Chapter 1

Upon hearing that Edmund Stone had been in a car accident from speeding and was bleeding heavily, Cecilia Hardin rushed to the hospital and donated a full 1000cc of blood for him. His friends urged her to go home and rest, and she reluctantly agreed. But just as she reached the door, her worry got the better of her, and she turned back—only to see the nurse pouring all five bags of blood she had donated straight into the trash! At that moment, a burst of deafening laughter erupted from a nearby ward. "Cecilia fell for it again! What an idiot!" Cecilia froze, her gaze darting toward the half-open door of the ward. There, she spotted a man in a hospital gown amidst a crowd of people. Edmund was lounging lazily against the headboard, his head bent over his phone. Although his face was partially obscured, Cecilia could still make out his sharp nose and deep-set brow. He looked perfectly fine, not at all like someone who had been seriously injured. Cecilia blinked again, wondering if her grief had conjured up some kind of hallucination. "Hey, guys. Let's count how many times we've gotten her now," someone chimed in. "The first time, we told her that Eddie had lost the necklace he was going to give her, and she spent the whole night searching in the snow. She ended up with a 104-degree Fahrenheit fever but still refused to rest. "Then there was the time we told her that Eddie was in a coma, and she climbed some mountain to get a blessing charm for him—the one that Eddie then threw to a dog." Another voice added, "And don't forget when we framed her for cheating and ruined her graduation. The way she desperately tried to prove her innocence… I still laugh just thinking about it." "Tricking her into donating five bags of blood this time makes it the 96th time, right? Just three more, and our revenge game will be complete. It hasn't been easy, but Eddie's suffered for years because of her." "Well, what can you expect? She had the nerve to steal Leena's dance championship, making her cry all night. "Leena is Eddie's one true love. How could he let that slide? That's why he decided to date Cecilia—to enact revenge 99 times. "Too bad he'll dump her once it's over, and we'll be out of entertainment." … Cecilia's ears rang as if a thunderclap had exploded above her. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart. She clutched her chest, bending over as she struggled to breathe. The pain of it nearly suffocated her. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. She couldn't believe that Edmund had only been with her to exact revenge. After all, he knew exactly how much she loved him. Edmund, the most sought-after wealthy heir of Woodswhite Bay, was the epitome of perfection. He excelled academically, had an impeccable family background, and was strikingly handsome. Back then, it was said that no woman who laid eyes on him could resist falling for him. Cecilia was just one of those countless women. She chased after him for three years, even throwing aside her pride, but he remained indifferent. Then, one day, he accepted her confession out of the blue. She thought that she had finally gotten her wish, only to realize that it was all part of a cruel revenge plot. The truth was, he had rejected her before because his heart already belonged to someone else. He had only accepted her later because she had taken the championship from Leena Berger, making her cry. Edmund pretended to be with Cecilia just to get back at her, using 99 deceptions to push her into an abyss of despair. Tears streamed uncontrollably down Cecilia's face, her throat clogged with something that made it hard to breathe. She looked at the group of people laughing shamelessly in the ward and at Edmund's cold, indifferent face. She suddenly felt like a complete joke. She had offered her heart to him, only for him to crush it mercilessly and toss it into the trash, treating it as something absolutely worthless. Just then, someone in the ward seemed to notice something and glanced toward the door. Panicked, Cecilia turned and hurried away. She walked faster and faster until she was almost running. She didn't know where she was going. She just wanted to escape this place. She had to escape Edmund and this absurd nightmare. When she could no longer run, she crouched down as tears came flooding out like a burst dam. She covered her face, and muffled sobs escaped her throat as if she were trying to cry out all the pain and humiliation she had endured. "How ridiculous, Cecilia Hardin. You're a complete and utter fool," she muttered to herself. She didn't know how much time had passed when the phone in her lap started ringing. She answered the call with trembling hands, and her mother's gentle voice came through. "Cece, your dad and I are about to move abroad. Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Not long ago, Cecilia's parents, Ethan Hardin and Betsy Booker, received work transfer orders to relocate overseas. Initially, the whole family planned to move, but Cecilia hesitated as she was unwilling to leave Edmund behind. She had delayed repeatedly, even considering staying in Woodswhite Bay permanently for him. Now, the thought felt bitterly ironic. "No," she said, wiping away her tears and taking a deep breath. Her voice was hoarse but firm. "Mom, Dad, I'm coming with you."