Chapter 1

My colleague, Gary Thompson, kept trying to persuade me to do the dialysis, but I just smiled, took the potent painkiller from his hand, and swallowed it.

As a doctor, I knew that once the snake venom spread, not even a miracle could save me. I had at most two days left.

I headed to the VIP ward and pushed the door open. A glass of water came flying at me. My mother, Helena Powell, was the one who threw it.

"How dare you come back?" she barked.

The glass skimmed my temple, and warm liquid began trickling down my face, but they didn't even care.

"Didn't you say that snake was highly venomous this morning? How did you detox your body so fast? Clara, I'm warning you, if you pull another stunt, don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're my daughter!"

Mom stared at me. Her eyes were devoid of warmth, and her voice was cold as ice.

My dad, Mateo Winton, stood up and shielded my adopted sister, Grace Winton, behind him. He was glaring at me in fury.

"Grace spent three days planning this family camping trip to celebrate your award. And you? It's bad enough you couldn't even be grateful. But when she got bitten by a snake, you pretended to pass out just to take the antivenom that was meant for her!

"While you were gone, Grace kept defending you and worrying about your safety. If we'd known how conniving you really were, we never would've brought you back from the countryside!"

Grace cowered in Dad's arms. Neither of them noticed the healthy flush in her cheeks. There wasn't the slightest sign she'd been poisoned.

The sight of my parents blindly defending Grace felt like a knife twisting in my chest. It wasn't the first time they'd taken Grace's side.

Whenever they showed this kind of bias before, I'd lose it and expose Grace's lies no matter what it took. But now, I simply lowered my eyes. I was dying anyway. The truth didn't matter anymore.

Then, Dad spoke again. "You went too far this time. Since you're here, Helena and I have something to discuss with you. The hospital your grandpa left you..."

Before he could finish, I let out a knowing smile. "If Grace wants it so badly, she can have it."

They clearly hadn't expected me to offer that. A moment later, suspicion flickered in their eyes.

"You... you always refused before. Why are you agreeing today? Or do you have conditions?"

The doubt still lingered in their expressions.

I couldn't blame them for not trusting me. Ever since I'd turned the hospital from a loss into a profit, they'd asked me more than once to hand it over so Grace could gain experience. But I'd turned them down every time, no matter what excuse they used.

The hospital was my grandpa, Peter Winton's, last gift to me. My parents had no head for business, and I was still a medical student. But Grandpa trusted me enough to put the hospital in my name after only three months of guidance.

My parents might not have loved me, but the hospital was proof of Grandpa's love. As long as it stood, I had to defend it.

But now, I was dying, and I'd be seeing Grandpa soon.

Seeing that I wasn't joking, they relaxed and smiled.

"See? Wouldn't it have been easier to do this from the start?"

Their eyes softened. "You're just too stubborn sometimes. From now on, try to give in to Grace a little more."

They handed me the transfer papers they'd already prepared. I let out a wry laugh, picked up the pen, and signed my name.

When I finally signed, a calculating glint flickered in Grace's eyes.

She put on a pout, feigning innocence. "Clara, you're being so nice to me all of a sudden. It's a little overwhelming. I'm still getting used to everything, so I'll have to trouble you to show me the ropes for a while."

Mom smoothed Grace's hair with a smile. "Just focus on getting better for now. When you're feeling up to it, you can start learning bit by bit. We'll be here to guide you."

When I saw the three of them basking in happiness, I turned and left without a word.