Chapter 1: Killing Her

In the scorching summer heat, Anna wiped away her sweat and poured the bone broth she had prepared into a thermos.

She put the lid on and headed towards the hospital.

As she reached the door of the hospital room, she heard a conversation between a mother and daughter inside.

"Mom, how did I even get this disease? If I can't find a donor in time, I'll die, right? What am I going to do?" Her sister Thea clutched her medical report, looking as if she might collapse, tears streaming down her face.

Their mother Rosalind was equally distressed but tried to comfort her. "Don't worry. Andrew is a doctor. He will surely find a kidney donor soon."

"I'm afraid I won't make it until then, Mom. I'm still young, I have a child, and I still have you..." Thea trailed off, but her meaning was clear—she didn't want to die.

Her daughter was already so sick and she was still think about her. Rosalind's heart ached for Thea, who was now apparently more precious to her than her own biological daughter...

Suddenly, however, an idea struck her. "Anna has stomach cancer, doesn't she? She's going to die anyway. Why not take her kidney? At least it would be useful."

Thea got the answer she wanted but pretended to be concerned. "But she would by no means agree to it, and our brothers won't agree either!"

Rosalind held Thea's hand and reassured her. "Just focus on preparing for your surgery. Your brothers love you; they won't just let you die. As for Anna, I'll handle it."

Standing at the door, Anna felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss upon hearing their conversation.

Over the years, as the later addition to the Hayes family, she had tried hard to please them. She worked tirelessly in the household and played the role of the obedient daughter perfectly, but this was what she got in return.

At ten years old, when the Hayes family discovered she was their long-lost daughter, they brought her back from the countryside. Everyone thought her good days were about to begin; she thought so too.

But due to the differences in upbringing, it was hard for her to fit into this family. Anna became cautious and tried to please every family member. Although she never gained their approval, her gentle nature allowed her to coexist "harmoniously" with them anyway.

Anna had four brothers who were all exceptional talents and doted on their sister—but that sister was Thea, not Anna.

Whenever Thea cried, everyone felt heartbroken and rushed to blame Anna regardless of whether it was her fault or not. If Thea made a mistake, it was Anna's fault. If Thea got hurt, it was because of Anna...

Sometimes, Anna even felt that Thea was the real member of the Hayes family while she was just an outsider.

The Hayes family had become wealthy through business in the 1990s and maintained a good standard of living. However, with market changes, they faced financial difficulties.

For years, Anna worked day and night to solve the family's financial crisis in an effort to win their favor. She worked herself sick but received no sympathy from them; instead, they wanted her life.

Anna laughed bitterly at herself; she should have seen this coming. No matter how hard she tried over the years, she never received any care from them—not even a little bit.

Her stomach ached sharply; her hand trembled and dropped the thermos on the ground. The noise startled the mother and daughter inside. Hearing footsteps approaching, Anna turned and fled but couldn't run fast due to increasing pain.

Rosalind quickly caught up with Anna at the stairwell. Seeing Anna in pain did not move Rosalind; instead, she spoke harshly.

"Anna," Rosalind said coldly, "I can see you have really no attachments in this world and you are terminally ill with stomach cancer. But Thea is different; she has a family and children. You can't be so heartless as to refuse help!"

Anna laughed through her tears; her heart shattered into pieces. For an adopted daughter like Thea, Rosalind cursed her own flesh and blood without hesitation—even though doctors said Anna's early-stage stomach cancer could be cured with treatment.

Who was heartless? Thea had taken everything that belonged to Anna—her parents' love and her four brothers' affection—and even stole her fiancé Jasper with whom she conspired to seize Anna's shares in the family business. Now they even wanted her life.

Seeing Anna remain silent, Rosalind grabbed her hand forcefully. In anger, Anna shook free but lost balance and tumbled down the stairs.

As everything spun around her violently before she crashed into a wall corner—blood gushing from her mouth—Anna's consciousness began fading away.

Rosalind quickly ran down after her looking pale with fear but then said something that hurt more than any physical pain Anna felt.

"Jesus, how could you be so careless!? You must not injure your kidneys," Rosalind muttered darkly. "With all this blood loss you probably won’t survive anyway. Why don't you give your sister some hope."

Hearing these words made Anna stare at Rosalind with wide eyes filled with hatred and unwillingness—even in death—she could not rest in peace...

When Anna opened her eyes again feeling groggy—it took some effort before recognizing where she was—a hospital room marked by gray walls adorned with red crosses beside an old table emitting strong medicinal odors worsening her already throbbing headaches...

Wasn’t she dead?

How could she be here?

The door burst open suddenly causing dust from walls falling down—a group of people stormed inside led by William—her father—who immediately questioned angrily:

"Anna! Why did you let those thugs bully your sister? Don’t you know they might kill her?"