I lose my memory and wander the streets, surviving on scraps and the kindness of strangers.

Then, Miles Blackwood from the Institute of Medical Research finds me and takes me in. He tells me that I'm his long-lost fiancee who ran away years ago, and that he's spent every ounce of energy searching for me ever since.

As I'm frail and riddled with illness, he watches over me as I take my medication every day, tracing the scar on my lower back with a strange, tender affection.

But everything shatters the day I regain my memory.

I accidentally overhear Miles speaking to a friend.

"Miles, you forcibly removed Cassidy's kidney for Claudia back then. That was what caused her to lose her memories. And in the end, you let Claudia take all the credit for the research.

"Now, after Cassidy's been suffering out there for years, you're bringing her back just to use her for the artificial kidney project? Aren't you worried that she'll regain her memories?"

Miles scoffs.

"She's incredibly grateful to me now. Besides, she's just a sickly woman. So what if she finds out? As long as we succeed in the research on artificial kidneys, Claudia will become the star of the medical world. As for Cassidy? She'll have made her contribution to the medical field."

A cold chill rushes through me in an instant—I am Cassidy.

After I heard the conversation Miles Blackwood had with his friend, Bjorn Nolan, I pretty much had to lean against the wall for support to keep myself upright.

"Cassidy's lost so much because of you. She nearly died and was almost trafficked for… Anyway, you should treat her better," Bjorn said.

Miles was quiet for a while. Then, he said, "Yeah. I've actually been searching for her these past few years."

He fell silent briefly before continuing, "I admit I was reckless with the surgery back then. But since I've hurt her, it's only right that I take care of her now. It's my way of atoning."

"Then why are you planning to implant her with that newly developed artificial kidney that hasn't even been released to the market yet? Is it really worth it to do so much for Claudia? You even give Claudia all the credit for the institute's research achievements."

"She's the reason why I'm doing all this. I'm willing to give my all to see that she succeeds. No one else matters to me."

Miles spoke with such resoluteness.

"Besides, Cassidy's just a sickly woman. What could she possibly know? She's still under the impression that she's my fiancee! If the artificial kidney ends up being compatible with her, consider that my way of making it up to her. I'd even be giving her a chance at contributing to mankind!"

Bjorn sighed. "In the state that she's in, do you really think that she'd be able to pull through the procedure? What if something goes wrong? You'll regret it!"

The conversation went on, but all of a sudden, I couldn't hear them anymore. My brain seemed to have shut down, and all I heard was a buzzing in my ears. An excruciating pain came over me.

I thought that I'd have died there. But in that split second, I suddenly recalled everything.

I was the only daughter of the Swanson family in Oakbrook, and I'd gone missing years ago.

I had put up with the pain and made it here to tell Miles that I'd like to go home for a bit. I never expected to learn the cruel truth.

As I propped myself up against the wall, vertigo came over me. All the memories that I'd lost flashed before my eyes, and the more I recalled them, the more I felt pain taking over my entire being.

How could I have ever believed that Miles truly cared for me?

Ever since he took me in, he personally took care of everything down to the smallest detail. He made me feel warmth, and most importantly, he made me believe, without a doubt, that he truly loved me.

Every day, he'd watch me take my medication. Then, after I was done, he'd give me a candy.

When he saw the scars I got as a result of a dog attack in the past, he'd kiss them ever so tenderly and whisper softly, "This is all my fault. I was the one who lost you. But you need not be afraid anymore, Cassie. Consider this your badge of honor."

I was moved by his reassuring words. I told myself I had to get better, so I could spend the rest of my life with him. But deep down, I always felt like I didn't deserve any of this.

How could someone like me—cast aside, forced to wash dishes to survive, and nearly trafficked to bear children for strangers—ever be good enough for Miles, who was a promising young researcher?

But the funny thing was, even though I no longer remembered him, I couldn't help but fall for him again the moment I set my eyes on him.

However, I finally saw the truth once those memories returned. He was the reason why I was in such a state!

And now, he hadn't brought me back to make amends. He had only brought me back because he needed a test subject for the artificial kidney project.

And those pills he watched me take so closely weren't to heal me. Instead, they were to prepare me for surgery.

All the tenderness he showed me had all been for his stepsister, Claudia Summers. He chose to harm me once again, just as he had four years ago.

Those seemingly sweet memories resurfaced and crushed me just as I began to feel at peace.

Just then, the door to the bedroom swung open.

Claudia walked out dressed in a set of casual loungewear. Her hair cascaded lazily over her shoulders, and she still had tell-tale marks of their passion from the day before left on her neck.

