On my wedding day, Levi Robbins' "close friend" Gina Fields suddenly fainted. Without hesitation, he dropped everything and rushed to the hospital, leaving me at the altar.

My mother, witnessing this humiliating scene from her seat, suffered a heart attack. Yet, none of the guests bothered to help as they were too busy gossiping and laughing at my misfortune. By the time I managed to get her to the hospital, we had missed the critical window for treatment.

Just then, Levi finally called, his voice urgent and demanding. "Caitlyn, where are you? Gina's condition is critical, and she needs your bone marrow!"

"Levi, we're done," I said firmly, hanging up and walking away. This time, I would not look back.

Five years ago, I saved Gina Fields through a bone marrow transplant. After the successful procedure, Levi Robbins asked me to stay, promising to repay my kindness.

After five years by his side, we were finally getting married. Yet, on what was supposed to be our wedding day, Gina dramatically passed out right in the middle of the ceremony.

When I begged Levi not to leave, he pried my fingers away and snapped, "Caitlyn, this is a matter of life and death. How can you be so heartless?"

He called me heartless without even noticing that Gina's eyelashes fluttered—she was clearly faking it.

Distressed by the sudden turn of events, Mom suffered a heart attack and collapsed. I screamed for help through my tears, but not a single guest stepped forward to assist.

Everyone knew who Levi truly cared about. Now that he had rushed to Gina's side, they all saw how little I meant to him, which explained why no one bothered to help me.

In the end, it was a waiter who called 911, but it was already too late.

I watched as they covered Mom with a white sheet; she lay there so still and silent. Yet, I could not even cry as my entire body felt numb.

Suddenly, Levi appeared at the hospital and grabbed my arm the moment he saw me. "Caitlyn, perfect timing! Gina's condition has relapsed, and you need to come with me for testing!"

I yanked my arm away, which startled him. He exclaimed, "Caitlyn!"

"Levi, I don't owe you anything, and I won't donate my bone marrow," I stated firmly.

Levi was shocked by my response, his face darkening instantly. "I'm not asking, I'm telling you. You're coming with me!"

As the CEO of a publicly traded company, Levi was used to getting his way. He had always been aggressive and decisive. In the past, I would have agreed without hesitation. Unfortunately, they were the reason I lost Mom, and I refused to be their personal bone marrow bank anymore.

I underestimated him though. Levi immediately called his security team, who dragged me into the hospital room for full testing. He completely dismissed the fact that my mother's body was still in the morgue.

I screamed hysterically, "Levi, my mom just died of a heart attack, and you're still trying to extract my bone marrow? You're inhuman! I'll never forgive you for this!"

Confusion flickered across his face. "What are you talking about?"

I glared at him, shouting, "You don't believe me? Just ask anyone! There were so many people at the wedding—they all saw what happened!"

Levi hesitated before finally speaking. "Caitlyn, we can't resurrect the dead. The living is more important. Don't you agree?"

I nearly choked on my anger. I could not believe he actually said that. Then again, no one mattered more than Gina in his eyes.

Mom was sick, and he viewed her as an inconvenience. Hence, her death probably suited their agenda perfectly.

"I won't donate, and no one can threaten me into it!" I declared with a bitter laugh. With Mom gone, I would never beg him for anything again.

Levi's eyes darkened—a sure sign of his rising anger. Yet, before he could explode, a fragile voice came from behind.

"It's okay. If Caitlyn doesn't want to, we shouldn't force her."

Gina stood in the doorway, clutching her chest and looking vulnerable. Levi immediately rushed to embrace her.

"No way. You matter most, and if she won't donate, I have other methods."

At his words, Gina snuggled into his embrace and shot me a smug smile.

I scoffed and challenged, "I won't donate. If you want my bone marrow, go ahead and kill me!"

Levi's eyes flashed with anger, but I met his gaze without fear. He spoke coldly, "You wouldn't want anything to happen to your mother's body, would you?"

I froze in shock before rage consumed me. "Levi, you wouldn't dare!"

"Donate the bone marrow, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened," he said, walking away with Gina in his arms.

I collapsed to the floor, knowing he was entirely capable of carrying out his threat.

"Levi, you'll regret this!" My hysterical cry made him pause, but his hesitation lasted only a moment before he continued walking away without looking back.

Before I could catch my breath, his security team grabbed me. "Mr. Robbins said you need to undergo testing first. You can only leave after donating bone marrow."

"This is illegal! Let me go!" I screamed, but I was powerless against them.

Just like that, they dragged me to the operating room. When the doctor approached with a syringe, I tensed up immediately.

He reminded me, "Think about your mother. Don't make this harder than it has to be."

I let out a bitter laugh as the needle pierced my skin, the pain shooting through my entire body. It felt like my energy was drained away, and everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, I was alone in the hospital room. Some time passed before a nurse finally came to check on me.

She said, "You're finally awake. You should go home and rest."

