Chapter 2

My brother's hands never stopped moving.

Carefully, he tried to separate the skin of my face from my thighs.

I knew he was trying to identify the body through facial features.

But he didn't know my face had been slashed beyond recognition before I died.

No matter how skilled his hands were, he couldn't restore it completely.

Yet my brother refused to give up.

I knew his passion for his profession had always been greater than his love for me.

He once told Sera with a smile that being a forensic was the most sacred calling in the world.

Sera nodded and agreed to his face, but behind his back, she mocked him in front of me. She said it was unlucky disgusting to touch bloodshed and violence every day.

I was so angry that I slapped her. But when Damine learnt that I hit Sera, he thought I was being jealous again.

He forced me to the ground and made me recite a public apology to the pack for dishonoring Sera.

He said:

"If Sera's parents hadn't died saving you, would you even be here to bully their daughter? How can you be so selfish! How can the Ashwood family have such an ungrateful person?"

But now, my brother said:

"So young. What a waste."

My brother changed into a fresh pair of gloves and unbuttoned my shirt.

With a soft "click," the cord around my neck broke.

An amulet fell onto the examination table.

This was something I'd worn against my skin always. I'd kowtowed to the rogues a hundred times to keep it.

Because this was what my brother had crafted for me at great expense when I was a hundred days old. He'd climbed ten mountains to the Moon Goddess statue to pray for my blessing.

It was meant to protect me for a lifetime of peace, safety, and longevity.

Engraved on it was the "Jo" from my name, Jocelyn.

I couldn't help but feel hopeful.

If brother looked closely, he would recognize it was mine.

Sure enough, I saw surprise flash in his eyes.

But before he could examine it further, his phone rang, interrupting him.

Seeing the caller ID, he immediately stripped off his gloves and answered the video call.

On the screen, Sera's voice was soft and sweet.

"Brother, when are you coming home? I suddenly really want to eat the Black Forest cake you make."

My brother's voice held a warmth and indulgence I'd never heard before.

"Alright, once I finish things here, I'll come right back and make it for you. Little glutton."

"I knew you're the best, brother!"

Sera giggled, then her tone shifted.

"By the way, brother, have you found Jocelyn yet? I remember she loved your cakes too. If she comes back and sees the cake, she'll be so happy."

She hated me with every fiber of her being.

She'd stolen everything from me. Even the rogues who killed me were lured here by her.

Yet in front of everyone, she remained the perfect adopted daughter—kind, generous, always thinking of her "sister."

Sure enough, before my brother could answer, a cold male voice I knew down to my bones cut in.

"Good riddance she's not here. Saves you from being bullied by her. You're too kind, why even think about her? She's selfish and stubborn. If she doesn't want to come home, let her die out there for all I care."

It was my fiancé, Rowan Ashwood，the Alpha candidate of Stormfang Pack.

The man who once swore he'd love me forever.

The shot of the video call shifted slightly, revealing Rowan's handsome but cold face.

He reached out and naturally pulled Sera into his arms, looking at her with undisguised affection.

"A month ago, when rogues invaded the pack, my heart was pierced by a silver arrow. I needed a heart transplant to survive. She said she'd give me her heart without hesitation. And then what?"

"The moment she heard about the surgery risks and the expensive ongoing treatment, she stole the money I'd saved for the operation and disappeared without a trace! If you hadn't secretly given me your heart, Sera, how could I still be alive?"

He lowered his head, gazing tenderly at Sera in his arms, his voice dripping with gentleness.

"Sera, don't waste your energy on someone like that. I've found a new heart donor source. Until then, I'll get you the best moonstone-enhanced artificial heart in the world. You'll be fine, I promise."

Sera nestled in his arms, her cheeks flushed with a shy blush.

"Rowan and Damine, as long as you're both healthy and safe, I don't care what happens to me."

I bit my lip hard.

Ghosts have no tears, but my chest throbbed with wave after wave of pain.

That heart was mine too.

I knew they hated me.

Hated me for disappearing when my brother's cornea was degenerating and he needed a family member's match most.

Hated me for running away with the money when Rowan's heart was failing and his life hung by a thread.

But they didn't know.

It was me who donated my heart despite the risk of complications, then gave my brother a cornea too.

It was me who insisted on saving them.

And when I came out of the hospital half-blind with a moonstone artificial heart, I faced two people who despised me to their core.

My brother looked at my bandaged eye and sneered.

"You'd rather fool around and lose an eye than do a compatibility test for your own brother? Not that I want it anyway!"

"Now you finally come back? When will you be half as sensible as Sera! She saved both me and Rowan."

He pointed at me with disgust. "Look at yourself now. Are you done making trouble? This is your last chance. Get home now. Next time, no one will tolerate you."

Rowan looked at my weakened state like I was trash, turning away in revulsion.

"Get away from us, you slut! Playing around with other men until you look like this—you have the nerve to show your face to me and Sera? Disgusting."

They both despised me.

So now that I'm dead, lying here silently, they must be thrilled, right?