Only Nikki herself knew—what she cared about was never marriage or a life of luxury.

The only thing that truly mattered to her was the heart beating inside either Howard or Brad’s chest.

That heart was the only connection she had left in this world, the only thing she depended on.

But after three years of relentless pursuit, she was exhausted.

And now, she had just learned that she had made a mistake.

Grandma Hewitt gazed at Nikki with deep affection. Despite the truth of her origins, she had long seen Nikki as her granddaughter-in-law.

Now, with everything ending in such absurdity, how could she not feel distressed?

"Forget it," Grandma Hewitt sighed. "If that’s what you want, we’ll cancel the wedding in seven days. It’s those two foolish boys who don’t realize their blessing. But tell me, child, how can our Hewitt family make it up to you..."

Just then, Nikki’s phone vibrated again.

She glanced down, and her pupils suddenly dilated.

[But I just found out—the transplant recipient is indeed someone in the Hewitt family.]

[It’s Fourth Master Hewitt, David Hewitt.]

David—the enigmatic Fourth Master who had left overseas years ago due to an ill-fated horoscope, remaining unmarried ever since?

An impulse surged within her. Nikki looked up sharply.

"Grandma Hewitt, there’s no need to make it up to me."

"Howard and Brad were never meant for me. But… can I marry Fourth Master Hewitt instead, at the wedding in seven days?"

The two elders of the Hewitt family were momentarily stunned, unsure if they had heard her correctly.

"Child, you must think carefully. Marriage isn’t something to be decided in a moment of anger!"

"Not to mention, Tomas Mueller is technically Howard and Brad’s adoptive father. More importantly, his horoscope is ominous for his spouse. That’s why he’s avoided women all these years—to protect them from misfortune!"

A vague childhood memory flashed in Nikki’s mind.

David wasn’t the youngest son of the Hewitt family in Seattle—he was born into the Hewitt family in the capital. Though not much older, he held a high status within the family. To counteract his ill fate, he had been adopted into the Seattle branch.

With no plans to marry or have children, he had taken Howard and Brad from a side branch under his name, becoming their adoptive father in title.

Nikki remembered the past—how, as a child, she had been playing hide-and-seek when Brad accidentally locked her in the basement.

It was David who had rescued her, holding her gently in his arms, his warmth soothing her fears.

Her gaze cleared with resolve.

"Grandpa Hewitt, Grandma Hewitt, I’ve made up my mind."

She wanted to return the Bray family to Lora and give her the Hewitt brothers she had chased for so many years.

But the one thing she could never let go of—the only thing she had ever truly cared about—was her brother’s heart.

Nikki only wanted to protect it. Forever.

"As long as Master Hewitt is willing, I want to marry him. And I will never let him down."

After leaving the Hewitt estate, she had yet to receive a response from David himself.

But for the first time in years, Nikki felt at ease.

Perhaps some things were never meant to be held onto.

The identity of the Bray family’s daughter wasn’t hers to claim.

And neither were the Hewitt brothers she had grown up with.

When her phone rang, her heart trembled.

She hesitated, fearing it was David calling to question or reject her.

For a moment, she was too afraid to answer.

"Miss Bray," the voice on the other end said, "the wedding dress you designed is ready. It has been airlifted to your home."

Nikki froze.

The wedding dress—she had designed it herself a year ago, commissioning a top designer to craft it. Now, at last, it is finished.

Back then, she had dreamed of marrying one of the Hewitt brothers, sketching each detail with love and anticipation.

Now, that dream felt like a distant illusion.

With mixed emotions, Nikki hurried home.

The moment she stepped inside, she was met with a dazzling sight.

Before her stood a figure cloaked in a flawless white veil—radiant and pure.

Brad’s voice rang with sincerity and admiration.

"Lora, you look breathtaking. It’s impossible to look away…"

Howard stood in front of Lora, his eyes gently and stunningly covering her.

"Well, Lora looks beautiful tonight."

Lora was weak and the gorgeous wedding dress didn't fit her well, but the shy and blushing smile on her face was indeed moving.

Nikki watched the scene in silence until the three of them noticed her presence.

"Sister?"

Lora met her gaze and couldn't help shaking, as if she was very scared.

Nikki tightly grasped the phone, her palms burning: "This is the wedding dress I designed. Who gave it to you without my permission?"

Howard's face sank first: "It's just a wedding dress. Lora likes it, so she wears it."

Brad also mocked: "You have occupied the magpie's nest for so many years, and Lora has suffered so much for you. What's wrong with wearing your wedding dress? It's worthy of being a fake, so petty."

Nikki's eyes dimmed fiercely.

Even though she was used to being called a fake, she couldn't help but feel a tight pain in her heart when Brad, who used to favor her the most, said this to her face.

Brad looked at the wedding dress, but said casually: "When did you design it secretly? Tsk, are you so eager to marry me or my brother?"

Howard's eyes were cold: "I heard that you went to grandma's house today to cancel the wedding, but you regretted it in the end? Nikki, you have been spoiled since you were a child. How long will you play this trick of playing hard to get?"

Nikki originally thought that the decision to change the groom today was a bit impulsive.

At this moment, she had no regrets.

Fortunately, Grandma Hewitt agreed with her, and everything would be made public on the wedding day.

She slowly pulled the corners of her lips and looked at them: "The wedding will indeed not be cancelled, but I am not going to marry either of you."

