Part 1: Welcome… or Punishment?
The air of Shenzhen no longer carried its old freshness. Instead, it felt heavy—suffocating.
The moment zain was discharged from the hospital, Zain brought her straight back to the same luxurious yet ice-cold mansion.
As the massive doors opened, Anya felt as if the world behind her had been sealed forever.
Stepping inside, she realized something was wrong.
The mansion was completely empty.
The lively movement of servants, the constant footsteps, the voices—everything was gone. The silence was so deep that the echo of their shoes rang through the vast hall.
Zain walked a little slower due to his injury, yet his presence still carried the same old authority and bitterness. He stopped near the staircase and pointed toward a closed room.
"That will be your room from today," he said without turning back. "Mrs. Yan."
There was no trace of the caring smile he had worn in Beijing for his family.
The icy monster stood there again.
Anya placed her bag on the floor.
"And your room?" she asked.
Zain gestured upstairs.
"The upper floor is my private territory. Don't even dare to come near my room unless I call you myself."
Then his voice hardened even more.
"And from today, there's a new rule in this house. No cook. No cleaner. No servants. Every single household chore—from cleaning to cooking—will be done by you."
Anya froze.
"What?" Her voice trembled. "Boss, did I come here as your wife… or your maid? How can you force this on me?"
Part 2: A Golden Cage and Constant Surveillance
Zain turned slowly, an unsettling glint in his eyes. Leaning against the wall, he stepped closer to her.
"You're here on my terms," he said coldly. "Whenever I'm not home, Qian or one of my men will be stationed here. Every move you make, every breath you take—I'll know."
Raising a finger in warning, he added,
"And remember—don't even think about stepping toward my room. That place is beyond your reach."
Tears welled up in Anya's eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
"This is injustice!" she protested. "Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to deserve this?"
"To deserve this?" Zain laughed coldly.
"You were born into the Lu family, Anya. That alone is your greatest crime."
Part 3: Doors That Close After 7:30
Anya was about to say more when Zain interrupted her.
"The rules aren't over yet. You will not step outside this house without informing me. And listen carefully—after 7:30 in the evening, you must not be seen beyond the threshold of this mansion. Even a minute late… and the consequences will be ugly."
In anger and desperation, Anya tried to grab his hand.
"7:30?" she snapped. "This isn't a hostel, Boss! I'm a free human being!"
Zain yanked his hand away and locked eyes with her.
"You're not free anymore, Mrs. Yan," he said sharply.
"You are the ashes of Project Phoenix—and I've decided to keep you with me."
He turned away.
"Now go and prepare my meal. I don't like delays."
He walked upstairs, leaving Anya alone in the massive, empty hall.
She stared at her hands—the same hands that once held pencils and created designs—now meant to hold brooms and dishes.
As she stood there, it became painfully clear:
The walls of this mansion weren't made of stone.
They were built from Zain's hatred.
Chapter: The Weight of Memories and a Broken Pair of Glasses
Part 1: Zain's Solitude and Old Photographs
Leaving Anya behind, Zain climbed upstairs with heavy steps. The moment he entered his room and locked the door, the hard mask on his face cracked—just slightly.
As the lights turned on, a massive photo frame on the wall came into view.
In it, his late mother, Zhou Qi, and his little sister, Jia, were laughing brightly.
The photo was from a time before the shadow of the Lu family had fallen over their lives—when everything had been pure.
Zain's tired gaze lingered on the image. The blood rushing through his veins felt cold.
Those carefree days flashed before his eyes—days that were gone forever.
Now he was trapped in a web he himself had woven.
He opened a drawer.
Resting on velvet cloth was a broken pair of glasses.
Anya's glasses.
The very ones that had shattered the day he first imprisoned her.
Part 2: Anya's Words and Zain's Inner Conflict
Zain picked up the broken glasses, and suddenly her voice echoed in his mind—soft, defeated, whispered long ago:
"A person can forgive the whole world, Boss…
but when it comes to themselves, forgiveness becomes impossible.
Accepting yourself is harder than accepting anyone else.
One day… you will regret this."
Zain closed his eyes.
Her words hammered against his chest.
He knew what he was doing to her was cruelty.
He knew his weakness.
His weakness was that he wanted to extinguish the fire in Anya's eyes—
yet that very fire pulled him toward her.
"I know what my weakness is," he murmured to himself.
"But I can't forgive you, Anya.
Because forgiving you would mean forgetting myself… and the betrayal my family suffered."
Part 3: Anya's Helplessness and a New Struggle
Downstairs, Anya stood on the cold floor of the hall.
She looked around.
Such a grand house. Every luxury imaginable.
Yet not a single soul to speak to.
Zain had turned her into a servant.
She walked toward the kitchen.
She wasn't hungry—but Zain's command echoed in her ears.
Glancing at her wedding ring, she whispered,
"Just one year… then I'll be free."
Her eyes fell on the dishes near the sink.
A tear slipped from her eye and landed on the steel surface.
She was a renowned designer—her name should have been on billboards.
Instead, she was trapped in the cage of a man who wanted to burn her alive in his hatred.
She checked the clock on the wall.
7:00 PM.
According to Zain's rules, she had only half an hour left to even exist near the outside world—though there was no escape anyway.
Part 4: The Guard Outside the Window
Gathering courage, Anya gently pulled aside the curtain and looked outside.
Darkness had begun to settle.
At the gate stood Qian, speaking on his phone. The moment his eyes met the window, he lowered his gaze.
He sympathized with Anya—but loyalty to Zain ran in his blood.
Anya closed the curtain.
She finally understood.
This wasn't a home.
It was a modern cage.
And the most terrifying truth of all—
The man holding the key, Zain,
was himself imprisoned…
by his memories.