On February 14th, Valentine's Day, Madelyn Jent, a 31-year-old woman, lost her battle to cancer.Inside a room in SereneCare Hospital in Ventropolis, the air was filled with a strong scent of disinfectant.[Zach, the doctor inserted a painful dialysis needle in me today.][I'm on the verge of death. Could you spare a moment to visit me?][Please, Zach...]Madelyn weakly turned her head and glanced at the text messages on her phone. Despite sending multiple messages, she had received no response from Zach.IV drips were connected to her veins. Her face was pale, her eyes sunken, and her body emaciated. The cancer had ravaged her limbs, causing them to deteriorate. She was completely immobile, unable to perform even the simplest tasks unaided. The nurse assigned to care for her hadn't shown up for almost two weeks, citing that further treatment was unnecessary.Madelyn was sensitive to the pain, but in the advanced stage of her cancer, she had to suffer with it every day. The only thing

In the middle of the night, Madelyn jolted awake from a terrifying nightmare. She sat up abruptly, her forehead drenched in sweat. In an instant, a familiar scent of disinfectant invaded her nostrils, the one she detested above all.Madelyn paused for a brief moment, questioning herself, 'Am I not dead? Why am I still alive?'Just then, a click echoed, and the once-dark hospital room was light up. The lights were strong that made her hard to open her eyes.A man's icy voice sounded. "Did you have a nightmare?" He strode forward with long steps, approaching her bedside. His tall figure blocked the light, and his long shadow enveloped Madelyn."Z-Zach?" Madelyn looked up. As she caught a glimpse of the man's face, her eyes widened, and a look of terror washed over her. "Stay away!" she thought, 'Why am I back in the clutches of this devil?' Instinctively, she recoiled, trying to prevent him from approaching further.Madelyn's mind was in chaos. The sight of Zach filled her with over

Madelyn took a deep breath and smiled at Zach. "I'm sorry, Brother! I won't force you to be my boyfriend anymore. You're my brother, and I promise to remember that."She looked calm and showed no signs of displeasure.Zach faintly smirked as he thought to himself, ‘Is this her new trick?’He responded gently, "It's good that you understand. Get some rest and don't stay up too late. I'll come to pick you up tomorrow." With that, he reached out and gently patted her head, like an elder would.Madelyn nodded, holding back from pushing him away.As Zach turned away, the kindness in his eyes was replaced by coldness. He left the room, took a white handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the hand that had touched Madelyn. Then he walked to the elevator and threw the handkerchief into the nearby trash bin. When the elevator doors opened, Zach stepped inside and pressed the button for the parking level.An Audi car with bright headlights was waiting for him. Inside, there was a sexy woma

After a long taxi ride, Madelyn finally arrived at the entrance of the Jent residence.As she stepped inside the house, Rosario Watson, the housemaid, greeted her. "Madelyn, why are you alone? Didn't Mr. Jardin come back with you?"Madelyn hugged Rosario, recalling how kind she had been to her in the past after her father's passing. In her previous life, Rosario was the only one who treated her like family, showing her care and compassion. However, certain circumstances led Rosario to work for the Jardin family, taking care of Zach and Cecilia."Rosario, I've missed you so much," said Madelyn."Oh... um, Madelyn, what's going on? Are you still not feeling well?" Rosario gently pushed Madelyn away and placed her hand on Madelyn's forehead. Rosario found no signs of fever on Madelyn. She had a strange feeling about Madelyn today, but she couldn't quite pinpoint it."It's nothing, I just felt like giving you a hug," Madelyn reassured her."Are you hungry? I've just finished prepar

After dinner, Madelyn headed to bed early, as she often did. Before drifting off, she had her usual cup of hot milk.Outside the mansion, a distant headlight cast a faint glow in the dark. Zach's Audi A6, a new car gifted by his company, was parked nearby.Stepping out of the car, Zach entered the living room and placed his keys on a nearby table. He looked around with keen eyes but couldn't find Madelyn. She used to sit on the sofa, engrossed in soap operas. Now, the space was empty, and the coffee table had no snacks as usual.His eyes dimmed a little. Rosario came from the kitchen and asked, "Mr. Jardin, have you had dinner?"Zach asked, "Where's Madelyn?""She's not feeling well, so she went to bed early.""I'll go check on her," Zach said, putting his hand in pocket as he walked upstairs. A trace of weariness etched onto his face. He climbed three steps before halting, and said, "Jadie will return tomorrow afternoon. Prepare a few dishes she enjoys.""Sure, Mr. Jardin," Ros