Brad seemed to have heard something funny.

"Oh, you changed your tactics again? Everyone in Seattle knows that you, a fake, have been chasing us for three years just to marry into the Hewitt family. If you don't want to marry us, do you want to be our stepmother? Hahaha!" Lora pursed her lips and said righteously: "Sister, a forced marriage will not have a good result. Since Brother Howard and Brad have no feelings for you, you shouldn't force them in the name of the elders." Nikki smiled: "Yes, you are right. I regret not listening to my sister's advice earlier. So can you return the wedding dress to me now? I will wear it when I get married to someone else in seven days." Howard stared at the bitter and resolute expression in her eyes and frowned. Nikki seemed to be wronged today. Suddenly, Brad exclaimed: "Lora, why did you faint?!" Lora seemed to have suffered a great injustice. Just when she was about to untie the wedding dress, she fainted on the ground. Howard didn't have time to think about it anymore, and quickly picked her up. When he passed by Nikki, his eyes were as cold as ice:

"You know that Lora has been living away from home since she was a child and has poor health.. Why do you want to provoke her again and again?"

Brad also looked anxious and cold, and he grabbed Nikki's hand without saying anything and rushed to the hospital together.

"Is there something wrong with the kidney you donated at that time? Why did Lora's health get worse and worse after the transplant? If she is hospitalized again, this time, Nikki, you'd better be prepared to donate another kidney!"

He was very strong, and Nikki's hand was pulled so hard that it hurt.

But in the great shock, she could no longer feel the pain.

"Brad, what did you say?"

Half a year ago, she clearly donated her kidney to him...

Outside the hospital ward, Brad looked at her with a mix of concern and cold indifference.

"Didn’t you have three kidneys? Is something wrong with the one you were supposed to donate to Lora? The match is confirmed, so stay in the hospital tonight and be ready for the transplant at any time."

Nikki stared at him in shock, her voice trembling. "Weren’t you the one who was sick back then?"

At the time, she hadn’t felt this crushing disappointment—only worry for his health. That’s why she had rushed to get tested for a donor match.

Brad let out a cold laugh. "If I hadn’t pretended to be sick, would someone as selfish and petty as you have willingly donated your kidney to Lora? If her surgery had been delayed, could you have lived with that guilt?"

He had gripped her wrist so tightly along the way that angry red and purple marks marred her fair skin. But Nikki didn’t even seem to register the pain. She simply stared at Brad’s hardened face.

He was only a few months older than her, yet compared to his composed older brother, Howard, Brad had always been the reckless, impulsive one—like a younger brother trailing after her with unwavering enthusiasm.

He had done everything for her. He had never wanted to see her get hurt, not even a little.

When a boy with a crush on her once tugged at her pigtails, Brad had spun around and beaten him so badly that he ended up disfigured—yet he had still come to Nikki afterward, grinning proudly as if expecting praise.

When she accidentally burned her hand while setting off fireworks one New Year's Eve, he had been more panicked than she was. From that day forward, he never let her light fireworks again. Instead, he held them up for her to watch, staying up all night just so she could enjoy them—every single year.

This same rebellious boy, once so full of passion and sincerity, had deceived her into giving up a kidney with a lie.

And now, he expected her to lie on an operating table again and give up another one.

Maybe everything had gone wrong the moment she had chosen the wrong heart transplant recipient.

Tears blurred Nikki’s vision as a bitter smile formed on her lips. "Three kidneys? How could I possibly have three? Brad, I lied to you to put your mind at ease… and you actually believed it."

Brad narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "I know you don’t want to donate a kidney to Lora. But don’t forget—her weak health is because of you. You stole her rightful place as the rich family’s daughter, while she suffered outside for years. Don’t you think you should atone for that?"

"I…"

"Enough."

Howard’s voice cut in impatiently as he stepped out of the ward. His tone was deep and authoritative.

"Nikki, isn’t marrying into our family all you want?"

"If you agree to donate another healthy kidney to Lora, Brad and I will attend the wedding in seven days. We won’t embarrass you by not showing up. Satisfied?"

Nikki met his cold gaze, his condescending tone stabbing into her. The memory of her kidney removal surgery six months ago resurfaced—the pain of the incision still lingering in her body.

"I already told you—I’m not marrying either of you. Whether you show up or not, it makes no difference to me."

Howard’s eyes darkened.

At that moment, Lora stirred awake.

The two brothers rushed inside, their voices filled with concern.

"Thank God, Lora, you’re okay."

From inside the room, Brad’s voice carried out loud and clear.

"That fraud is truly unlucky. First, she killed Brother Bray, then she caused you to suffer outside for years, sick and weak. Now, all we’re asking is for her to donate a kidney, yet she dares to use it as leverage to force a marriage…"

The mention of Brother Bray made Nikki’s heart clench violently.

She bit her lip, feeling an icy wetness on her cheeks—tears she hadn’t even realized were falling.

Like a wandering soul, she turned and walked away.

Her phone suddenly rang.

On the other end, a deep, unfamiliar voice spoke.

"I heard you want to marry me."

Nikki immediately recognized who it was. Her body froze for a second before she answered nervously.

"Yes."

The man chuckled, his voice carrying a hint of knowing amusement.

"Weren’t those two so desperate to win your favor before? How quickly their affections have changed…"