"Your father? That bastard sold you for ten million after going bankrupt. Don’t tell me you forgot. Who saved you, huh?"

I froze. My entire body stiffened. That one sentence cut deeper than anything else he could’ve said.

Ten years and yet, the pain was still fresh.

I could pretend it didn’t affect me, as long as no one brought it up. But Stefan’s voice, so casual, so cruel, made it all come crashing down.

He knew how much it destroyed me. And still, he said it. Just to make a point.

I shot up from my seat, ready to walk away. But before I could take a step, he yanked my wrist and forced me back down.

His fingers were cold as he picked up the diamond bracelet and clipped it around my wrist like it meant something.

Then he barked at the servants, “Keep an eye on Nadine. She’s not going anywhere. Jaylene’s arriving in two days, I don’t want any screw-ups.”

I was trapped, literally.

Servants kept me under surveillance like I was some fragile object. The guards at the door sealed the deal, there was no way out.

I didn’t see much of Stefan. He was always gone.

When he did show up, he barely looked at me. And when he did, it was quick, like even looking at me was a burden.

Then, on the third day, he brought her home. I was reading on the sofa when he walked in with a woman at his side.

He gave her a gentle smile. “Jaylene, meet Nadine, my friend’s daughter.”

Stefan glanced at me again, his voice sharper. “This is Jaylene. She saved my life abroad. Be kind to her, treat her like a sister.”

I met her eyes, sensing the coldness behind her smile. Her bracelet gleamed, clearly more expensive than mine.

I looked away and kept my tone neutral. “I’m an only child. I’ve never had a sister.”

Stefan’s expression instantly tightened, but before he could say anything, Jaylene gave a sweet laugh. “Oh, Nadine, right? Then I’ll be your first sister.”

She walked over, undoing her bracelet. “Stefan gave me this, but I found it too plain, so I didn’t wear it.”

Then, Jaylene added, “I didn’t think he’d hand it off to you. But, this one I’m wearing is a newer model, you can keep it.”

I frowned, confused by her sudden generosity.

Just as I tried to pull my hand away, both bracelets broke apart. Diamonds spilled onto the floor with a loud clatter. Jaylene’s hand froze midair.

Then her face changed. Her eyes welled up as she whispered, “Nadine… How could you? This was a gift from Stefan… If you didn’t want it, you could’ve said so. Why destroy them both?”

I stared at her in disbelief, then it clicked. She had planned this all along.

But just as I was about to expose her, she suddenly clutched her chest and started gasping for breath.

Stefan’s expression changed. He rushed over to support her, his voice full of concern. “Jaylene, what’s wrong? Is your heart acting up again?”

I frowned and tugged at his sleeve. “Don’t fall for it, she is faking it!”

Before I could finish, Stefan turned and slapped me across the face.

His eyes burned with anger. “Nadine, in ten years, this is the first time I’ve ever raised a hand to you.”

“You’re out of line! Jaylene didn’t even do any harm and what did you do? You actually broke the bracelet! Have I been to kind that you’ve lost all sense of boundaries?” he said sharply.

I stood there, stunned, my hand covering the stinging side of my face.

A thousand words caught in my throat, but in the end, I only managed to say through tears, “So you trust her, not me?”

Stefan’s expression turned cold. “I trust what I see with my own eyes.”

***

Stefan left with Jaylene, heading to his private hospital.

Maisie Weller, the head maid, quietly applied ointment to my cheek. Her voice was low and apologetic. “Miss Nadine, I actually saw what happened earlier. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything to Mr. Slade…”

She hesitated. “But Jaylene is clearly the one he treasures most. I didn’t dare speak up.”

I forced a bitter smile. “I don’t blame you. Even if you had, it wouldn’t change anything. He already said it, he only trusts what he sees.”

Maisie sighed and fell silent. The villa was oppressively quiet, every second dragging on.

After the medicine was applied, I felt like I couldn’t breathe and needed fresh air, even just for a moment.

But the bodyguard at the door blocked my path. “Mr. Slade said you’re not allowed to leave.”

“I just want to stand in the yard for a bit…” I pleaded.

“Miss Ashby, without Mr. Slade’s permission, you can’t step out of this house.”

His firm tone left no room for argument. A deep wave of helplessness washed over me. My chest tightened with grief and frustration.

I bit back my tears and raised my voice. “Why is Stefan locking me up? I just want to go out!”

As I spoke, I shoved the bodyguard aside and made for the door, but before I could reach it, he grabbed a fistful of my hair from behind.

Pain shot through my scalp. I was yanked backward and crashed to the floor.

