Part 1Faint Flames, Aching Hearts

To me, Karen was never the false heiress who stole my life. She was my baby sister, my closest friend.

When our parents refused to acknowledge me, she knelt in the chapel until her knees bled, just to get me into the family tree. When I was bullied at school, she slapped the ringleader Stanton so hard his face swelled—trembling with fear, yet forcing a smile to comfort me. Even the family fortune, she refused a cent, insisting it all be mine.

Then she brought Ethan into my life. Seen as the perfect match, he taught me etiquette, helped me into a top university, and shaped me into a true heiress. On my graduation day, he proposed, vowing to care for me forever.

They were two flames, warming what I’d thought was a hopeless life.

Until the day I came home from the hospital and saw them through our half-open bedroom door. Ethan had her pressed against the wall, voice trembling. “Why make me marry her? You know I’ve always loved you.”

Karen didn’t struggle. She only wept. “Please… don’t hurt Elara. We’re all she has now.”

Outside, tears and blood soaked the medical report in my hand:

【PROGNOSIS: LESS THAN ONE MONTH TO LIVE.】

And suddenly, I laughed.

How perfect.

It seemed even Death could grant a wish.

* * *

Thud!

A wave of dizziness from the blood loss sent me stumbling, and I slammed hard against the doorframe. The medical report I was clutching scattered across the floor. As I scrambled to pick up the pages, the door was yanked open from the inside.

Karen’s face, still streaked with fresh tears, went pale with shock when she saw the blood pouring from my nose.

"Elara! What happened? Why are you bleeding so much?"

I wiped my nose clumsily with the back of my hand, forcing my lips into what I hoped was a natural smile.

"It's nothing. I was staring at my phone and walked right into the door."

Karen knelt, using her own sleeve to gently clean my face, her voice a mix of concern and scolding. "How can you be so careless? Does it hurt?"

"Let me help you up. We'll have the family doctor take a look at you later, just to make sure it's not…"

Her words caught in her throat. Behind her, Ethan’s gaze had fallen to the papers on the floor. His brow furrowed as he reached for one.

"What's this?"

My head whipped around. The medical report!

No!

Panic seized me. I practically dove forward, snatching the paper from his grasp. My voice was shrill, unrecognizable. "It's nothing!"

My outburst startled them both.

Ethan’s hand froze in mid-air, his eyes fixed on the paper I now held in a death grip. Luckily, the most damning information was blurred into an illegible red smudge.

I struggled to compose myself, stuffing the report into my pocket. "It's just the flu, and I'm a bit run down," I lied, my voice still shaky. "The doctor gave me some medicine."

"You know how it is, the air is so dry in the winter, it gives me nosebleeds. You two should be careful as well!"

Ethan studied me for a few seconds, the suspicion in his eyes slowly fading. But then he asked, his voice cautious, "Elara, you were just at the door… You didn't happen to hear anything, did you?"

I could feel Karen's fingers tighten on my arm.

I knew what they were afraid of.

It didn't matter. Even knowing the truth, I could never blame them.

This life, this happiness… it was all borrowed.

But my eyes still burned, and I had to fight back tears. I tilted my head back, trying my best to look innocent and confused.

"Hear what? I was too busy having a fight with the doorframe. It hurt so much I was seeing stars. What's going on?"

Ethan visibly relaxed.

Karen’s whole body seemed to sag with relief. She helped me inside. "Nothing. Ethan and I were just talking about your wedding."

"Come on, let's get that bleeding stopped."

Ethan nodded and moved to close the door. But just as it was about to click shut—

Bang!

A hand, all sharp knuckles and lean fingers, shot through the gap, forcing the door open.

Stanton’s defiant face appeared in the opening.

He yelled right at me, "Elara, what the hell? Why'd you run when you saw me at the oncology department?"

My heart sank.

I'm screwed.