The Bride He Broke

On the three thousandth day of loving Adrian Pierce, he sent me to a psychiatric hospital.

They tortured me, brainwashed me, stitched womens dresses onto my body, and whispered in my ear over and over, Julian Hale, youre just a filthy freak who likes men.

On the night I left the psychiatric hospital, Adrian Pierce shoved me into a closet and made me listen to him in bed.

Through the crack, I could see him tangled with a famous female model on the bed.

Their pale bodies twisted together, and I had no idea how many times I had seen scenes like that in the psychiatric hospital.

They would force me in front of a projector, play scenes of men and women having sex over and over, force me to feel aroused by those images, and force me to imagine myself in the womans place.

Julian Hale, youre just a filthy freak.

I curled up inside the closet and clamped my hands over my ears, but those words still slipped in together with Adrian Pierces low gasps.

I could not react, and I did not dare react.

Once I showed any obvious arousal, those people would lay wet sheets of paper over my face layer by layer, forcing my body to stop responding through the terror of suffocating to death, torturing me back and forth like that until they finally ruined me.

That familiar suffocating feeling returned, and I clawed wildly at my face in terror.

But there was clearly nothing on my face, and this kind of torment had nearly driven my mind to collapse.

I made quite a bit of noise inside the closet.

The sounds on the bed stopped, the closet door was yanked open, and blinding light shot in.

I instinctively raised my arm to shield my face, my whole body trembling.

Adrian Pierce dragged me out of the closet, crouched half-naked in front of me, and looked at me.

Why are you so scared? His voice was very low, and the pad of his finger rubbed over my face. I only wanted you to learn. I wasnt making things difficult for you.

He said it so naturally, so casually.

The person I had loved for ten years felt so unfamiliar that he made me afraid.

Seeing me tremble, he pressed me into his arms to comfort me. Julian, I know you love me.

But I like women, so if you love me, you have to become a woman.

When he received no response from me, he pulled me out of his arms again.

Julian, look at me. Adrian Pierce pinched my chin and lifted it.

I resisted his touch with everything in me, but he held me too tightly, and I could not break free.

No I met his gaze. I dont want to become a woman.

I had been a man since the day I was born, and Adrian Pierce did not love me at all; he only loved himself.

Adrian Pierces eyes darkened, and the gentleness on his face faded away.

His tone carried dissatisfaction. Then how am I supposed to introduce you in the future? I love you so much, and when were together someday and I take you to important banquets, how am I supposed to introduce you?

If I only say youre my friend, youll be unhappy too, wont you?

Julian, Im doing this for your own good too.

For my own good?

Was that true?

My head felt so heavy, so heavy that I could no longer think.

Adrian Pierce lifted me from the floor, looked at the woman on the bed who had not yet recovered from the afterglow, and said coldly, Get out. Dont stay here and be an eyesore.

When he placed me on the bed, Adrian Pierce touched my hair with an unreadable expression.

Julian, were not in a hurry. You can think slowly, consider it slowly, and I can keep waiting for you.

The lingering warmth on the large bed pressed against my palm, and I shifted uncomfortably, only to touch a damp spot.

This bed was so dirty.

Adrian Pierce held me tightly in his arms, his breathing steady and even, but I did not feel sleepy at all.

In the dark night, the trauma left by the abuse in the psychiatric hospital flared up.

I looked at Adrian Pierces sleeping face and traced his brows and eyes with my gaze.

Why did you make me suffer so much?

After a sleepless night, the first thing Adrian Pierce did when he woke was kiss my forehead.

You woke up so early? His voice carried the laziness of just waking up, and then he stared at me. Julian is so beautiful.

Our Julian is the prettiest little girl in the whole world.

Adrian Pierce began raising me like a woman.

He made me grow out my hair, wear dresses, and trained my every move.

Sometimes when I looked in the mirror, I would even fall into a daze, unable to find even the slightest trace of my former self in the reflection.

Before Adrian Pierce sent me to the psychiatric hospital, I had moved through the business world with confidence and high spirits.

And now

I touched the hair that already fell to my shoulders and began to doubt whether everything from before had only been my imagination.

I was not willing to accept this, and I refused to be kept like a pet.

I was not a freak who willingly degraded himself.

The emotions suppressed in my chest erupted, and with my eyes red, I dug out the scissors that had been hidden away.