In Madelyn's past life, Zach married Cecilia partly because she bore a slight resemblance to Jadie.From childhood to adulthood, Madelyn was inferior to Jadie in every way, whether it was grades or appearance, except for her family background.Jadie and Zach had a strong bond, but Zach felt no affection for Madelyn, as she was the daughter of his enemy.The knocking grew louder, making Madelyn anxious as she bit her lip. Zach had never been patient with her. If she didn't open the door for him soon, he might even kick it down without a second thought.So, she flicked the light switch, pulled back the blanket, and slipped on her shoes as she got out of bed. Opening the door, she put on a pretense of just waking up and rubbed her eyes. "Brother? You're back! Sorry, I was asleep and didn't hear anything. Is there something you need?"Zach furrowed his eyebrows. However, seeing her sleepy appearance and realizing she had made an effort to let him in, his brows relaxed.He reached out

After Zach left, Madelyn could finally sleep peacefully. Knowing that Jadie was alive in this lifetime, the terrifying nightmares no longer haunted her.The next day, Madelyn woke up to footsteps. She rolled over and opened her eyes. In her previous life, she had endured months of chemotherapy, struggling to sleep due to excruciating pain each night. Additionally, her hair fell out unexpectedly, a side effect of the treatment.Madelyn used to cherish her sleep and would get grumpy if anyone disturbed her. Rosario knew this and made sure not to interrupt her rest.However, things had changed now. Madelyn didn't really mind being disturbed anymore. She checked her phone and saw it was a little after eight o'clock. Instead of getting up, she just put her phone aside and dozed off for a short while. She didn't want Zach, who was always suspicious, to become aware of her drastic changes.Madelyn woke up well past eleven o'clock and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth.A knock on

Madelyn sat at her desk, staring at Jadie's unopened gift. She already knew what it was—a Swarovski crystal hair clip. She never cared for jewelry, feeling like each piece was a burden. With a sigh, she put the gift in her desk drawer.Then, she took out her senior math review booklet. The problems weren't too challenging for her, and the pages were still crisp, hardly ever used. In her previous life, Madelyn had struggled in class, but everything changed when she asked Zach for help. He tutored her outside of regular school hours, even though he had only completed middle school-level education. What amazed Madelyn was that Zach could fluently speak five foreign languages. He taught himself all of them with relentless dedication, which made him seem incredibly intelligent. He even outperformed the top student in Ventropolis. No wonder Hayson liked Zach so much.In contrary, Hayson never showed interest in Madelyn's academic performance. Instead, he focused on her extracurricula

In a messy room, Ethan sat in his wheelchair with hair covering his eyes. He saw a craft knife amidst broken glass on the floor and heard a voice in his head saying, 'Why hesitate? One cut and the pain will be gone. It'd only sting for a moment. Your parents already divorced and remarried. They have their own children now. They've abandoned you. Go on, end it!'Ethan muttered to himself, 'Mom, Dad, if you didn't love each other, why did you marry? Why did you have me? You both have your own families now. What about me? What am I to you?'A determined look crossed Ethan's face. He tried to get up from the wheelchair, but his legs didn't support him, causing him to fall to the floor. His hand got cut by the glass shards, and blood spilled, staining the wooden floor. He reached for the craft knife in the midst of the mess and revealed the sharp blade by sliding the button upward.He thought that a quick cut across his wrist would set him free. As he placed the blade against his wrist,

Madelyn washed her jujubes and put them on the coffee table. She turned on the TV, sat down and enjoyed her favorite treat.After finishing cleaning the kitchen, Rosario saw Madelyn on the couch in dirty clothes. She frowned and playfully scolded, "You little scamp! I just changed the couch cover today, and now it's dirty again. Go to your room, change your clothes, and then come back."Barefoot on the cool floor, Madelyn giggled and dodged Rosario's playful swat, hiding behind the couch. "Can I get changed later, Rosario? I'm so tired. I just want to lie down for a while.""Naughty girl, if Mr. Jardin sees you misbehaving, you'll get punished again. Go to your room," scolded Rosario. "Please, just let me finish this episode. It's only ten more minutes," Madelyn pleaded sweetly. "No way. You have exams coming up, and you're still watching TV. I'm turning it off. Go upstairs and study." At that moment, Zach's voice echoed from behind Madelyn. "Madelyn, Rosario has a weak heart.