Chapter 1

Robin hesitated, then said, "Then let Dr. Foster continue treating his hands, at least. Ever since he learned there is still hope that his hands might recover, he has seemed much better. It's hard seeing him so beaten down..."

"No." Magnolia hurled the file in her hand at him. Her voice was low, but the anger in it was unmistakable. "This is your fault. You were the one who gave him that ridiculous hope! I told you to keep the information about that rehab treatment sealed, so how did he find out anyway?!"

Robin stood there without moving. "You're tormenting your own husband for a man you'll never be with. Are you really sure you won't regret this? Besides, Dr. Foster is one of the hospital's best doctors! His reputation is one of the things keeping this hospital afloat.

"You killed his older sister and ruined him, and that still was not enough? Now, you're even willing to destroy the hospital's reputation for Quinton?"

A flash of pain crossed Magnolia's expression before she sank back into the leather chair. "I promised Quin I would make him the best doctor in the hospital. He'll never feel secure unless Kayden is completely destroyed."

Robin pressed his lips and simply put the file back onto the desk. Before he left, Magnolia stopped him. "What about the drug I told you to buy? The one that permanently damages the nerves? Give it to Kayden as soon as possible. That way, he won't have to live on false hope much longer…"

Robin's face flushed red in anger as he slammed a bottle of medicine onto the desk.

A second later, the door slammed shut hard enough to shake the room.

I hid in the corner with my face buried in my arms. I bit my lip until it split just to keep from making a sound. My face was already wet with tears.

With trembling fingers, I tapped on my phone and stared as the photo of my sister and I lit up on the screen. I couldn't believe the woman whom I thought was my only hope was actually the one who had murdered my sister and ruined my life.

And she had done it all for Quinton.

Now, she was about to destroy whatever future I had left for Quinton, too!

It was still October, and you could still feel the last bit of summer heat. However, I couldn't stop the chill from running down my spine.

So, this was the woman who was supposed to spend her life with me? A wolf in sheep's clothing?

My phone suddenly buzzed. Magnolia had sent me a voice message. "Kayden, why aren't you back yet? Did visiting your sister bring all those painful memories back again?"

Her voice was as gentle as ever. I wiped my face and swallowed the emotions surging inside me before I replied, "I stayed a little longer to talk to her. I'll be back soon."

Meanwhile, Magnolia was pacing inside the room restlessly.

Just as I raised my hand, the door opened.

Magnolia froze for a second, then threw herself into my arms. She wrapped both her arms tightly around me, buried her face against my shoulder, and spoke in a soft voice, "Don't be sad. You have me now. I'll never let you go through that kind of pain again."

Then, she handed me a bottle as she said, "Robin just bought this medicine for you that's meant to repair your nerves. Take it. Your hands will heal faster that way."

My eyes moved from the bottle to Magnolia's soft, worried eyes. "Maggy, will my hands really get better?"

She stroked my cheek and kissed my forehead. "Trust me. They will."

She hid it well. So well that there was not the slightest crack in her expression.

I felt sick to my stomach. Hatred and fear made my whole body tremble.

If I had not heard that conversation with my own ears, I might have stayed in the dark forever and let her fool me for the rest of my life. I closed my eyes in fatigue and tried to walk past her back to the bedroom.

Magnolia froze for a moment before catching my arm, and her tone left no room for refusal. "Behave now. Take the medicine first."

I looked at her, twisted open the bottle, and poured everything into my mouth. She quickly wiped away the medicine that I had coughed up and spilled all over myself.

"Easy. Let me help you change…"

"No!"

I cut her off and almost ran back into the room, locking the door behind me. Her worried voice came from outside, but it quickly faded. As soon as she left, I ran to the trash bin and made myself throw up by putting my fingers deep into my throat.

After throwing up all the medicine, I collapsed onto the floor.

Clutching my twitching left hand, I could not hold back the pain any longer as I let out a low growl.

After a while, I finally managed to grab my phone. I called a number I had not dialed in a very long time. "Professor, that new drug trial you mentioned... Can I still join if I say yes to it now?"

An excited voice came through the phone. "Of course! You're the student I've always been most proud of. Your hands could benefit a lot from this trial, too. The deadline is in three days, but it's a confidential project. Once you leave, you'll be gone for years. You should talk it over with Dr. Walker first..."

"It's fine. Come get me in three days," I said, cutting him off.

My professor fell silent for a while before letting out a quiet sigh. "Alright."

I hung up the call. All my strength left me, and the phone slipped from my hand and onto the floor.

Three days were enough.

I would make every person who ruined my life and my sister's life pay the price they deserved!