Chapter 1

I was in the final stages of kidney failure, and the only donor kidney that matched me had been claimed by my fiancé, Alex Carter.

He'd secured it as a backup for my sister, Tina Lane, who was just starting to show signs of kidney disease.

I turned down the doctor's harsher treatments that could keep me alive, and just relied on the strongest painkillers to get by.

In three days, I'd finally be free.

During these three days, I finally became the perfect version of myself in their eyes.

When I handed over the shares of the company I'd worked so hard to build to Tina, my parents were all smiles, saying I was so thoughtful.

Alex wanted to make Tina his fiancée instead, and I agreed. He smiled, finally relieved.

Even when I took the initiative to give all my assets to Tina, nobody thought it was odd.

They just said it as if it was only right, "Mia's finally grown up."

I smiled lightly, saying nothing.

Would they even remember me once I was gone?

*****

When the cold painkiller was injected into my veins, I felt nothing at all.

Maybe when your heart became numb from too much pain, you lost the ability to feel anything else.

After getting my painkillers, I got up from my own room and made my way to Tina's hospital room.

Before I even reached the door, I could hear laughter and chatter coming from inside.

Dad was expertly peeling Tina's favorite fruit, while Mom sat by her bedside, holding her hand and talking to her.

The moment I walked in, the atmosphere instantly turned heavy.

Mom wasted no time in mocking me. "Wow, isn't this the so-called dying patient? What, now you're even pretending to be sick in the hospital?

"Or maybe it's karma for being so nasty and trying to take things from your sister. So, you really ended up with a fatal disease, huh?"

Dad chimed in coldly, "What are you doing here? Still not giving up on trying to snatch Tina's kidney? Listen, Mia, as long as we're around, there's no way we'll let you push Tina around like this."

Mom was clearly annoyed. "I have no idea what we did to end up with such a nasty daughter. Get out of here and stop upsetting everyone."

Tina, nestled in Mom's arms, gave me a smug, victorious smile, her eyes gleaming with triumph and ridicule.

With my parents always taking Tina's side, I never won, not even once.

Back then, I used to pour everything I had into chasing just a sliver of their affection.

But now, I was exhausted. I didn't want to spend my last three days caught up in this empty fight anymore.

I cut Dad off before he could start lecturing me again. "I'm here to tell you about what you wanted me to do. I agree to transfer all my company shares to Tina."

Their eyes lit up right away, and they rushed to confirm it. "All of them?"

I nodded indifferently, not really bothered.

With only three days left, none of this mattered to me anymore.

For the first time ever, Mom actually looked at me with a gentle gaze.

She said, "Finally, you're starting to get it. I've always said Tina's got way more talents than you. Just hand the company over to her and rest easy. Now you can enjoy life without a care."

Dad nodded approvingly. "That's right, you should transfer the shares to Tina as soon as possible. But don't think you can slack off.

"Tina needs to focus on getting better, so you'll have to keep the company running for her. If anything goes wrong, your mom and I won't let you off easy."

Once I signed the transfer agreement, the mood in the room lightened up right away.

Mom, for once, patted my hand and sighed. "If only you'd been this sensible earlier, we wouldn't have had all this drama at home. Just behave yourself from now on. We're still family, after all."

I managed a faint smile and didn't say a word.

It was only whenever I backed down for Tina that they ever showed me any warmth at all.

Before, I could never figure out why they treated me like this.

But now, I didn't even want to know the answer anymore.

Now, at last, they'd have things the way they always wanted.

Soon, Tina would be their one and only daughter.