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Chapter 1 Discharged from the Hospital "Mr. Jackson, you’re coming to pick her up now? Okay, okay, we’ll wait for you at the entrance!" After hanging up, the doctor’s fawning expression vanished, replaced by a vicious glare. "You’d better keep your mouth shut and know exactly what to say and what not to say. Otherwise, I’ve got plenty of ways to send you right back in." Tatiana Steele’s face turned pale. She shook her head hard. "No, I won’t say anything!" Her speech was slurred because a piece of her tongue was missing, and the doctor figured she didn’t have the guts to tell the truth anyway. Soon, a black Cullinan slowly pulled up. The window slid down, revealing a strikingly handsome face — deep-set features, perfect brows and eyes, but frozen under a layer of icy frost. "Get in." Hearing the familiar voice, she stayed where she was, slowly lifting her head to meet those dark, unfathomable eyes. The name "Jasper" rose to her lips but she forced it back down. "Mr… Mr. Jackson." Legally he was her husband, but all she could manage was a stranger’s title. "Don’t make me say it twice." His voice was cold, laced with impatience. Four years had passed, and his presence was even more overwhelming, his beauty sharper — and all the more terrifying. Once, she had chased him for ten long years, shamelessly clinging to him, becoming the laughingstock of all Dalliston. Now she feared him more than anything, desperate to avoid him. She lowered her head and limped toward the black car, her left foot clearly damaged. Jasper Jackson’s eyes flickered with disdain. "Tatiana, still using this trick? Sympathy only works so many times. Looks like the place didn’t break your bad habits after all, you—" The next second, she trembled violently, her pupils contracting as her knees buckled. She collapsed to the ground. I can’t go back! I’ll die if I go back! Her left foot had been broken years ago when she tried to escape — a caretaker had caught her and snapped it. It had never healed properly. In these four years, she had learned her lesson. She would never again fight Bianca Lowell for anything. She would never again claim the title of Mrs. Jackson. She would give everything back. "I’m, sorry, I, know I was wrong, please, don’t send me back in!" "You…" The words on Jasper’s lips stalled. When had the once-arrogant, domineering Tatiana ever admitted she was wrong? She had always acted like no one else mattered, doing every bad thing she could, forcing her way into his bed, coercing him into marriage. And now she was apologizing. But if you do bad things, you have to admit them and take the consequences. "Sending you there really did teach you a lesson. Get in the car." Tatiana stayed motionless, staring at the vehicle like it was some monstrous beast. Years ago, she’d been shoved into a car just like this, taken straight to Somerton Reformatory. Cold sweat broke out across her back. Her teeth chattered as she squeezed out, "Can, I, not, go?" "I’m not asking. Get in." At last she climbed in, curling herself into the corner of the seat, barely letting her body touch the leather. Jasper frowned. Before he could speak, she was already trembling, apologizing over and over. "I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I dirtied your car, I’ll, clean it, clean it off." She dropped to her knees, scrubbing the leather seat with her sleeve even though there wasn’t a single mark. "It’ll be, clean soon, not dirty, I’m, not dirty…" The wounds on her fingers split open again, blood dripping onto the leather. She seemed crazed, scrubbing harder. "I’ll, clean it, don’t hit me, don’t hit…" Jasper realized something was wrong. He ordered the driver to stop, got out, and yanked her out of the car. "What the hell are you doing! Are you crazy? You—" He broke off mid-sentence when he looked down at the hand he had grabbed. All five fingers were covered in tiny cuts, calloused and swollen at the joints. There wasn’t a single fingernail left, just bare, cracked fingertips oozing blood. Hard to imagine these had once been a violinist’s hands. The once-spoiled Tatiana had been an exceptional player. The media had called those hands a gift from God. He frowned. "What happened to you?" She yanked her hand back, trembling violently, her face ghost-white. "I, I’m sick, my nails, rotted, fell off." Jasper pressed his lips together, a strange feeling flickering in his chest. But remembering what she’d done, his heart hardened again. "You’d better behave. Self-harm won’t work on me." He still believed this was one of Tatiana’s tricks, unworthy of sympathy. Soon the car rolled into the Lowell family’s hillside villa. Even before they entered, laughter drifted out from inside. "Come on, Mom and Dad, don’t tease me. Jasper and I aren’t like that." "Bianca’s blushing. Love can’t be forced, you know." "Right, Bianca, don’t worry. When Jasper comes back, we’ll have him divorce her." Tatiana’s face was numb, empty of any feeling. Her heart had already been shattered beyond repair. So this was why they’d gone out of their way to fetch her — for the divorce. In the living room, everyone turned at the sound of their arrival. The Lowell couple sat on either side, doting on the delicate-looking girl between them. They had once been her parents. For twenty years she had called them Mom and Dad — until a