Chapter 1

"Professor Lynch, I've made up my mind. Sign me up for the cryonics experiment," Edgar Lawrie said calmly.

On the phone, Ben Lynch replied, "Edgar, are you absolutely sure? I understand the cancer diagnosis has hit you hard, but there's still hope for treatment—"

"I have late-stage lymphoma. There is no cure."

Ben let out a heavy sigh. "But the cryonics technology isn't ready. They've never conducted live experiments before. There's a high chance you won't survive it. Please, think it over—"

"Professor," Edgar cut in with a faint smile, "my decision is final."

Then, he ended the call.

The phone displayed a breaking news headline from just minutes ago.

In a photograph accompanying the article, Cooper Dixon and Jessica Yale were holding hands, their fingers intertwined. And on Cooper's ring finger sparkled a radiant blue diamond ring.

Even through the screen, the gem's brilliance was blinding.

Edgar bit down hard on his lip, but in the end, he couldn't hold back his tears.

It was Jessica's birthday. She was the person he loved most in the world, and yet she had given the ring he designed to someone else.

"Jessica, why? Why do you hate me this much?" he thought bitterly.

The meal Edgar'd carefully prepared sat untouched on the dining table. He sat there while his heart grew colder by the minute, along with the dishes.

At 2:30 am, the front doors finally opened, and Jessica entered.

"Why are you still awake?" Her expression darkened when she saw Edgar sitting there. "Didn't I tell you I'd be out late with Cooper tonight?"

Edgar looked down and stayed silent for a long time before murmuring, "Happy birthday."

Her birthday had already passed hours ago when the clock had struck midnight.

"Edgar, what's the point of this?" Jessica snapped in annoyance. "Cooper's my boyfriend. It's normal that I celebrated my birthday with him. What are you even trying to do?

"We're not related by blood, and I'm your guardian at most. You need to understand your place. We can never be together! Whatever ideas you've cooked up in your head, they disgust me!"

With that, she slammed the door and left, likely heading to find Cooper.

As she'd said, he was her boyfriend.

Edgar remained where he was and stared at his feet. His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, "I'm sorry, Jess. It won't happen again. This will be the time I spend your birthday with you."

The room felt unbearably cold. Edgar shivered and couldn't help wondering which would be colder—this empty room or the ice chamber waiting for him.

He had always been afraid of the cold. As a child, he would run barefoot through the hallways with a stuffed bunny clutched in his arms and crawl into Jessica's bed for warmth.

Back then, Jessica had been kind to him. She would smile, pull him under the covers, and tell him stories until he fell asleep.

A while later, Cooper posted on Instagram a photo of him and Jessica holding hands, with the ring Edgar had designed on his finger. The caption read, "We're engaged!"

At the same time, Edgar received the experimental consent form from the cryonics research team. Instead of signing it, he dialed Jessica's number. When the call went unanswered, he tried again.

After declining the call five times, Jessica finally answered with great irritation. "What is it now, Edgar?"

Edgar pursed his lips and said, "I just wanted to congratulate you."

Jessica scoffed. "I hope you mean that."

He closed his eyes, paused for a moment, then asked softly, "When's the wedding?"

"December 12," she replied curtly.

Edgar's chest tightened at the answer.

December 12 was his birthday.