Chapter 1

After I heard the conversation Miles Blackwood had with his friend, Bjorn Nolan, I pretty much had to lean against the wall for support to keep myself upright.

"Cassidy's lost so much because of you. She nearly died and was almost trafficked for… Anyway, you should treat her better," Bjorn said.

Miles was quiet for a while. Then, he said, "Yeah. I've actually been searching for her these past few years."

He fell silent briefly before continuing, "I admit I was reckless with the surgery back then. But since I've hurt her, it's only right that I take care of her now. It's my way of atoning."

"Then why are you planning to implant her with that newly developed artificial kidney that hasn't even been released to the market yet? Is it really worth it to do so much for Claudia? You even give Claudia all the credit for the institute's research achievements."

"She's the reason why I'm doing all this. I'm willing to give my all to see that she succeeds. No one else matters to me."

Miles spoke with such resoluteness.

"Besides, Cassidy's just a sickly woman. What could she possibly know? She's still under the impression that she's my fiancee! If the artificial kidney ends up being compatible with her, consider that my way of making it up to her. I'd even be giving her a chance at contributing to mankind!"

Bjorn sighed. "In the state that she's in, do you really think that she'd be able to pull through the procedure? What if something goes wrong? You'll regret it!"

The conversation went on, but all of a sudden, I couldn't hear them anymore. My brain seemed to have shut down, and all I heard was a buzzing in my ears. An excruciating pain came over me.

I thought that I'd have died there. But in that split second, I suddenly recalled everything.

I was the only daughter of the Swanson family in Oakbrook, and I'd gone missing years ago.

I had put up with the pain and made it here to tell Miles that I'd like to go home for a bit. I never expected to learn the cruel truth.

As I propped myself up against the wall, vertigo came over me. All the memories that I'd lost flashed before my eyes, and the more I recalled them, the more I felt pain taking over my entire being.

How could I have ever believed that Miles truly cared for me?

Ever since he took me in, he personally took care of everything down to the smallest detail. He made me feel warmth, and most importantly, he made me believe, without a doubt, that he truly loved me.

Every day, he'd watch me take my medication. Then, after I was done, he'd give me a candy.

When he saw the scars I got as a result of a dog attack in the past, he'd kiss them ever so tenderly and whisper softly, "This is all my fault. I was the one who lost you. But you need not be afraid anymore, Cassie. Consider this your badge of honor."

I was moved by his reassuring words. I told myself I had to get better, so I could spend the rest of my life with him. But deep down, I always felt like I didn't deserve any of this.

How could someone like me—cast aside, forced to wash dishes to survive, and nearly trafficked to bear children for strangers—ever be good enough for Miles, who was a promising young researcher?

But the funny thing was, even though I no longer remembered him, I couldn't help but fall for him again the moment I set my eyes on him.

However, I finally saw the truth once those memories returned. He was the reason why I was in such a state!

And now, he hadn't brought me back to make amends. He had only brought me back because he needed a test subject for the artificial kidney project.

And those pills he watched me take so closely weren't to heal me. Instead, they were to prepare me for surgery.

All the tenderness he showed me had all been for his stepsister, Claudia Summers. He chose to harm me once again, just as he had four years ago.

Those seemingly sweet memories resurfaced and crushed me just as I began to feel at peace.

Just then, the door to the bedroom swung open.

Claudia walked out dressed in a set of casual loungewear. Her hair cascaded lazily over her shoulders, and she still had tell-tale marks of their passion from the day before left on her neck.

When she saw Bjorn, she smiled shyly and threw herself into Miles' arms.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were having a friend over, Miles?"

She pouted in his embrace but couldn't help stealing a quick glance at Bjorn.

Miles pulled her onto his lap, closing the gap between them.

"Ah, right, how's that bitch's condition? The surgery's scheduled for tomorrow."

Miles raised a brow and said, "I'm monitoring her every day. Tonight's the final preparation. I'll make sure that she's on the operating table tomorrow."

"Good. I've already got them to set everything up."

Miles sounded very confident, like he had everything under control and couldn't wait to get the experiment over and done with.

Claudia turned to look at Bjorn with a thoughtful expression.

"You're Miles' friend. You won't tell Cassidy about this, will you?"

Bjorn simply let out a stiff chuckle, looking very uneasy. But ultimately, he said nothing and only nodded.

Before Claudia could say another word, Miles pulled her close and kissed her. It wasn't until Claudia's breathing became labored and she gently pushed him away that they let go of each other.

She covered her face and slapped Miles lightly on the arm. "How could you do that?"

He smiled and settled comfortably into the couch. "Do what? Which part of you have I not kissed? You can't even handle this much? Should we take this back into the bedroom instead?"

"You jerk!"

As their playful banter went on, I was left devastated.