When she saw Bjorn, she smiled shyly and threw herself into Miles' arms.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were having a friend over, Miles?"

She pouted in his embrace but couldn't help stealing a quick glance at Bjorn.

Miles pulled her onto his lap, closing the gap between them.

"Ah, right, how's that bitch's condition? The surgery's scheduled for tomorrow."

Miles raised a brow and said, "I'm monitoring her every day. Tonight's the final preparation. I'll make sure that she's on the operating table tomorrow."

"Good. I've already got them to set everything up."

Miles sounded very confident, like he had everything under control and couldn't wait to get the experiment over and done with.

Claudia turned to look at Bjorn with a thoughtful expression.

"You're Miles' friend. You won't tell Cassidy about this, will you?"

Bjorn simply let out a stiff chuckle, looking very uneasy. But ultimately, he said nothing and only nodded.

Before Claudia could say another word, Miles pulled her close and kissed her. It wasn't until Claudia's breathing became labored and she gently pushed him away that they let go of each other.

She covered her face and slapped Miles lightly on the arm. "How could you do that?"

He smiled and settled comfortably into the couch. "Do what? Which part of you have I not kissed? You can't even handle this much? Should we take this back into the bedroom instead?"

"You jerk!"

As their playful banter went on, I was left devastated.

Enduring both physical and emotional pain, I ran away.

I could feel tears wetting my pillow as I lay in bed.

In my dazed state, I was utterly disconnected from the present. That was, until Miles softly pushed the door open and walked in with my medication for today.

"Why are you so quiet today? Is your head still hurting? I'll get someone to check on you shortly."

He helped me up to lean against the headboard. As he did so, I stared at him, my cheeks still wet with tears.

Tears kept falling, but I refused to tell him why I was crying. So, he gently pulled me into his embrace and gave me light pats on the back. "Are you hurting somewhere? Oh, don't cry, Cassie. It's breaking my heart!"

Whenever he said such things in the past, I'd shake my head and tell him that I wasn't in pain and that he needn't worry about me. But now, I learned that he was the reason I was in so much pain.

Seeing him now, I couldn't help but recall the sight of him kissing Claudia with their bodies tightly pressed against each other, and I felt like my heart was going to shatter.

"Here, be good and take the medicine, and you won't be in any more pain."

He placed the medicine on his palm and picked up the glass of warm water he'd brought in with him. The affection in his eyes made me fall for him again. It made me feel as though he still loved me.

I stared at the pill on his palm in silence, feeling a heavy weight on my chest.

Why must he do this? All he wanted was to use me as a test subject for Claudia's experiment.

"I don't feel like taking them today," I said as I turned away, not wanting to see the pill.

Miles froze when he heard my rejection, the glass of water still in his hand. But he quickly reacted by offering me a piece of candy. "Why don't you have a candy first? Then you can take the medicine after you have the candy. Or do you want me to feed it to you, mouth-to-mouth? Are you afraid?"

Afraid? What was I afraid of?

Four years ago, I took countless medications for him, and I complied when he asked me to donate my kidney to Claudia. That wasn't something just anyone could do.

Back then, Miles had founded a research institute focused on developing medications for kidney treatment and inventing artificial kidneys. I rejected the opportunity to join my family business to devote myself entirely to the research institute.

As an internal medicine specialist who graduated from a top-notch institute, I led a team that worked tirelessly day and night to develop a new drug for kidney disease.

Following that, I learned that his stepsister, Claudia, had underdeveloped kidneys and urgently needed a transplant. So when he asked me to be a donor, I agreed for his sake.

Then, he used the experimental drug I had developed, one that hadn't even been tested yet, on me.

The pain I had to endure over and over again made me long for death. Even so, I'd make use of my spare time to record how my body reacted to the drug so that Miles could continue his research.

Eventually, the breakthrough drug was successfully launched.

I'd thought that my sacrifices had led to something meaningful, and I was proud that my work could benefit humanity.

But all the testing I underwent had taken a devastating toll on my health. When I eventually collapsed, they dumped me at a hospital, unconscious.

When I came to, I had lost my memory. I wandered a great distance before finally ending up in a small town, where I managed to find work washing dishes just to survive.

As a woman with amnesia, what I had to face wasn't just as simple as filth and hunger. I had to deal with people's blatant malice. In fact, I had almost been taken away by a man who wanted me as his wife.

As for Miles? He gave the drug I developed to Claudia, who later became known as a young medical prodigy driven to pursue medicine by the desire to save herself.

Now that I remembered everything, I was aware that he hadn't brought me back just to take care of my every need. He had only done all that to drag me through hell again.

