Chapter 3

Yolanda's clouded eyes welled with tears that looked like weeping blood.

"But Zachary… He was dragged into the machinery… and shredded to death!"

Mildred stood back up and dusted off her hands disdainfully. "Nice excuse, but where's his body if he's dead. I have to give you credit, though. You've all been so patient to play along with his little drama."

She turned away and refused to spare another glance at Yolanda and Mabel on the floor.

Just then, her phone rang. A soft, gentle voice came through the speaker, carrying a hint of grievance.

"Mildred, is Zachary still refusing to show up? My heart has been hurting even more these past two days."

Mildred's expression changed drastically at that. She rushed out of the shack and patiently soothed Orion Gifford on the other end of the line.

"Don't be scared, Orion. I'm on my way back right now."

At the door, she turned and barked an order at the bodyguards. "Keep a close eye on these two. Don't let them leave."

With that, she strode away.

Floating in the air, I followed her back to the villa to see the pale-faced Orion sitting on the couch. When he saw Mildred walk through the door, his eyes welled with tears.

"How did it go? Did you find Zachary?"

Mildred shook her head helplessly.

As a cyborg built by the Gifford family at the cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, Orion was capable of shedding tears just like a human. Right now, teardrops rolled out of his mechanical eyes.

"I gave him my mechanical heart that could last 100 years, but he intentionally tampered with his human heart just to hurt me."

He looked up, looking as pitiful as a kicked puppy. "I don't know what I did wrong, Mildred."

Mildred felt terribly sorry for him. "Don't worry. Even if he runs to the ends of the Earth, I'll surely bring him back. He's the one at fault here. I'll force his head down and make him apologize to you."

Watching from the sidelines, I laughed bitterly.

My heart had been perfectly healthy. Years ago, all Orion had to do was remark that he wanted to feel the warmth of a real human body, and Mildred had forced me to give him my heart.

From beginning to end, I never had a choice.

I was fully conscious when they cut it out of me and watched with my own eyes as they placed it in Orion's chest, beating anew in a cyborg's body. I had never done anything to tamper with my heart.

Mildred's voice snapped me back to reality. She frowned as if I were the insensible one.

"He actually got people to lie for him and claimed the mechanical heart I gave him failed. I send him so much money every month just to keep it charged, and he comes up with such a ridiculous lie!"

The more she spoke, the angrier she got.

"And he even owed money to loan sharks, all to support an intellectually disabled woman he calls his sister. When this goes to court, I'll make him cough up every dollar of his living allowance."

Orion quickly echoed her. "You were so kind to him, Mildred. How could he replace you with someone else?"

He leaned his head against her shoulder to comfort her, but a strange, unnatural glint flashed in his eyes.

Just then, Mildred's phone rang. She picked it up and found that it was the bodyguards calling.

"The two women are doing something strange, Ms. Gifford."

Mildred bolted to her feet. "Great! Zachary, you're finally willing to show yourself, aren't you?"

When I followed her back to the factory, the bodyguards led her to an open area, where we could see Yolanda and Mabel from a distance.

They were kneeling on the ground, bowing and praying for my soul. Their foreheads struck the stone slabs so hard they left smears of blood behind.

Mabel held something high above her head with sacred reverence. The sun caught the object and reflected a bright, blinding white light.

It was the slider bracelet I had worn for years.

Mildred rushed forward and snatched it, but Mabel gripped it with all her might. "This is Zach's, not for the bad guys! I'm not giving it to you!"

Mildred yanked it twice, but it wouldn't budge. Her face turned livid as she stared into Mabel's eyes and threatened, "I know you're nearby, Zachary Gifford. Do you have the heart to watch this idiot suffer?"