Chapter 1

When the shipwreck happened, my husband—the leader of the rescue team—gave the only life jacket to his stepsister, just to avoid any so-called "appearance of favoritism" on the livestream.

He completely ignored the fact that I was heavily pregnant, and declared righteously to the camera, "No one gets special treatment, not even my wife. In the face of life and death, we save the weak first!"

I shut my eyes in bitter hatred as the ship went down, swallowed by the raging sea.

Four years later, he was on his knees at the entrance of The Asclepius Society, desperately banging his head against the ground until blood poured from his forehead—all to save his stepsister's child, who was dying of acute leukemia.

On the other side of the partition, the man hailed as a business prodigy was slamming his head against the ground, the sound echoing through the hall.

"Healer, please, save our child!" William begged.

"If you're willing to help, I'll spend every last dollar I have—even if it costs me my life!"

The air reeked of blood. William's forehead was torn and bleeding, red drops running down his nose and soaking the cashmere carpet at the entrance of The Asclepius Society.

I sat behind the partition, rolling a scalpel between my fingers, a mocking smile playing on my lips.

Four years had gone by, and I'd pictured seeing him again in my dreams countless times.

Did I want to rip him to shreds, devour him whole for what he'd done?

Or maybe I'd imagined slicing him a thousand times, making him suffer for every betrayal?

But now that the moment had finally arrived, I was shockingly calm inside.

Only that bone-deep chill served as a constant reminder of the suffocating despair I'd felt in the depths of the sea four years ago.

Beside me, my twin children—delicate as porcelain—watched me with worried eyes.

My son gave a gentle tug on my sleeve, while my daughter kept her gaze sharply fixed on the silhouette outside the frosted glass, eyes full of caution.

I patted their heads and slowly rose to my feet. "If Mr. Carter is so sincere, then I'll go see him."

My voice was cold, though a slight tremor betrayed my composure.

It wasn't fear—it was the exhilaration that comes after years of being suffocated by restraint.

Hand in hand with my two kids, I walked out from behind the screen, step by step.

My footsteps were soft, but each step seemed to press down on William's heart.

He heard the sound and jerked his head up, his eyes filled with desperate hope.

"Healer, you agreed to—" His voice cut off abruptly.

In that moment, William looked like he'd been struck by a bolt of lightning—completely frozen, his pupils shrinking in terror, his face ashen as if he'd seen a ghost in broad daylight.

"G-Grace Hamilton?!" he stammered, disbelief and fear in his voice.

He stumbled back, practically crawling away, his lips trembling and his right hand shaking as he pointed at me. "Are you... are you a ghost or a human?! Didn't you drown in the sea four years ago?!"

I looked down at the man I'd once shared a bed with, my gaze cold as ice. "Are you disappointed, Mr. Carter?"

William locked his gaze on me, then shifted it to the two kids standing at my side.

His eyes flickered from fear to shock, finally settling into a storm of conflicting feelings.

The kids bore an uncanny resemblance to him.

Anyone who wasn't blind could see whose children they were.

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing, and struggled to stand, but his legs were too weak and he slumped back onto the floor.

"Grace... it's really you," William stammered, his voice shaking with disbelief.

"You didn't die—so why didn't you come back to me these past four years?"

"Do you know how much I've missed you?"

His eyes were red, and he put on a show of deep affection, shuffling forward on his knees, reaching out desperately to grab me.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, jerking back, my disgust written all over my face. "William, cut the crap. Miss me? Or were you just hoping I was dead for good?"

Four years ago, the cruise ship crashed into a reef and started taking on water.

I was eight months pregnant, fighting for my life in the icy sea.

And my so-called husband was standing there, holding two life jackets.

Without hesitation, he gave the one meant for me to his stepsister, Olivia Turner.

All for the livestream—to get views by playing the hero who "saved his stepsister instead of his wife"—he just stood there on camera, letting the waves sweep me away.

His words from that moment are seared into my memory—I'll never forget them as long as I live.

"Grace, Olivia's frail. You're her big sister, you should let her have the life jacket. You can swim—just hang in there a little longer, the rescue team will be here soon."

Fuck you!

I'm pregnant!' I screamed in my head.

I'm his legal wife!' I thought, the betrayal burning in my chest.

If it hadn't been for The Asclepius Society happening to cross paths with me, my unborn child and I would've ended up as fish food.

William's expression froze, and he awkwardly withdrew his hand. "Grace, what happened back then was just a misunderstanding..."

"A misunderstanding?" I scoffed, cutting him off. "You just wanted me out of the picture so your so-called stepsister Olivia could take my place, right? Oh, and I heard her son's got acute leukemia, can't find a donor, and is on the verge of dying?"

William froze for a second, then grabbed at this lifeline like it was his last hope. "Yes! Grace, since you're the heir to The Asclepius Society, you must have a way to save Max!

"Max is just a kid—he's innocent!

"If you save him, I'll forget everything that happened before. I'll bring you home, make you my wife again, and we can start over!"

I felt like I'd just heard the world's biggest joke.

'He wants to give me status?' I scoffed to myself.

I'm Grace Hamilton, the only heir to The Asclepius Society—my name's known everywhere, and people would pay thousands for a single consultation. And he thinks I need recognition from a murderer who nearly got me killed?'

I leaned down, meeting his gaze, my voice icy.

"Listen carefully, William Carter," I said coldly.

"I only returned for one reason.

"To see you and that wretched woman Olivia finally get what you deserve.

"You want me to save that bastard? Keep dreaming!"