Chapter 1

A sharp crack shattered the silence in Shelwick General Hospital as a stinging slap landed on Amelia Stevans' cheek. "You wretched woman! You'd rather watch your younger sister die than help? Do you even have a heart?" Clutching her swollen cheek, Amelia stared at her husband, Tobias Brooks, in disbelief. "You… want me to save Winter? Do you even know what she's asking for? She wants my heart!" "So what?" Tobias sneered. "Winnie is a shining star, the most breathtaking woman in all of Shelwick! And you? Did you honestly think I'd fall for an ugly thing like you, whose face is covered in red blotches? What makes you think I'd ever marry you if you weren't of use to me?" Amelia's pupils dilated. For a moment, it felt as though all the blood in her body had rushed backward. Her mind went completely blank. Using her remarkable medical skills, she'd turned Tobias from a cripple into a healthy man and helped him rise to the top. She'd thought they were finally about to get their happy ending until her family said her half-sister, Winter Stevans, had suffered a sudden heart attack and urgently needed a transplant. To save her, she would need to give up her own heart. Amelia had believed Tobias would never agree to something so outrageous. Yet, to her horror, he'd tricked her into coming to the hospital and was forcing her to sign an organ-donation consent form. Blood-streaked tears slid down her cheeks as she burst into manic laughter. It had taken her three years of marriage to realize she'd fallen in love with a monster. Tobias took in her near-hysterical state with disgust. He seized her hand and barked, "Hurry up and sign it! Winnie's running out of time!" "No! I refuse to sign it!" Amelia thrashed wildly. But how could a woman overpower a man? Soon, her name was scrawled across the form. Tobias let out a breath of relief and handed the paper to the person beside him. "Quick, take this to the doctor! Tell him to start the operation immediately!" "Understood, Mr. Brooks!" Moments later, Amelia was wheeled into the operating room against her will. The anesthetic hit her bloodstream, making her limbs go limp. Yet her mind stayed painfully awake. Then, the door to the operating room slammed shut. Amelia wanted to cry out for help, but she didn't have the strength to make a sound. Just then, the side door swung open, and she saw her stepmother, Diana Larson, who'd always treated her as if she was her own, walk in with a cold smile. The very next second, a derisive chuckle floated through the room. Amelia's eyes widened in astonishment as she watched Winter, who was supposed to be unconscious, sit up on the neighboring bed with a sneer. "Winnie…" Amelia forced out while Winter hopped off the bed and sauntered over with Diana. "My dear sister, I'm so touched! I can't believe you're willing to give me your heart. Too bad I don't actually need it." At last, the realization dawned on Amelia. Winter wasn't sick, nor did she need a heart. She merely wanted her dead. Amelia thrashed with all her might, but the restraints held fast, and the anesthesia left her struggles in vain. Winter dabbed at her nonexistent tears before gazing at Amelia, who was bound to the operating table. In a heartbeat, she gaped at Amelia's face. "Y-Your face…" The red blotches that had marred Amelia's face were nowhere to be seen. Her blemish-free face was flawless, and her features were exquisite. Even without a touch of makeup, she was dazzling. For the first time, Winter, who'd long been hailed as Shelwick's most beautiful woman, found herself completely outshone. She was certain that if Amelia ever entered the entertainment industry, she would be a thousand times more famous. "H-How could this be?" Winter staggered back, her face drained of color. Amelia, the so-called ugly freak, was actually gorgeous beyond belief. Amelia caught a glimpse of her own reflection in the operating table's polished metal surface and realized the dreadful red blotches on her face had disappeared. She was well aware that those blotches had been caused by poisoning. She'd foolishly believed that Tobias loved her for who she was, so she'd planned to surprise him that night by clearing the poison from her system completely and letting him see her at her best. Yet, before she could finish the cleanse, he'd forced her to donate her heart to Winter. Winter's eyes were red with jealousy as she stood beside the operating table. In an instant, shock and envy took root in her heart and spread like wildfire. She couldn't let Tobias see Amelia's face! "Quick! Start the surgery! Rip her heart out right this instant!" she barked. Diana ordered lowly, "What are you waiting for? Get moving!" Everyone in the operating room had already been bought off. Unless someone talked, the world would never find out that Amelia was no ugly duckling at all but rather a rare beauty. "Winter Stevans. Diana Larson…" Amelia parted her lips, yet the anesthetic spread through her body until she could no longer make a sound. So, she could only mouth, "I'll come for you, even from my grave!" Diana understood her and cackled. "Ghosts can't lay a hand on the living. Do you even know how your mother died? I bribed the midwife. If ghosts could kill, she would've come for me long ago!" Amelia's eyes widened. Her mother, Margaret White, had died by Diana's hand, yet she'd treated Diana and Winter as if they were her real family. Rage surged through her as she cursed them inwardly. Then, a metallic tang flooded her mouth, and she coughed up blood. Diana threw her head back and guffawed when she saw that. Her smile pierced straight through Amelia's heart. Amelia's gaze hardened as she used the last ounce of her strength to bite Diana's hand. In a flash, blood gushed out of her wound. Diana gasped and grabbed the scalpel beside her before plunging it deep into Amelia's chest. Amelia's world dimmed bit by bit until everything went black. … "Ow, my head hurts…" Amelia groaned inwardly. Her eyes flew open, and the first thing that came into view was an impossibly handsome face just inches from hers. The man was on top of her, his clothes disheveled. The moment she opened her eyes, he clamped a hand down on her mouth. In an instant, her eyes brimmed with sheer, overwhelming shock. What was going on? Hadn't she died on the operating table? Why was she here? And who was this man? Her mind went blank. When she lifted her gaze and looked around, she found herself in the cabin of the cruise ship that had brought her to Shelwick from the countryside three years ago. Realization dawned on Amelia. She hadn't died; she'd been reborn three years in the past. Within seconds, she regained her composure. But what on earth was happening right now? "What—" Amelia tried to break free of the man's hold, only to feel a dagger pressed against her slender neck. "Keep your mouth shut if you want to live!" His voice was cold. The cabin curtains were drawn, so she couldn't see his face, but she could smell the strong stench of blood on him.