Natalie didn't say another word to Lillian. She raised the chainsaw, then pulled the cord. Lillian jolted, her whole body tensing. She'd been putting on a brave face this whole time, acting like death didn't scare her. But now, with that deafening roar and the spinning teeth getting closer, she was terrified. The closer the blade got, the harder it was to breathe. The fear of death clung to her like a second skin. Finally, she broke. Her voice cracked as she screamed, "I was wrong! I was wrong! Nat, please! Please don't kill me! Please, I'm begging you!" Natalie looked down and let out a sharp, mocking laugh. Yellow liquid was slowly pooling beneath Lillian. "You know, your daughter had more spine than you," she sneered. And with that, she swung the chainsaw down. The air filled with a wet, gurgling scream as steel met flesh. A moment later, Lillian's eyes fluttered open in a haze of pain and shock. She was ... still alive? Natalie's voice cut through the ringing in her ears, thick with scorn. "What? You freaked out that bad over losing an arm?" That brush with death was enough to completely break her composure. The fear was worse now, much worse. Through her sobbing, Lillian begged again, "Please let me go ... Please ... Please ... " Natalie kicked her hard. "Shut up." Then she took the other arm. Lillian's screams echoed down the hall as blood splattered the floor.Natalie didn't stop. Calmly, almost conversationally, she asked, "Hey, Lillian. Ever heard of a ‘living husk'?" The screaming stopped instantly. Lillian froze, and her mind blanked. She didn't feel the pain in her shoulders anymore, just pure horror. Of course she knew what that meant. Legend had it that in the old empire, one empress punished her husband's mistress with this exact method. After her husband's death, she had the concubine's hands, feet, nose, eyes, tongue—everything—cut off, leaving behind nothing but a limbless stump of a person. Then she tossed her into a latrine to die slowly in agony. Lillian was nearly scared to death. Terror overtook her. She sobbed and begged, "Don't, please! Natalie, just make it quick! Kill me, I'm begging you!" Natalie didn't answer. She simply revved the chainsaw again and brought it down toward Lillian's right leg. "Aaahhhhh—!" Lillian was barely breathing between screams. "You ... you're a monster ... Your man's right outside, and he can hear everything! What kind of man would ever love a heartless bitch like you?" She was desperate, trying to plant doubt, to drive a wedge. She screamed louder, hoping the man outside would realize the girl he thought was beautiful ... was actually a ruthless killer. But then a calm, deep male voice replied from nearby, "Sorry. A ruthless beauty is exactly my type." Natalie froze for a second, blinking in surprise. She turned toward the voice and saw Cassian, leaning casually against the doorway—arms crossed, like he'd been there for a while. He gave her a crooked smile and said, "I was watching from the hall. Just in case you needed backup."Of course, what he didn't mention was that he was also slightly mesmerized by her. His fiancée—fierce, deadly, beautiful—was putting on quite the show. Lillian, barely clinging to life, felt her last shred of hope die right then and there. Was this guy insane? What kind of man liked a woman like this? I'm the one getting my arms and legs sawed off! What the hell would she be losing? What, was he worried she might get tired from killing me? But Cassian wasn't done. With gentle concern in his voice, he added, "You've been killing all day. Don't wear yourself out. If you get tired, I'll take over." That chainsaw was heavy and dangerous. Natalie hadn't slept well the night before, worrying over the three little ones. Then she'd been on her feet all day. Cassian was worried she might make a mistake if she pushed herself too hard. Natalie shook her head. "I'm fine. Just wait a little longer, I'll be done soon." Cassian glanced at her and reminded, "Be careful." Then he added with a small smile, "When we get back, I'll give you a massage. Help you unwind." Lillian was speechless. Oh wow. Thanks so much for the romantic moment while I'm literally being dismembered. Natalie kept working without a word, focused and efficient. It didn't take long before she finally stopped. By now, Lillian had no arms, no legs, her ears sliced off, and her eyes stabbed blind. She was nothing but a mutilated torso, lying helpless on the floor. She was in so much pain that her mind had gone numb. No more screaming. No more begging. Just a faint, broken whisper repeated over and over again. "Kill me ... please, just kill me ... " Natalie clicked her tongue. "Wow. Lotta requests. Weren't you just begging me not to kill you like five minutes ago?"Then, with a sigh, she leaned down and sliced out Lillian's tongue. Finally—silence. Natalie grabbed Lillian by the hair, dragged her across the floor, and found an empty room. She flung her into the bathroom. The labor camp's women had been kept like animals—no working toilets, no plumbing. They'd been forced to use the bathtub for everything: pissing, shitting, vomiting. Natalie dumped what was left of Lillian right into that foul, reeking tub. Just before letting go, she made sure to leave her head above the surface, just enough so she could breathe. Letting her drown right away would've been too merciful. This was better. Let her rot in the dark—blind, deaf, mute—unable to move, unable to cry for help. Let her sit there, minute after minute, second after second, trapped in filth and her own mind, begging for a death that would never come quickly enough. Natalie stood there for a moment, staring down at the living corpse. Then she murmured, "Too bad ... you'll only get to experience this hell for half a day at most."