Chapter 1

Even with a door between us, their little lovefest was painfully loud.

Nancy sighed, all sugar and seduction. "Mateo, touch my face. Do I look pretty? Just like before?"

Mateo practically melted. "Nancy, you've always been beautiful. Don't ever do this again. Even a tiny injection kills me, let alone surgery."

Joffrey, not about to be left out, cut in. "Why just Mateo? If it weren't for my plan, you wouldn't have even gotten the right blood."

Nancy huffed. "I only want Mateo to touch me. At least he's loyal. Not like someone who 'loves' me but still got engaged to another woman."

Joffrey didn't flinch. He coaxed her. "She was just a tool for you. You know you're the only one I love."

Nancy pouted, milking it. "But you still agreed to marry her. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have been disfigured. And yet, you still went through with the engagement."

Joffrey just laughed, kissing her deep, like this was all some big joke. "That was a stalling tactic. That's why we acted before the wedding. Now that the old hag's dead, Lori's too messed up to even think about marriage. I even gave you that necklace made from her rib—so don't be mad."

Nancy traced her nose, murmuring, "That's true. If it weren't for Lori's rib, I wouldn't have this perfect nose."

Then, like she hadn't just bragged about wearing my bones, she blinked all innocent. "But Lori gave you her rib. She must really love you. If she knew how you treated her, she'd be heartbroken."

Mateo pulled Nancy into his arms, nuzzling her affectionately. "You're too kind, still thinking about Lori after everything. This is just what she owes you. Not just her rib or her blood—if she died, that'd just be karma."

Their words cut like knives.

My fingers shook against the doorframe, tears slipping down my face.

So this was the truth. My love for Joffrey, my devotion to my mother—none of it had ever mattered. I'd only ever been a stepping stone.

Two days ago, I lost my baby from too much blood loss. Now, hearing this, a fresh wave of pain tore through my stomach.

Through the haze, I saw my mom on the operating table.

That day had been a blur. Her blood type was rare, and no one at the hospital dared touch her case. So, even pregnant, I gave as much blood as I could.

But just as the surgery was about to start, the on-call doctor vanished.