Chapter 2

It was a delicate heart-shaped ruby bracelet, its surface gleaming with a rich, flawless luster.

That was mine.

It was the only thing my mother had left me before she died.

When the avalanche struck, I had clutched it tightly in my palm, praying my mother would protect Julian and me and let us survive.

So how had it ended up hanging around Serena's neck?

I struggled violently to sit up, the tubes attached to my body rattling and tugging painfully.

"Give it back! Give me my bracelet!"

I roared like a crazed animal and lunged forward, reaching for the bracelet.

Julian immediately pulled Serena behind him and kicked the side of my hospital bed with brutal force.

The metal frame shook violently, and I was thrown back onto the bed.

The freshly stitched wound split open instantly, blood spreading across the white hospital gown.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Julian shouted, staring at me like I was some irrational lunatic. "It's just a worthless trinket. Serena liking it should be your honor. She just had surgery and needs something to calm her nerves. This piece happens to do the job."

Pain curled my body into itself, cold sweat soaking through my hair.

"That was... my mother's..."

The words forced their way out between clenched teeth.

Serena hid behind Julian and tugged gently at his sleeve, looking pitiful.

"Julian, I'm sorry. I didn't know it belonged to Stella's mother. I saw it lying in the snow and thought it didn't belong to anyone. If Stella is that unwilling to part with it, I'll just give it back."

She pretended to remove it, her fingers trembling deliberately as if she couldn't even undo the clasp.

Julian immediately grabbed her hand.

"Don't give it back." He turned toward me, his voice dripping with contempt. "Your mother was just some countryside woman. What valuable thing could she possibly leave behind? Something like this is wasted on you anyway. If Serena wears it, that's doing your mother a favor."

I bit my lip so hard the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

This was the man I had loved for three years.

Not only did he intend to drain my blood, he also wanted to crush the last shred of my dignity.

"Julian, you're a monster." I stared straight into his eyes. I didn't cry. I simply said it, cold and clear.

Julian's face darkened instantly.

He strode forward and grabbed my throat.

The suffocating pressure hit instantly, forcing my head back as I met his furious gaze.

"Stella, who do you think you are? Without me you'd still be stuck in that miserable little apartment, scraping by on nothing. I gave you luxury, status, the title of Mrs. Crowe. So what if I took one piece of jewelry from you?"

The pressure of his grip kept tightening, and my vision slowly blurred.

Serena gasped dramatically from the side.

"Julian, let go! Stella can't breathe! What if she dies? What about my illness?"

Those words instantly snapped Julian back to his senses.

He released me abruptly and tossed me back onto the bed like a discarded rag.

I broke into violent coughing.

I coughed uncontrollably, dragging in desperate breaths of air.

Julian took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands with visible disgust, then tossed it onto my face.

"Stay alive. Tomorrow we continue the extraction. Don't even think about trying anything. As long as you're alive, you will save Serena."

He pushed Serena's wheelchair toward the door without looking back.

Just before leaving, Serena suddenly looked back.

She mouthed silently to me, "You can't beat me."

The hospital door slammed shut.

Lying in a pool of my own blood, I stared at the harsh ceiling light and suddenly started laughing.

I laughed until tears ran down my face.

It was all so absurd.

I would have given my life for him, yet to him I was nothing more than a walking blood bank.

A burst of hurried footsteps echoed outside the door.

Several nurses in sterile suits pushed a large medical machine into the room.

The head nurse looked at me without the slightest expression.

"Miss Hart, Mr. Crowe has given his orders."