"DO you think you've learned your lesson yet?" one of the bodyguards sneered, yanking August's hair and forcing him to meet the intense gaze of the three men towering over him.

One of them stood with crossed arms, biting his lower lip in anticipation. Another lazily dragged on his cigarette, exuding an air of indifference. 

The third squatted before August and delivered another blow, snapping August out of his thoughts.

After Bruce told them that they could do anything about him, one of the bodyguards made a powerful punch to August’s gut, causing August to cry in agonizing pain. 

Paralyzed and helpless, he was mercilessly dragged to the parking lot by the bodyguards. 

The other people didn’t care about what they would do to him, even though it would be something horrible.

Once there, the bodyguards, bored and callous, unleashed their fury on him, treating him like a human punching bag. 

August could hear their sadistic laughter and gleeful chuckles as he coughed up blood, gasping for air.

But rather than succumbing to fear, August summoned a ruthless smile and defiantly spat in the face of one of his opponents. The man recoiled, holding his cheek in disgust, his expression contorting.

"Lesson?" August sneered, his smirk unyielding. "Damn you." 

‘There’s no way I would be inferior to the people who made me horrible and hurt me when all I did was to love my girl…’ August murmured in his mind, his words trailing off as a painful realization struck him. 'Wait… She was no longer mine.'

Although he felt terrible and he wanted to be freed from these guys’ prepossession, his mind says that surrendering will not be the right thing to do. If he showed them a little fear, it would mean for him that he was at fault, even though it wasn’t the case.

"Ah, so you're asking for a severe beating, huh?" The man gripping his hair sneered, twisting his neck with a crack of bones. 

Instantly, August's agony erupted into a piercing scream as another ruthless blow struck his face, followed by a brutal kick to his already weakened knee.

The excruciating pain surged through him, leaving him grappling with the realization that his joint had been partially shattered, reducing him to tears and agonized cries, while the three men reveled in sadistic harmony.

He felt weak, not because of those people beating him to death, but because he lacked power in this moment—A power to stop whatever they were doing. 

He never dreamed of having a rich life. Believing Samantha loved him for who he was, he simply yearned for enough wealth to marry her and provide her with everything she desired.

Now, he realized how foolish those aspirations seemed. The three men took their turns hitting him, yet his mind was roaming somewhere else. 

Amidst the searing pain coursing through his body, particularly in his knee, he couldn't help but laugh.

"This is why they mock me as a pitiful commoner," he chuckled, his laughter growing louder, realizing the depths of his own downfall because by love.

He had done everything for love.

August had sacrificed his social connections, his money, and his whole being to gain Samantha’s approval. But it wasn't love at all—it was manipulation.  Samantha wanted to take him, to make him crave her love more intensely.

"This freak— How dare you laugh while we beat you?" One of the men, irritated, delivered a resounding slap, but it only fueled August's laughter further.

August felt bad for himself. Pathetic was the word that echoed within him.

"Do you still want more—"

"Stop. The boss told us not to kill him. You'll finish him off at this rate," another bodyguard intervened, pulling his companion away from August.

"You're lucky that we can't lay a finger on you after this,” August heard someone remark.

August's vision blurred, his mouth and nose tasting the metallic tang of his own blood. Breathing has never been this hard for him before.

"Never disrespect our boss and his fiancée like that again, or else..." The guard placed a threatening thumb on his neck, tracing it with a gentle yet menacing gesture.

'You're as good as dead.' August understood the unspoken message these men wished to convey before they departed, leaving him abandoned and alone.

"Fuck..." he murmured, the harsh realization sinking in that returning home was no longer an option at this point.

He was an orphan, and he doesn’t have any friends who can help him. He mustered the courage to call Samantha, though deep down, he knew what to expect. 

After two rings, the line disconnected and it was out of reach. Overwhelmed by sadness and disappointment, his body succumbed to unconsciousness.

WHEN August opened his eyes, his brows furrowed when he noticed that he was in a different place already. His eyes scanned the surroundings, quickly recognizing the sterile white environment of a hospital. 

Observing his own body, he noticed he no longer appeared pathetic—at least, not in that moment.

Attempting to move, he groaned loudly, crippled by the pain in his knee. However, it seemed his knee and other injuries had received proper medical attention. 

As this realization dawned upon him, a wave of curse words escaped his lips, knowing well that he lacked the means to pay the mounting hospital bills.

"Shit," August muttered. "Am I supposed to offer my body as payment?"

He glanced at his own form and immediately shook his head. That wouldn't suffice. Even if he tried to seduce an ant, it would have no interest in him. 

He was too poor to gain women's attention.

"You're awake." August snapped out of his thoughts as a female nurse entered the room. "How are you feeling?"

"How did I end up here?" Ignoring her question, August bombarded her with his own, causing the nurse to offer a slight smile as she halted in front of him.

“Someone brought you here, but he wanted to be anonymous,” the nurse replied, preparing an injection containing another painkiller for his knee. 

"Your bills have been taken care of," she added, gently injecting the medicine into his IV line. "All you need to do is allow us to examine you, rest until you recover, take your prescribed medications, and then you can go home."

The medicine she gave him was effective, and it would give him a painless healing for his body. It was a unique treatment not yet available in the market, but its efficacy had already been proven and tested.

"Are you certain there are no ulterior motives behind this?" August questioned, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

He couldn't decipher why someone would help him without any conditions, especially considering he was someone others wouldn't even bother to befriend. He had nothing to offer in return.

The woman didn't answer as she removed the syringe from the IV line. Tidying up her belongings, she paused for a moment, sensing August's confusion as his gaze remained fixed upon her. 

Her smile held a subtle warmth, yet she chose to remain silent. 

“Have you tried to get the real identity of that person?” August inquired, his patience waning. "And which hospital am I in?"

"Are you doubting the person who extended their help?" the nurse retorted, her expression turning into a frown. She arranged the items on her tray before speaking further. "You should be grateful, shouldn't you?"

However, August wasn't able to respond as dizziness washed over him. He didn’t feel any kind of pain anymore, but being dizzy after the nurse injected him made him feel uncomfortable.

“Don't worry. That’s a side effect of the medicine. You’ll heal in no time,” the nurse said casually. “Rest well.”

 Within seconds, August was already lost in deep sleep, his snores filling the room. 

“It’s been a while since we last saw you, young master,” was the last thing she had said before she departed, leaving the room in tranquility.