Chapter 1

“Ah!”

My brother’s screams tore through the room, each one piercing my heart like a knife.

The man responsible, Samuel Finley, lounged casually on the sofa, idly stroking a small white cat in his hands. His voice was calm, almost lazy, as he spoke.

“Still refusing to contact your dear sister?”

“You know, I have at least a hundred ways to deal with you…”

Samuel’s men tossed my brother to the floor like a broken doll. His battered body hit the ground with a sickening thud.

Face contorted in pain, he muttered weakly, “Della... Della is already gone.”

Samuel let out a cruel laugh.

“Still lying to me?

“I was willing to show you a little mercy for old times’ sake, but you seem to prefer the hard way.

“Fine. Hit him again!”

My brother’s cries of agony filled the room, each one shredding what remained of my resolve. I wanted to rush forward, to throw myself between him and his tormentors—but I was trapped, forced to stay by Samuel’s side as a ghost.

Even as he suffered, my brother’s voice was steady. “I’m telling the truth... Della is gone.”

A sharp meow suddenly broke through the air. Samuel grabbed the white cat by the scruff of its neck, his piercing gaze colder than ice.

“Not planning to confess? Let’s see how you like a little electric therapy.”

My brother’s body convulsed as the shock coursed through him. He lost control, wetting himself, white foam forming at the corners of his mouth.

However, Samuel wasn’t done. He stood, discarding the cat as if it were a mere prop, and approached my brother. His tone was almost amused, but his words carried venom.

“Are you refusing to tell me because you’re afraid I’ll track down Della and make her pay?”

Samuel chuckled softly twice, and then his face hardened.

“She’s just a two-faced woman. I don’t have the time to deal with her right now.

“If it weren’t for Sophie being sick—and only Della being able to save her—I wouldn’t care where she went!”

Three years had passed. Samuel still hated me.

I met him during our freshman year. Over time, we grew closer, and eventually, he confessed his feelings. We became a couple.

Everyone said we were a perfect match.

However, fate had other plans. On the day of our engagement, Samuel was in an accident and lost his sight.

The doctors warned that if he missed the window for a cornea transplant, he might never see again.

Samuel tried to pretend it wasn’t a big deal, but I knew better. When I wasn’t around, he panicked like a lost child.

At night, he dreamed of regaining his vision. Sometimes, I would catch him silently crying. It broke my heart.

Ignoring my mother’s and brother’s protests, I donated my cornea to him.

I didn’t expect to develop an infection after the surgery. I didn’t expect to die.

In my final days, I begged my family not to tell Samuel the truth—that I had died.

“Tell him I didn’t want to burden him. Say I’ve gone abroad to study.”

I asked my closest friend, Jaden Quinn, to erase all traces of my hospitalization. Though Jaden thought it unfair, he respected my wishes.

I believed death meant disappearing completely, but I was wrong.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself still by Samuel’s side.

I hadn’t expected Sophie, Samuel’s childhood friend, to lie.

She claimed she had donated her cornea to him.

Later, she developed a severe heart condition.

The only surgeon in the world who could perform the transplant was me.

Samuel—driven by hate and desperation—would stop at nothing to force me to save his precious childhood sweetheart.