Chapter 1

Four years after I died, Jason Horton's precious Sonia Fuller was struck with a deadly illness, and only I could perform the surgery to save her.

To force me out of hiding and rescue Sonia, Jason went completely insane.

He hit my mom with his car, leaving her unable to care for herself. He strung up my dad right next to my tombstone, letting him die there. He even started a livestream, threatening to set my sister Felicia on fire.

He was waiting for me, the selfish one, to grovel at his feet, admit my mistakes, and agree to save Sonia.

But then his men finally dug up the truth about me.

One of them said, "Mr. Horton, she's been dead for four years now.

"She died the day she donated her heart to you."

*****

In an abandoned warehouse, my mom was tied up in the center of the empty floor, her body covered in bloody gashes from someone's knife.

Her face contorted with pain as she begged Jason Horton, "Jason, I'm your mother-in-law. How could you do this to me?"

Jason paused mid-cigarette, a cold, sarcastic smirk playing on his lips.

"Then get your selfish daughter to crawl out of hiding, and I might spare you," he said.

At the mention of me, my mom's whole body shook, like she'd aged ten years in an instant. Her voice was hoarse as she spoke. "Amber... she can't come see you."

Jason's face twisted into a cold, mocking smile.

He said, "So Amber Wood thinks I'm back for revenge and decided to hide from me, huh?

"If Sonia weren't sick right now, I wouldn't even be here looking for her. Just saying Amber's name makes my skin crawl."

Jason's eyes burned with undisguised disgust and hatred.

Seeing all this, bitterness flooded my mouth.

Sonia was Jason's precious lover, the one he kept closest to his heart.

If Sonia hadn't fallen ill, and if I weren't the only one who could save her, Jason would've never remembered me again.

"I'm giving you one last chance," Jason threatened.

But my mom just shook her head, lips sealed tight.

Jason's expression turned icy. He gave a curt order to his man. Seconds later, a car roared forward, slamming straight into my mom.

Her frail body soared like a broken kite, crashing to the ground.

Blood pooled beneath her as she lay there, her eyes drifting shut for the last time.

I watched, eyes wide, as everything happened right in front of me. My chest felt like it was being torn apart, regret and pain slamming into me over and over.

I curled up, feeling miserable, and couldn't hold back the tears slipping from the corners of my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mom. This is all my fault. Everything's on me. I never should've asked you to keep my secret. I never should've fallen for Jason..." I muttered, my voice shaking.

Jason stood at a distance, staring furiously at my mom's lifeless body, his face contorted with rage.

He slammed his foot into the luxury car, letting out a dark, furious roar.

"Amber, you really think you can hide from me forever? Your mom's on the brink of death, and you still won't show up?" Jason snarled.

Jason dragged my thoughts back to the present, and I found myself clutching my chest, the pain so deep it had gone numb.

I wished I could tell Jason, "I've always been right by your side."

But I had been dead for four years now.

Four years ago, Jason and I had the kind of marriage everyone dreamed of.

I was the doctor in charge of his treatment, and somewhere along the way, we fell for each other and built a life together.

But now, four years later, I was nothing but dust, while Jason had become a world-famous tycoon.

The man who used to be obsessed with me now hated me to his core.

I stared at Jason, stunned. He was a total stranger now, nothing like the man I once knew.

Was he really the man I spent years loving?

"Jasmine!"

A desperate shout suddenly echoed from inside the car. It was my dad.

He watched his beloved wife of so many years lying in a pool of blood, heartbreak overwhelming him. He fought to get out of the car, but someone held him back.

Jason flashed a shadowy, sinister smile as he spoke through the car window, his voice cold and threatening.

"Drag Amber out here to do the surgery, or her mom's running out of time," he growled.

My dad looked like he'd been completely drained. He closed his eyes, and after what felt like forever, finally gathered himself enough to speak, his voice rough and shaky.

"I'll take you to Amber," he said.