routine medical checkup revealed she wasn’t their biological child. An investigation uncovered the truth: she was the daughter of the Lowell family’s former housekeeper, who had, out of jealousy of the family’s wealth, deliberately swapped the babies at birth. When the truth came out, her world collapsed. She was forcibly renamed from Tatiana Lowell to Tatiana Steele, while the real Lowell daughter, Bianca, was brought home and everything returned to its rightful owner. She had accepted it, following her biological parents home — only for them to try to sell her into a brothel. She had fled back to the Lowell family in desperation, straight into another nightmare. "Tatiana! You’re finally back!" Slim arms wrapped around her own as a sweet voice rang out. Bianca beamed. "Tatiana, this is wonderful! You’re finally back! I missed you so much these past years! How have you been in there?" Tatiana’s face was paper white. Her movements were stiff as she tried to pull away, but Bianca held her tightly. Bianca leaned in, her smile bright but her voice low enough for only Tatiana to hear. "Tatiana, how come you didn’t die in there?" Tatiana’s pupils constricted. She stared at Bianca, who only smiled more innocently. Bianca’s eyes dropped to her bare fingertips, and her smile grew brighter. "Hurts, doesn’t it? Without your nails, you’ll never play the violin again. Oh, and I heard you tried to run, so I had them break your leg. You’ll never run now. Happy? Every bit of suffering you had in there was on my orders." Boom— The emotions she had held down for so long burst free. With all her strength, she shoved Bianca away, her hands closing around Bianca’s throat, eyes wild. "It, it was you! I knew it was you! You, you did this on purpose!" All the beatings and torture of the past four years had been at Bianca’s command! Inside, she had been trapped between life and death, dreaming of escape every night. "Tatiana! What’s wrong with you? Cough, cough, it hurts!" The Lowell couple saw what was happening and rushed forward. "Tatiana! What are you doing! Let go!" A powerful force slammed into her, sending her flying. Her head smashed against the sharp edge of a table. Pain exploded as blood gushed down her face. "Tatiana! You’re looking for death!" Chapter 2 Divorce Jasper’s eyes were cold and sharp, his face twisted with disgust. "Still unrepentant." Tatiana’s head dripped blood, her eyes frantic as she tried to explain. "Jasper, it, it was her, she told the people at the reformatory to, to beat me! They, they broke my leg! Tore off my nails!" He sneered. "What’s this? Didn’t you just say they rotted from illness? Tatiana, how many more lies are you going to tell?" Her words died in her throat. She couldn’t speak. Lauren hurried to support her daughter, her face full of concern. "Bianca, are you all right? Does it hurt?" But when her gaze caught the marks around Bianca’s neck, she grew furious. "Tatiana! How could you do this to Bianca? She’s always cared about you, always thought about you. She even went to the reformatory herself to bring you food, and this is how you repay her?" Visits? Bringing food? Tatiana suddenly remembered that every month she’d be punished by inexplicable electric shocks. Her voice trembled. "The seventh… every month, right?" Chester Lowell’s face filled with disappointment. "Tati, you know perfectly well Bianca went to visit you every seventh of the month. She cared about you, always tried to protect you, and this is how you treat her? We should’ve sent you to prison back then, let you repent properly!" Four years ago, she had been accused of a hit-and-run, nearly thrown in jail. Her family had paid a fortune in compensation to get a letter of forgiveness. But she hadn’t done it. Even with the evidence piled against her, she had no way to defend herself. Then Bianca had said, "Tatiana’s gone bad. Why not send her to the reformatory? She can come out and be a better person." And that was how she had been locked inside Somerton Reformatory for four years. "Dad, Dad! She, she wasn’t kind at all, she never came to see me! She, she came to punish me! She—" "Enough! I am not your father. I don’t have such a vicious, scheming daughter! We never should have let you out. Driver, take her back immediately!" Tatiana stared at her adoptive parents who refused to believe her. The light in her eyes slowly went out. How could she forget — she was no longer the cherished young lady of the Lowell family. Her head turned stiffly toward Jasper. Shaking, she forced out a sentence. "What do, I have to do, so I won’t, go back?" The entire Lowell family lived clinging to the Jackson family. Jasper’s word was law. His gaze was icy, his voice low and commanding. "Apologize to Bianca." She turned toward Bianca, who was nestled tearfully in Lauren’s arms. Apologize? But what had she done wrong? She hadn’t chosen to be switched at birth. She hadn’t done those things. She hadn’t schemed to climb into his bed. One by one, every sin had been heaped onto her. She had resisted, she had argued, but no one had ever believed her. It didn’t matter anymore. Slowly, she reached Bianca, murmuring, "I'm sorry. Forgive me." "I was wrong. "I won't do that again." With each apology, she sobbed harder, disregarding any shred of dignity left in her. Satisfaction flashed in Bianca's eyes. She just loved being on her high horse. But catching