Chapter 3

I awoke to the low hum of medical equipment.

The air was sterile, cold. Not the hospital. This was Emily's private lab, the place where she created her "art." The place where I was her secret ingredient.

"Her vitals are unstable, Emily. The seizure on the runway was severe. We pushed her too far." It was the voice of the man in the white coat, Dr. Evans.

"We didn't push her far enough," Emily's voice was sharp, annoyed. "The press is calling it a miracle. 'Comatose Sister Moved by Fiancé's Proposal.' The publicity is priceless."

I heard the rustle of fabric as she paced the room.

"David is getting nervous," Emily continued. "He almost called the whole thing off."

"He should be nervous," Dr. Evans said. "What we're doing is..."

"Is revolutionary," Emily snapped. "And it's making us all very, very rich. Don't forget that, Doctor."

The door opened, and I smelled David's cologne. He always wore the same scent, a sandalwood fragrance I'd bought him for our third anniversary.

"How is she?" he asked, his voice low and strained.

"She's fine," Emily said, her tone softening instantly into a sweet purr. "Just resting. The excitement was a lot for her."

"I saw her shake, Emily. It wasn't just 'excitement.' It looked like she was in pain."

I wanted to scream. Yes, I'm in pain! You are the cause of my pain!

"David, darling," Emily sighed. "We've talked about this. It's for the greater good. My work... it's going to change the world. And Sarah is a part of that. She's contributing."

"By being your lab rat," David said, a hint of his old self, the man I thought I knew, breaking through.

"Don't be so dramatic," Emily scoffed. "And don't forget, you're the one who signs the checks. You're funding this 'greater good'."

Silence. The hum of the machines filled the space between them.

"I feel guilty," David finally admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "When I look at her... I remember how she was. Before the accident."

"She's never waking up, David," Emily's voice was cold, final. "The Sarah you knew is gone. This is just a body. A beautiful, empty shell that we are putting to good use."

I heard him move closer to her. The soft sound of a kiss.

"You're right," he murmured against her lips. "You're always right."

My stomach churned with a helpless rage.

They moved into my line of sight. I was propped up on the bed, my head tilted to the side. I had a perfect, horrifying view.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. She giggled, a sound that grated on my nerves. They kissed again, deeper this time, right in front of me. They were using my suffering as the backdrop for their love story.

It was a performance of dominance, a declaration that I was nothing.

He buried his face in her neck. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you too," she whispered.

They stayed like that for a long moment, clinging to each other. His back was to me, but I could see Emily's face over his shoulder. She was looking right at me. A triumphant, malicious smirk played on her lips. She was enjoying this. She was flaunting her victory.

Finally, they pulled apart.

"There's one more procedure I need to run," Emily said, her voice all business again. "It's a new dermal filler. It uses synthesized stem cells. It could permanently erase wrinkles. But the cellular rejection rate is high. I need a stable, long-term subject to monitor the effects."

She didn't need to say my name.

David hesitated. I could see the conflict on his face. A flicker of doubt. "Emily... her face is already... scarred from the last dye test."

"This will fix that!" Emily said brightly. "It will make her skin perfect. Flawless. Think of it, David. We can market it as a restorative miracle. It will be our biggest success yet."

He looked from her eager face to my still, broken form on the bed. For a moment, a single, agonizing moment, I thought he would say no. I saw the ghost of the man who once loved me, the man who would have protected me from anything.

But that man was long dead.

He let out a long, slow breath, the air of defeat.

"Okay," he said. "Do it."