Ignoring the pain, I grabbed her arm. "Where's Levi? Where's my mother's body?"

The nurse looked uncomfortable. "I don't know about that. You'll have to ask Mr. Robbins."

I tried to get out of bed, but I fell to the floor just as Levi walked in. He rushed to scoop me up, placing me back on the bed.

I clutched his collar and demanded, "Levi, where's my mom?"

"Don't worry, she's at the mortuary. You can visit anytime," he replied.

When I tried to leave immediately, he held me back. "The doctor said you need rest after the bone marrow extraction."

"I don't need rest!" I shoved his hand away, my face cold with anger. "Listen carefully—this is the last time I'll ever donate. From now on, we're done! I owe you nothing!"

Levi grabbed my wrist tightly as I tried to leave. "Stop being difficult! She'll die without your bone marrow!"

I laughed bitterly. "Really? Did you think about what would happen to my mom when you abandoned me at our wedding? She was my only family!"

Levi stared at my red-rimmed eyes, his brow furrowing. "I'm sorry about the wedding. We can have another one. You're still Mrs. Robbins."

"Who wants it?" I spat out. "Levi, you don't actually think this will make me forgive you, do you?"

The title "Mrs. Robbins" was nothing but an empty honor. I searched his eyes for any sign of remorse, but there was none.

Levi took a deep breath. "I'll make it up to you."

"Make it up to me? A life was lost, Levi. An eye for an eye. If you want to make it up to me, give me your life."

Levi's patience was wearing thin. "Caitlyn, enough! Sometimes death is a release!"

I slapped him across the face without hesitation.

Just then, a voice called out from the doorway. "Levi! Levi, are you okay?"

Gina rushed in wearing a hospital gown, her face pale. "Levi! Caitlyn, how dare you hit him!"

I sneered. "Oh, that was nothing. What's wrong, Levi? Can't take one slap? Would you like to hit me? Go ahead!"

I held my head high, staring him down. Levi sighed and started to speak, but I left, clutching my sore hand.

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business! I told you—we're done!" I shook him off, and when he tried to follow, Gina conveniently collapsed into his arms, stopping him in his tracks.

I ignored them and rushed to the mortuary. After showing my identification, I finally saw Mom's body being wheeled out from the cold storage, completely stiff.

I fell to my knees in front of her, my hands trembling as I pulled back the white sheet. When I saw her familiar face, my body froze, and only dry, choked sounds came from my throat. I could not even cry to release the pain tearing through my heart.

I gripped her hand tightly, finding it cold and rigid, a cruel contrast from the warmth I remembered.

Just before the wedding, Mom hugged me and said softly, "Caitlyn, you finally have someone who loves you. Even when I'm gone, you'll have someone to take care of you."

Neither of us had imagined that Levi would choose Gina. I was naive to think that staying by his side and dedicating years of my life would win his heart. I had overestimated myself and underestimated Gina's place in his life.

The mortuary staff eventually interrupted my thoughts. "Ms. Vaughn, it's time. We need to proceed."

I stepped aside and nodded silently, watching as they took Mom to be cremated. When it was over, all that remained was a small urn.

I clutched the urn tightly, my brow furrowed in concern. Mom had spent her entire life trapped in our small town, never getting to travel. Her greatest wish had been to see me find happiness and security.

Now, I could not even afford a proper burial plot. I had barely managed to scrape together thirty thousand dollars when a staff member rushed over to me.

"Ms. Vaughn, someone has purchased a premium burial plot for you! It's in an excellent location with mountain views!"

I froze. "What? Who did this?"

"He's still here—Mr. Robbins."

I immediately stormed to the office area. When I saw Levi, I clenched my fists and growled, "Levi, what are you trying to do?"

Levi looked at me. "Caitlyn, I wanted to do this for you. Let me handle it. This would ease my conscience."

"No thanks. We're simple people and don't need your grand gestures."

Levi's handsome features suddenly turned grim. "Caitlyn, why are you being so difficult? It was just a wedding. I never wanted your mom to die, but she was already sick. Can't you stop being so stubborn?"

His words were incredibly insensitive. I took a deep breath and replied, "I told you, there's a life between us that can't be undone. I won't forgive you, so keep your so-called compassion to yourself."

Levi had never visited Mom when she was alive, only seeing her when she was clearly near the end. He had also taken control of the wedding plans, ignoring Mom's wishes and treating it as just another networking event—which explained why no one had cared about our fate that day.

Levi grew angry. "Caitlyn, don't be ungrateful! She would've been my mother-in-law too. Let her rest in peace. Don't tell me you want her to have a cheap, hurried burial, do you?"

Without waiting for my response, he grabbed the urn from my hands and handed it to the staff. "Proceed with the burial immediately!"

Then, he turned to his assistant and said, "Get all the Robbins Corporation executives here! And inform the media!"

I clenched my fists tighter. "Levi, what are you doing? My mother's funeral isn't a PR opportunity for your company! I won't let you use her like this!"