Chapter 1

Ava Miller ran.

Each breath burned her lungs, a fire stoked by the rapid-progression ALS.

Her ribs screamed with every jolt, a fresh break from her escape from Serenity Pines.

The isolated mental health facility upstate wasn't about serenity. It was about abuse. Five years of it.

But she was out.

Her first stop wasn't the police. It wasn't a hospital for her immediate injuries.

It was a discreet, modern building in a quiet Manhattan side street, affiliated with a major NYC university hospital.

Inside, the air was sterile, quiet.

She clutched a worn folder. This was it. Her final act of control.

A pre-arranged, full-body donation to a cutting-edge, ethically ambiguous medical research program.

Complete disintegration. No trace left. Her ultimate escape.

Dr. Alistair Finch, head of the program, looked at her with professional empathy.

His office was minimalist, calming.

"Ms. Miller, are you still certain about this?" he asked, his voice gentle.

"The process, as we discussed, is irreversible and... total. There will be nothing left for traditional burial or cremation."

Ava nodded, her throat tight. "I understand, Doctor. It's what I want."

Her voice was a hoarse whisper, a common symptom now.

He slid a final consent form across the polished desk.

"Your ALS is progressing rapidly, as your latest scans confirmed," Dr. Finch said, more a statement than a question. "And the recurring lung infections are a serious complication."

Ava signed the form, her hand trembling slightly.

"I don't have much time," she said, the words stark. "A few months, maybe less. I want this to mean something."

She thought of the youth shelter in the Bronx she wanted to help.

The program offered a stipend. Not much, but enough.

"The initial stipend, as agreed," Dr. Finch said, pushing an envelope towards her. "For your immediate needs and participation."

Ava took it. "Thank you. I've already arranged for this to be donated to the Bronx Youth Initiative after... after everything."

Dr. Finch nodded slowly. "You're a remarkable young woman, Ms. Miller."

Outside, the city air felt sharp, dangerous.

She clutched the envelope. Freedom was a fragile thing.

Then she saw them.

Two men in dark suits, their faces grim. Ethan Cole' s men.

Ethan owned Serenity Pines. He wouldn't let his "patient" just walk away.

Panic seized Ava. She couldn't go back. Not ever.

She turned and fled, her injured body protesting with every step.

She darted into the nearest skyscraper, a gleaming tower of glass and steel.

Donovan Holdings.

The lobby was vast, opulent, a world away from the hell she' d escaped.

She stumbled, disoriented, crashing right into a hard, male body.

The envelope flew from her grasp, money scattering across the marble floor.

"Watch where you're going," a cold, familiar voice snapped.

Ava looked up, her heart stopping.

Liam Donovan.

His eyes, once warm and loving, were now chips of ice.

He recognized her instantly. Disgust twisted his handsome features.

"Ava Miller," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "Who let you back in this city?"

Before Ava could speak, Ethan' s men rushed in.

"There she is! She stole that money!" one of them shouted, pointing at Ava and the scattered bills.

Liam' s gaze flickered to the money, then back to Ava, his expression hardening.

"Stealing now, Ava? You' ve sunk this low?"

A slender, perfectly manicured hand slipped into Liam' s arm.

Cassandra Vance.

Her blonde hair gleamed. Her smile was pure venom, thinly veiled by feigned shock.

"Ava? Oh my god, Liam, is that really her?"

Ava stared at them, her past and present horrors colliding.

Liam, the boy she' d loved, the man she' d lost.

Cassandra, her high school tormentor, now clinging to him.

A wave of dizziness hit her.

Flashback.

High school. Ava, new to Queens, shy. Liam, the popular, kind boy who' d befriended her, then loved her. Cassandra, the wealthy, cruel girl who led the clique that made Ava' s life miserable. Liam had always defended her then.

Their engagement. A small, simple promise ring. Hope.

Then Chloe. Liam' s beloved older sister. Chloe, who had been like a sister to Ava too.

The fire. Five years ago.

Chloe dead.

And Liam, believing Ava had killed her, his love turning to a burning, unquenchable hatred.

Now, here he was. Her greatest love, her worst tormentor, united.

Ava' s world tilted.