the faint flicker of pity in Lauren’s gaze, she quickly stood and helped Tatiana up. "Tatiana, I don't blame you. It's okay. I know you don't mean it. I forgive you." Chester smiled with relief. "Bianca really is kindhearted. Even after all this, she still thinks of you." Tatiana no longer resisted or denied anything. Her vision darkened in waves, her body swaying. Pain stabbed into her arm where Bianca gripped her tightly, sharp nails digging cruelly into her flesh, as though slicing her alive. "Tatiana, let’s get along from now on." She endured the pain and nodded. Chester checked his watch. "It’s late. Let’s take care of the real business now." Excitement flickered in Bianca’s eyes, though she forced a look of hesitation. "Jasper, won’t this ruin your marriage? Maybe we should forget it…" For once, Jasper’s expression softened. "It doesn’t matter. It was supposed to be you anyway." Tatiana’s head snapped toward him. Supposed to be her? What did that mean? There had never been an engagement between the Lowells and the Jacksons. She had chased Jasper alone, ten years of humiliation, ready to give up — until Jasper suddenly agreed to marry her. At the time, she had just escaped her birth family and clung to the Lowells for survival. Her heart had soared, believing Jasper had finally seen her worth. But after being framed into his bed, he turned on her, denying everything, trying to back out of the marriage. In the end, the Jackson patriarch forced him to accept it. They registered hastily, with no wedding, no public acknowledgment. She had been nothing but a shadow, a dog begging for scraps. His fleeting kindness had been nothing but a cruel illusion. Bianca blushed shyly. "Jasper, I don’t mind." Jasper murmured a few words to soothe her, then gathered the documents and took Tatiana away. Chester squeezed his daughter’s hand. "Bianca, the Lowell family’s future depends on you. Don’t waste it." Compared to unloved Tatiana, Bianca clearly suited Jasper better. Chester’s favoritism was obvious. The car headed toward the Civil Affairs Bureau. Tatiana stared blankly out the window as the scenery sped by — familiar yet foreign. After four years locked away, the world outside had changed beyond recognition. She had no phone, no ID, no belongings. The Lowells had taken everything. The scent of smoke reached her nose. She turned her head to see him light a cigarette, instinctively shrinking back. She remembered — he didn’t smoke. "Disgusted?" She shook her head quickly. How could she have the right to dislike him? But her body betrayed her. Her throat itched, and she began coughing. The coughs wouldn’t stop, tearing from her chest as though her lungs might come out. Jasper’s expression darkened. "Stop the car." The driver pulled to the side. "Get out." Tatiana clutched her chest, trying to explain. "No, it’s not, cough cough cough… listen, cough cough…" Following orders, the driver dragged her out and dumped her on the roadside. "Run there. If you’re late, you know the consequences." The car sped away. Bent over, she coughed until something hot burst up her throat. She looked down — her hands were full of blood. Last winter, she’d been locked outside all night in the freezing cold, left with a raging fever that was never treated. Her lungs had been damaged ever since. Smoke only made it worse. Slowly, she straightened and limped forward. By the time she reached the Civil Affairs Bureau, the sun was setting. Jasper’s tall figure stretched long in the orange glow. Warm light softened the edges of his striking face, but not the ice in his eyes. He turned to leave, unaware that a hundred meters behind him, someone shouted, "Help! Somebody’s fainted!" Tatiana had collapsed, lying just a hundred meters away. As the Cullinan glided past the crowd, Jasper looked up from his ringing phone, his expression easing as he answered. At that exact moment, she was lifted into an ambulance, sirens wailing. When she woke, it was already the next day. The doctor’s grim face sent dread coursing through her chest. "Contact your family. They need to come immediately. Your condition is critical." Her lips trembled. "Doctor, what’s, wrong with me?" "You have lung cancer. The cells have already spread." Chapter 3 Countdown to Death Lung cancer. The word struck like a thunderclap, shattering Tatiana’s sanity. She forced out a broken smile, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had thought that after finally leaving the reformatory, she could begin life anew. Instead, fate had played a cruel joke. "Doctor, how much, time do I, have left?" "If you undergo treatment, you might live a little longer. But the cost is very high." She fell silent, her fists tightening slowly. "And… the worst case?" "Two months." The doctor’s expression softened with pity, though he still tried to console her. "If the treatment works well, there might be a miracle. You should discuss it with your family." Her voice was flat, numb. "I… don’t have, a family anymore." Her birth parents had tried to sell her into prostitution. Her adoptive parents despised her. She had no one. With no money to pay for hospitalization, she couldn’t even get her prescriptions, leaving the hospital in debt she would never repay. Her phone and ID were still with Jasper. Years of electric shocks had dulled her mind, leaving her memory weak — she couldn’t even remember the