I lowered my head and looked at the scars on my hand. I shook my head once again. "I'm not taking it."

He shifted through several expressions before settling back into a doting smile and reaching out to stroke my hair. "Be good, love. You won't be in pain anymore once you take this. You should prioritize your health."

I slowly looked up to meet his gaze and asked as calmly as I could, "Is this really to get me better, or is it to get me into the operating theater?"

His expression darkened almost immediately as he pointed a finger at me and snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting? I went through so much to find you. Of course I want you to recover! Everything I'm doing is for your own good!"

He drew a deep breath and frowned.

"Look at your hands. Had it not been for me, you'd still be washing dishes! Or worse yet, bearing children for strangers! Why are you kicking up a fuss? I don't care what you're thinking, but you're taking this pill now, and that's final! I don't want to repeat myself!"

Miles lost his cool. The procedure for the artificial kidney would take at least 12 hours. I wouldn't last that long on the operating table without the medicine, which would mean that the research would once again come to a halt.

I closed my eyes and turned away. I could feel myself on the verge of collapse.

I didn't want to be a part of such experiments anymore, and I didn't want to be used as a tool for him to please Claudia anymore either. It hurt too much.

I clamped a hand over my mouth and buried myself beneath the covers. Only a muffled voice escaped me.

"I remember everything now, Miles. I won't sacrifice myself like this again. Give it up."

The expression on Miles' face froze for a moment. Then, he pulled me into a hug, laughing and crying at the same time.

"Cassie! Do you really remember now, Cassie? That's great! Do you know what's kept me going all these years? It was you and the research institute! The surgery is our last step to success. As long as you don't experience an immune rejection, we'd have succeeded.

"Claudia is talented, and this is all for the advancement of humanity. Besides, you have nothing to worry about. If you experience an immune rejection, I'll perform another surgery to have it removed. I told you, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life!"

His gaze on me was sincere as he repeated the words he'd said time and again, as though he was doing me a great favor for taking care of me after hurting me.

I looked at him with a mirthless smile on my lips. "You know my health condition. What if I die on the operating table?"

"Impossible! That's utterly impossible! We've got so many doctors in the institute, and this is just a simple renal transplant. You'll just sleep through the whole thing. Oh, go ahead and take the medicine already. Be good!"

I kept silent and merely turned away with my mouth tightly shut.

My noncompliance enraged Miles, and he was visibly upset. He smashed the glass of water on the ground, his gaze on me menacing.

"You're nothing but an invalid now, Cassidy. Without me, you'd be lying on your back, popping out kids for someone else. I don't care whether or not you've regained your memories, but you're taking the medicine!"

I clutched my wrist, now bleeding from being cut by a shard of glass. Had he not been worried that I wouldn't make it off the operating table due to my poor health, I had no doubt that the glass would have been hurled at me instead.

The sting from the gash was insignificant. But when I saw how hysterical Miles was, regret surged through me like a tide.

I had loved him so deeply that I lost myself. But to him, I was nothing but trash. Why should I be hurt so deeply just because I loved someone?

Seeing how I still refused to take the medicine, Miles walked out to get another glass of water.

Before I could lower my guard, Claudia came strutting in, having heard the commotion. She took one look at the scars on my body and sneered, then reached out to pat my cheek lightly.

"You should know your place. You're nothing but a worthless piece of trash."

Rage threatened to explode within me, but I couldn't even find the strength to get up and fight back.

"You're such a bitch, Claudia!"

"And you're such a joke!"

Claudia scoffed as she leaned toward me to look me in the eyes. There was no mistaking the smugness on her face.

"I'm a prodigy in the medical field now. Oh, and it just so happens that I'm Miles' fiancee too! And you? What about you? You can't be thinking that you're still the precious daughter of the Swanson family, can you? Or perhaps you think that you're still one of the institute's lead researchers?

"Pah! You're the bitch! A stray bitch who lost her memories! Who knows how many men you've slept with? Oh, and you're just a test subject for our research!"

Both her expression and her words stabbed at me like blades.

She had taken everything from me—my identity, whom others had once looked up to, the results of my tireless efforts, and even the man that I loved.

"Shut up!" I roared furiously.

"Oh? Struck a nerve, did I?" Claudia sneered condescendingly. "Too bad. There's nothing you can do now. Well, unless the Swanson family finds you and breaks in to take you away now, that is."

Miles came back with a new glass of water. He stroked Claudia's hair and said, "That's enough. Quit messing around. Just let her take her medicine, and we'll bring her to the lab."

"Got it, honey!" Claudia replied.