipe—striking directly at the back of his head.
"This is what you deserve, color-blind freak," Marcos whispered in Jax's ear. "No one will miss you."
Jax collapsed in a pool of blood, the light in his eyes completely extinguished.
---
In the intensive care unit of St. Mary's Hospital, Jax Thorne lay like a piece of meat on the hospital bed. The ventilator hummed monotonously, while the wave lines on the monitor were so weak they were barely visible.
The doctors said he had become a vegetative patient and would never wake up.
Ella walked into the hospital room wearing an all-black outfit. Her footsteps echoed with particular clarity in the silent room.
She sat beside Jax's bed, looking at this once arrogant and domineering man who now resembled nothing more than an empty shell.
"Jax," Ella said calmly, "I know you can hear me."
She took a photo from her bag and placed it on Jax's chest. The photo showed Evelynn and Damian together on a beach, with the little girl happily calling out "Daddy."
"Your daughter is very happy now. She has a new father, and soon she'll have a little brother or sister. Damian treats her well, a hundred times better than you, her biological father, ever did."
Ella's voice showed no emotional fluctuation, as if she were reading a weather forecast.
"Do you know what the most interesting part is? Evelynn doesn't remember you at all anymore. Yesterday Damian asked her if she wanted to meet her 'biological father,' and she asked what that meant."
The heartbeat line on the monitoring equipment showed a slight fluctuation.
Ella smiled slightly, "Oh, you can still hear me. That's good. I want you to know that Evelynn will take the Braxton surname. Damian has already started the adoption process. Legally, you will completely lose her."
She stood up and adjusted her clothes.
"Don't worry, Jax. Evelynn will grow up in a loving family, she will have the best education, the best future. And you... you no longer exist."
Ella turned and left, leaving the struggling body still in darkness.
As she walked out of the hospital, she took out her phone and sent Julian a text message: "Thorn's account has been settled. Now, it's time for the last one."