way back. Her old leg injury flared up, every step excruciating. Walking was clumsy and painful. No one would lend their phone to a beggar like her. In the end, she wandered the streets, sleeping under bridges, surviving on scraps from the trash. She still clung to the thought that Jasper would come looking for her to finalize the divorce. But everyone else assumed she was hiding to avoid it. "Can’t find her?" "Yes, sir. We searched both the Lowell family and the Steele family. There’s no trace of her." Jasper’s frown deepened, though a flicker of certainty and disdain passed through his eyes. Of course. How could Tatiana ever agree to a divorce? She had chased him for ten years, impossible to shake off. She had even impersonated Bianca, climbing into his bed just to force him into marriage. How could she willingly let go? Her sudden obedience had only been a ploy — lulling him into dropping his guard, then fleeing to avoid the divorce. His lips twisted in a cold smile. "Start with her friends. Without identification, she can only go a handful of places." Yet three full days passed, and still no trace of Tatiana. Irritation creeping in, Jasper thought of one person and dialed. It was Zara Zeller, once Tatiana’s closest friend. Zara’s voice exploded through the line. "Jasper! Are you even human? You threw Tati into that hellhole for four years! You bastard! Don’t you dare call me again!" "She’s with you. Tell her to come out." "You’re insane! You think I’m hiding Tati? Wait—what do you mean, she’s missing?" "Zara, stop pretending." "Pretending, my ass! Jasper, I’ve tolerated you long enough! You promised to marry her, then backed out! You’re worse than—" "The Zeller family’s business contracts can be voided." The line went dead silent, then after a pause, Zara’s voice came back weaker. "Tati’s not with me. I swear." Jasper hung up, his face dark. She wasn’t with the Lowells, nor the Jacksons, nor the Zellers. No one in their circle dared shelter her. She was tougher than four years ago, better at hiding. He gave the order. "Notify Somerton Reformatory. When she’s found, send her back." If she hadn’t been reformed, then she would be. … By the fourth day, Tatiana was filthy, reeking of sewage, chased from everywhere she went. She had waited so long, but Jasper never came. The coughing never stopped, day and night. Other beggars avoided her, fearing contagion. She coughed up mouthfuls of blood, her breathing scorching her chest. Every step was like treading on air. She staggered along the street, begging strangers for a phone, but not one would lend it. At last she collapsed. A kind-hearted college girl helped her up. "Are you all right? Do you need to go to the hospital?" "Please, can you… lend me, your phone?" "My phone? Sure." With trembling hands, she took it, dialing the one number etched into her bones. Ring. Ring. Ring. "Who is this?" That cold, familiar voice. Her eyes reddened, her voice hoarse and ragged. "Jasper, it’s… me." "Tatiana. Playing tricks again?" "No, no, I’m not, I… cough, cough, cough…" She doubled over, hacking up another mouthful of blood. The college student beside her cried out in alarm. "Oh my God, are you okay? You’re coughing up blood!" Her body chilled, life slipping away. Desperation clawed at her as she pleaded, "I’m sick, very… very sick. Can you… lend me some money? Just, just three thousand. Please? It hurts so much…" Every organ screamed in agony, pain sawing through her bones. But his reply was a cold, derisive laugh. "Tatiana, still the same tricks? Why don’t you just die already?" Each word sliced like a knife. In a daze, she lifted her head and saw a massive screen playing breaking news: "President of Jackson Corp spends thirty billion on a lavish estate to please his beloved." In her ear, Jasper’s voice was merciless. "You’d better pray I don’t find you. Otherwise, you’ll rot in Somerton for the rest of your life." The call cut off, severing her final thread of hope. … Jasper ended the call and immediately ordered a trace on the IP address. "Jasper, what’s wrong? Who was on the phone?" "Business." He said nothing more. Bianca’s health was fragile — no need to burden her with this. "Jasper, I really love this estate! Thank you!" "As long as you like it." It was just an estate. He didn’t care. Years ago, he had been hunted down, left bleeding and half-dead. If not for Bianca saving him, he would have perished. He owed her his life. But Tatiana had stolen the token he had given Bianca, impersonating his savior, demanding marriage. He had thought her merely willful. In truth, she was malicious, unforgivable. Bianca asked carefully, "Jasper, that token… did you get it back?" His gaze sharpened. "She still hasn’t returned it?" Bianca looked troubled, speaking softly. "No. Tatiana just came back, and I didn’t want to upset her by asking. I thought I’d wait until she adjusted to life outside, then get it back. After all, it’s yours, something you gave me." Her cheeks flushed as she lowered her eyes, the very picture of shy innocence. Jasper’s voice softened. "You’re too kind." Tatiana dared steal a token and impersonate Bianca, yet Bianca still thought of her feelings. Bianca leaned closer. "Jasper, I…" Buzz. His phone vibrated. He answered immediately. A voice on the other end reported: "Sir, we’ve located Ms. Steele!"

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