Chapter 2

"Force him down onto the floor and make him think about what he's done until he agrees to the donation.

"Nobody is allowed to let him up, and he doesn't get a single drop of water or a bite of food without my permission."

The bodyguards obeyed Tessa’s instructions instantly, shoving me down and pinning me hard against the floor.

Inside the room, Levi watched my miserable state, a smug, triumphant smirk curling the corners of his lips.

Meanwhile, my own biological father turned his head away in sheer disgust, looking at me as if I were something vile and filthy.

Levi's smile only grew more arrogant.

He cleared his throat and let out a tiny whine of pain.

The moment he did, Tessa's blazing fury vanished, instantly replaced by a sickening tenderness.

She smoothly peeled back the blankets and reached inside to gently massage Levi's lower back.

"Just hold on a little longer, Levi," she cooed. "Once the transplant is done, you'll never have to hurt again."

My dad eagerly rushed over, serving him water and fussing over him like a servant.

I lowered my head, fighting desperately to swallow down the bitter, burning acid rising in my throat.

Yet my tears still betrayed me, spilling down my face.

…

Six years ago, Levi didn't exist in my world.

Back then, my parents were devoted to each other, and our family was happy.

Tessa and I were deeply in love, our relationship rock solid.

Then, on the day of our wedding, Levi burst through the doors brandishing his biological mother's cancer diagnosis, dropping to the floor, begging my dad to divorce my mom to fulfill a dying woman's final wish.

Just as I thought Levi was nothing more than an unhinged lunatic, my father packed up and walked away with him.

That day, my wedding turned into a catastrophic circus.

My dad brought Levi and his mother straight into our home.

The very first thing he said to my mother was that he wanted a divorce.

When she refused, my dad locked her in the basement to starve her into submission.

A fire broke out in that basement, and my mother was burned alive.

Every single piece of evidence pointed directly to Levi, who had been wandering around in the middle of the night.

Instead of investigating, my dad destroyed every piece of evidence and coldly warned me to never lay a hand on my own brother.

The flames that devoured that basement burned away the very last shred of love I had left for my father.

At the funeral, Tessa held me tight, swearing she would help me get revenge.

At first, she kept that promise.

She secretly splashed cold water on Levi and put tacks inside his shoes.

Whenever Levi and I came to blows, she tossed aside her polished manners and jumped in to help me beat him back.

As time passed, however, the hatred in her eyes when she looked at Levi gradually gave way to something resembling admiration.

Her tone toward him changed, too, shifting from harsh contempt to a soft, patronizing pity.

"Levi is really innocent in all of this," she would say.

"Why take out the sins of the older generation on him?

"Aiden, your mom is already gone. Can't you just let go of your hatred?"

I brushed her words aside, foolishly believing she was just being too kind-hearted for her own good.

That was until Levi texted intimate, private photos of Tessa straight to my phone, gloating about how amazing she was in bed.

That night, I grabbed a kitchen knife, ready to drag him down to hell with me.

Just as I raised my arm to strike, Tessa lunged forward and shoved me away with all her might.

I tripped over the edge of the balcony and plunged straight down into the black ocean.

I struck a jagged rock and lost my memory.

Surviving by the shore was a waking nightmare.

I had no idea who I was, and I certainly didn't know how to fish.

I survived on scraps, picking at discarded fish bones just to keep starvation at bay.

The limp in my right leg was a souvenir from a fishing trip where a shark had nearly torn it clean off.

The memory slammed into me like a physical blow, snapping me back to reality as I gasped for air.

The lights overhead were blindingly bright.

Without me noticing, Tessa had slipped back into the room.

She crouched beside me, holding out a steaming bowl of broth.

"You haven't eaten all day," she murmured softly. "You must be starving."

For a split second, hearing those words made me foolishly hope that the old Tessa, the girl who used to love me with her whole heart, had finally come back.