Just then, the villa door swung open. Stefan stood there.

Our eyes locked. His expression froze; shock, then pain.

My lips trembled, heavy with hurt, but I stayed where I was, letting the bodyguard drag me without resistance.

Stefan’s gaze turned icy. “Let go of Nadine. Who gave you permission to touch her?”

The bodyguard flinched and let go immediately, then reached out to help me up.

I didn’t hesitate. I threw myself into Stefan’s arms like someone drowning.

“Stefan, please,” I pleaded, choking back sobs. “Leave Jaylene. What happened abroad is over. Life is too short. Let’s start again, please don’t…”

“Nadine.” His voice cut through like ice. “There’s ten years between us. What happened before, it was a mistake. You should forget it.”

I froze, stunned. The words hit me like a slap. I stared blankly, then slowly let go of his sleeve.

But just as my hand dropped, Stefan grabbed it again.

His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. “I’m taking you to the hospital for a physical.”

A cold sweat broke out on my back.

I had heard what he and his friend said. This wasn’t just a check-up. They were planning something horrifying, maybe even taking my heart while I was still alive.

I shook my head frantically and bolted for the door.

But before I could escape, a bodyguard caught up to me and struck the back of my neck hard. My vision went black and I collapsed on the floor.

When I woke up, I was already lying in a hospital bed. The room was eerily quiet, except for the low hum of machines. Stefan and Jaylene stood at the foot of the bed, watching me.

The moment I opened my eyes, a group of doctors immediately closed in, checking my vitals and murmuring medical terms I couldn’t follow.

However, I reacted like a cornered animal; hair bristling, nerves tight, I rolled off the bed in a panic.

“Get out! Get out!” I snatched the water cup from the bedside table, hurled it to the floor and pressed a jagged piece of glass to my neck. “Come any closer and I’ll end it. I swear I will!”

Jaylene's expression darkened with irritation.

Stefan’s face drained of color, his eyes wide with panic. “Nadine, please! Don’t do anything rash!”

I stared at him, heart breaking, tears streaming down my face. “You know how scared I am. You know! Ten years ago, you were the one who saved me from that operating table. How could you... how could you send me back?”

I couldn’t form a coherent thought anymore. My voice shook. My chest ached.

The fear clawed up my throat, memories flooding in like a dam had burst.

In his trembling eyes, I saw her again, that helpless eighteen-year-old girl, bound to a hospital bed.

I never want to go through that kind of horror again…

In truth, I only had one heart. The second was a fake, a heart-shaped foreign object my father had someone implant inside me.

Before the company collapsed, he already knew there was no saving it. So he found another way.

He had something shaped like a heart implanted in my chest, just to make it look like I had two hearts on the scan.

No matter how badly my body reacted, no matter how sick or feverish I became from the rejection, he didn’t care.

He just spent millions on rare drugs to keep me alive, because the lie needed to hold. He told the world I was born with two hearts and set my price at ten million.

Just like that, I became a product, wheeled into the operating room like an object on display.

That day, I cried out to the heavens, but no one answered. I was strapped to the table, completely helpless.

The knife had already broken skin. Greedy eyes surrounded me, watching without a flicker of sympathy, no matter how much I screamed or pleaded.

Then Stefan burst through the doors. He ran to me, threw his coat over my body and used every connection, every ounce of power, to shield me.

To me, in that moment, he was a god, my savior, the hand that pulled me from the edge.

For ten years, he gave up his overseas business to stay by my side.

But I never imagined that a decade later, he would be the one to shove me back into the same nightmare.

He knew how terrified I was of hospitals, how I avoided them even when I was sick.

But he still brought me here for her.

I broke down, shattered. The glass in my hand sliced my neck and blood streamed down.

Stefan’s face twisted in horror. He shoved Jaylene away and rushed over, gripping my wrist.

His voice was hoarse with fury. “Nadine, you’ve gone too far!”

I clutched the glass shards, refusing to let go, ready to die at any moment. "Stefan, I know what you're trying to do. I heard everything you said to your friend that day."

His expression froze. He held my hand, tightening his grip without realizing it.

Fear and anxiety surged in me, I was about to tell him the truth: that I only had one heart.

But then he spoke, his voice low and bitter. "I was wrong, Nadine. Let’s go home."

Sunlight spilled through the window. My heart raced as I stared at him in disbelief. Behind him, Jaylene stood motionless, her eyes filled with resentment.

Then, suddenly, I felt weightless. He lifted me into his arms and carried me out of the ward.

The whole way, I buried my face against his chest, just like that day. I wore his coat and held onto him tightly, arms wrapped around his waist.