I bent down, picked up a shard of the broken remote, and drew it across my arm without hesitation.


    It happened fast. After a slight sting, a thin line opened, and blood began seeping out. It trickled down my arm and dripped onto the floor.


    Zion froze, looking stunned. Only after several drops of blood hit the ground did he snap out of it, shouting, "Hudson, what are you doing? Are you hurting yourself?"


    Selena, too, realized what I had done. She grabbed my arm, her eyes filled with fear, though she quickly rxed. She saw it was just a shallow cut on my skin, not my veins.


    I never told them, but I once had a mild depression.


    Bing a CEO was as grueling and demanding. There was high pressure and an insane amount of tasks, long hours, difficult clients, troublesome subordinates, and unreachable goals. Each of these issues pierced my heart like needles.


    I often sat on the stairs during that dark period, contemting my life. Was this all there was to it? Why were there so many schemes and deceptions in this world?


    I had considered ending it all so that I didn''t have to suffer anymore. But in the end, I always gave up on those thoughts.


    Every time, the image of Selena woulde to mind, shing before my eyes. My will to live was rekindled by looking at her pictures and thinking about what she said to me. In those moments, life was worth fighting for again.


    The world was a mess, but at least I still had Selena.


    But I never expected that she, too, would betray me and our love.


    When I found out about her and Zion, I was pushed to the edge again. I would even hurt myself back then to numb the pain.


    But fortunately, I met Sylvia afterward. If Selena had been my first ray of sunlight, Sylvia was my second, one that chased away the darkness Selena had left behind.


    So, I needed to find a way to get back to her. I needed to see Sylvia again.


    When Zion saw my injury, despite his reluctance, he went to find a doctor after Selena told him to.


    Selena picked up a towel and tried to clean my wound, but I grabbed it from her hand and tossed it to the floor. I didn''t need her kindness.


    "Hudson, what are you doing? Hurting yourself won''t do anything. It only injures you. It won''t affect anyone else," she said angrily.


    "Yes, it hurts me physically, but isn''t it a pain in your heart as well?" I smirked, looking at her with satisfaction.


    I was betting on her feelings for me. As long as she still loved me, if she felt a pang of sympathy, perhaps she would let me go.


    A little pain was a small price to pay if it meant I could go back.