Chapter 3

Avery's POV

Day twenty-eight.

The underground lab still stank, but I couldn't smell anything anymore.

I'd lost thirty pounds in less than a month. The hospital gown hung loose on my bones.

My hair was falling out in clumps from the brain cancer. My back was nothing but infected needle marks, festering and raw.

"Mrs. Vance, your vitals are terrible today."

Dr. Stone stared at the weak lines on the monitor, frowning.

"Your blood production has almost stopped. The stuff we're extracting is useless. How many more days can you last?"

I lay on the metal table, too weak to even move my eyes. The late-stage brain cancer had wrecked my nervous system.

"Whatever," I whispered. "Keith paid you... you'll never let me go anyway."

This past month, I'd tried everything—fighting back, escaping, calling the police.

All failures. They'd smashed my phone too.

Dr. Stone snorted. "Your husband made it crystal clear. No matter what happens, we finish the full treatment. Even if you drop dead, I'm getting every last drop."

Without another word, he shoved the thick steel needle back into my spine.

This time, I didn't scream.

Not because it didn't hurt, but because my vocal cords were completely torn.

I just opened my mouth silently, like a fish gasping on shore.

Feeling my life drain away drop by drop.

Meanwhile, in the penthouse ballroom of Manhattan's most exclusive Peninsula Hotel, a lavish birthday party was in full swing.

Today was Berenice's twenty-fifth birthday.

Crystal chandeliers blazed overhead, champagne towers sparkled. Berenice wore a designer white evening gown, standing on Keith's arm as she smiled and accepted congratulations from guests.

"Cheers! To Berenice's birthday, and to her complete recovery!"

Dad raised his glass, beaming.

Mom wiped tears from her eyes. "Thank God, our little angel doesn't have to suffer anymore. Keith, thank you for taking such good care of her."

"It's what I should do." Keith smiled modestly, gazing at Berenice with adoration.

He pulled out an elegant velvet box from his pocket and opened it. Inside was a brilliant diamond necklace.

The same birthday gift I'd wanted a year ago.

"Berenice, happy birthday."

Keith fastened the necklace around her throat himself.

"Keith, this necklace is beautiful..." Berenice suddenly paused, as if remembering something. "But didn't you promise to give this to my sister? What if she gets upset?"

Keith's face flickered with hesitation, but it quickly passed.

Mom waved dismissively. "So what? We'll just buy her something else later. Besides, Avery never wears jewelry anyway. It would be wasted on her."

"Exactly," Dad chimed in. "Berenice loves beautiful things. This necklace belongs on her."

Berenice looked at Keith with fake concern. "But that doesn't seem right..."

Keith seemed to make up his mind, gently stroking her cheek. "You deserve the best. This belongs to you."

Applause and cheers erupted around them.

"Thank you, Keith!" Berenice threw herself into his arms.

Then she seemed to remember something, pulling back with a worried expression.

"Today's the last day. Sister must be so lonely at the hospital. Keith, why don't you call her and invite her to the party tonight? I want to thank her in person. Without her sacrifice, I never would have recovered."

"Right, Keith, why isn't Avery here? Isn't her treatment almost over? On such an important day." Mom looked puzzled.

Keith frowned. "She's probably resting at the hospital. After all, a month of treatment is pretty exhausting."

"Then call her and tell her to come to Berenice's birthday party," Dad said.

Keith reluctantly pulled out his phone and dialed my number.

"Ring... ring... ring..."

Only endless busy signals.

"That woman, being dramatic again." Keith cursed under his breath, then explained to everyone, "Must be bad reception. I'll text her."

His fingers flew across the screen, sending a message.

"Avery, today's the last day. Berenice's treatment is complete. Stop ignoring my damn calls. Get to the Peninsula Hotel by 8 PM to celebrate Berenice's birthday. NOW! Don't make me come to that basement and drag you out myself."

After sending it, he shoved the phone back in his pocket and smiled warmly again.

"She says she's on her way. Let's keep celebrating."

In that dark, damp basement.

Dr. Stone pulled out the needle. He looked at the cloudy liquid in the vial and cursed.

"Damn, this is completely useless. This woman's done for."

He waved at the orderlies. "Throw her back in the cell. Tell Keith to come get this piece of trash tomorrow. We got paid either way. Not our problem if she lives or dies."

The orderlies dragged me by my ankles like a corpse, back to the room. My back scraped against the rough concrete floor, leaving a long trail of blood.

They threw me on the cold ground and locked the metal door.

The basement fell deathly silent.

I struggled to open my eyes, staring at the dim bulb on the ceiling. My vision blurred as everything slowly darkened.

The broken phone screen in the corner flickered weakly—Keith's message.

But I had no strength left to reach it.

I felt a strange lightness spreading through my body. The agony that had tortured me for months—both the spinal extractions and the brain cancer's tearing pain—finally stopped.

I was finally going to be free.

I remembered being seven years old when Berenice broke Mom's favorite vase but blamed me. Mom locked me in the basement for two days without food.

I remembered being twenty when Keith proposed under the cherry blossoms on campus, saying I was the only light in his life.

I remembered being twenty-five when I took the fall for Berenice's financial fraud, nearly going to prison while they vacationed in Hawaii.

This life had been too exhausting. Too absurd.

I slowly closed my eyes.