I cut my shoulder-length hair into a ragged mess, as if I had also cut the rope strangling my neck and finally gained a little room to breathe.

What are you doing! Adrian Pierce questioned me in suppressed anger.

He gripped my wrist, looked at my short hair, and the disgust in his eyes could not be hidden.

Julian Hale, why would you cut your hair when everything was perfectly fine? What kind of girl is as rebellious as you?

His grip hurt badly, but compared with being trampled and cursed while someone ground their foot into my lower body, it was nothing at all.

I looked straight at him. Im a man, Adrian Pierce! Im a man, and I will never become a girl!

Adrian Pierces anger calmed, and he stayed silent for a long time.

Julian, youre sick. His voice was so weak and pained, and his eyes were filled with sorrow that would not dissolve.

I did not know what he was talking about, because the sick person was clearly him.

But if he said I was sick, then I was sick.

I began to become muddled and dazed.

Of course, I was pretending.

I still did not believe those absurd facts I had seen.

I was absolutely certain that both physically and mentally, I was completely male.

Adrian Pierce had been very busy lately, coming and going in a hurry.

When he had no time to deal with me, that was the best chance for me to escape.

I did not know where I could run, and if Adrian Pierce, with his overwhelming power and connections, caught me, I had no idea what would happen to me.

I could not go home for now, because if my family was dragged into this too, I would regret it to death.

After I left that disgusting villa, even the air outside felt free.

I rushed to the police station without stopping.

As long as I reported it to the police, I refused to believe they could not uncover Adrian Pierces crimes, and I refused to believe he would not end up behind bars.

Officer! I want to file a report. Someone has illegally imprisoned me! I was gasping for breath.

The officers took it very seriously and immediately asked me what exactly had happened.

After I told them everything, their expressions became complicated.

A bad premonition flashed through my heart, and my hands on my legs clenched tightly into fists.

Whats wrong, officer? I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, looking at them anxiously.

A female officer came to my side to calm me down. Its nothing. Please dont panic. Well handle this matter.

But I did not feel reassured at all, and instead I grabbed her wrist.

I was just about to say something when I heard the female officer add another sentence.

Relax. Nothing will happen.

Ms. Hale.

In that instant, all the blood in my body went cold.

When I had first come in, I had been too nervous, and although I had tried hard to calm down and stay rational, my words had still been incoherent.

I had even forgotten to tell them my name.

How do you know my last name is Hale! Im a man! My emotions became uncontrollably agitated again.

The officers took turns comforting me, hoping I could calm down.

I stood up and tried to leave without another word.

But when I turned around, I saw Adrian Pierces hateful face.

Im sorry, officers. My wife isnt in a very good mental state, and shes caused you trouble. He put on a dignified, guilty act and handed the documents in his hand to the police. This is my wifes hospitalization certificate.

It turned out that as early as the moment I stepped out of the villa, Adrian Pierce had called the police before me.

He said his wife had a severe mental illness and had gone missing.

He said his wife was named Julian Hale, and every day she imagined that he imprisoned her and hurt her.

Thats not true. What hes saying isnt true. I cried from anxiety and wanted to say something to the officers, but Adrian Pierce pressed me into his arms before I could, leaving me unable to make a sound.

His voice was full of exhaustion and worry, and it even carried a sob. You have no idea how worried I was about you

His fake display of deep affection made me nauseous, so disgusting that goose bumps rose all over my body.

After a detailed verification, the officers finally allowed him to take me away.

All I could say was that Adrian Pierce had already prepared every response, and he had done it flawlessly.

He touched my messy hair. Ill take you home.

Home?

What home? Home where?

Did that villa deserve to be called my home?

Adrian Pierce lowered his head to look at me. Back to your home. Since you dont believe me, Ill take you home to see.

Dont worry. Even if youre sick, Ill help you take good care of your parents, Julian. I definitely will.

Ever since I left the psychiatric hospital, he had kept me imprisoned here, and I had heard no news from the outside world at all.

When Adrian Pierce said something like that, wasnt he threatening me with my parents?

My parents I had disappeared for so long, and I did not know how worried they must have been.

After we entered my family home, before I could call for my parents, I saw a young man about my age carrying dishes from the kitchen to the dining room.

Youre back, Jules? Perfect timing. Go wash up and come eat.