Chapter 1

On their fifth anniversary, the day Gemma Hodge brought Theodore Barre home to meet her parents, he gave her two "gifts". The first gift was tying her father, Duncan Hodge, to a chair. In front of him, Theodore tore Gemma's clothes off. The second was leaving the front door deliberately open. Her mother, Edith Tucker, who suffered from Alzheimer's, wandered out into the pouring rain. Rain poured down as Edith bolted into the street, only to be hit by a truck. Duncan sat tied to the chair, helplessly watching Gemma being humiliated. He broke down, howling in anguish. In a frenzy, he snapped the ropes binding him and hurled himself from the 23rd floor. His blood splattered into the sizzling oil of a food stand below. In one night, Gemma lost both her parents. Kneeling in the pool of blood, she asked Theodore why. He gripped her chin and sneered. "Gemma, did you really think I loved you? This was revenge." Ten years ago, his father, Orion Barre, had died on Duncan's operating table in a medical accident. His mother, Ruby Miller, was unable to bear the grief and followed soon after. He spent five years meticulously weaving a web of love and lies. His goal was to make Gemma taste the same despair he had endured. Later, he kept her imprisoned, torturing her. She tried to kill herself 99 times, but he saved her 99 times. He swore they would torment each other until they grew old. But he didn't know that during their happiest year—when he desperately needed a heart transplant—she had quietly signed the donor agreement. Now, an artificial heart beat inside her chest. And it had only seven days left before it would stop. … Gemma stood at the villa's entrance, clutching the diagnosis report tightly. The words "artificial heart failure" stabbed at her eyes, burning with a painful sting. The doctor's voice echoed in her ears. "Seven days at most. Prepare yourself." She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The laughter in the living room died instantly. Theodore lounged on the leather couch, swirling a glass of red wine. Around him sat four or five young women—her cousin, Cecelia Wagner, and her other cousin, Sabrina Hodge. Her best friend, Naomi Ulberg, and a colleague were there as well. Each of them was dressed in alluring lingerie, their smiles warm and full of anticipation. "Back so soon?" Theodore glanced up, his lips curling into a cruel smirk. "Perfect. The game's just starting." Gemma's nails dug into her palms. For months, he had pursued and slept with every female close to her, just to watch her crumble. Now, they were all hopelessly in love with him. "One minute on the clock." Theodore set down his glass, his voice icy. "Whoever makes her cry first gets to be my regular sex partner." The women's eyes lit up as they lunged at Gemma. Cecelia was the first to reach her. She raised her hand and slapped Gemma hard across the face. The sharp crack echoed through the room as her head snapped to one side. The sharp sting on her cheek brought back memories of last year's birthday. It was Cecelia who had proudly handed her a homemade cake. Her eyes shone brightly as she said, "Gemmie, may you be happy forever!" When the second slap landed, blood seeped from the corner of Gemma's mouth. Blood dripped onto the bracelet she had given Cecelia—a graduation gift she'd saved three months to afford. "15 slaps, and not a single tear? What's wrong with her?" Cecelia panted, turning to Theodore. He narrowed his eyes, savoring the scene like a spectator at a thrilling performance. "Next." As soon as he finished speaking, Sabrina yanked Gemma's hair, dragging her into the kitchen. The pain seared her scalp. All she could think of was the time in college when Sabrina had been bullied. She had taken the overnight high-speed train to stand up for her. Now, the very cousin she'd once protected was forcing her face into a pot of boiling hot chili sauce. Gemma screamed in pain as the searing liquid burned her eyes. She convulsed in agony, gripping the table edge so tightly her nails cracked and bled. "Boring," Theodore said, glancing at his watch. "Next." Naomi pulled out sewing needles and drove them, one by one, under Gemma's fingertips. A sharp, searing pain shot from her fingers straight to her heart. Her vision blurred until darkness crept in. Through the haze, a memory surfaced. It was her sophomore year, when Naomi drank so much she got stomach bleeding after a breakup. Gemma had stayed by her bedside for three days and three nights. "Time's up." Theodore's voice was a blade of ice. "Last chance." When the final woman dashed downstairs clutching a cardboard box, Gemma's heart nearly stopped. It was the box she'd hidden beneath her bed, containing her parents' belongings. "No!" She finally found her voice, but it was too late. The woman grinned as she threw the photo frame to the floor, sending shards of glass scattering everywhere. Duncan's watch was crushed beneath her feet, and Edith's comb snapped cleanly in two. When Edith's favorite silk scarf was torn apart, Gemma's tears finally spilled onto the ground. "I won!" the woman squealed, rushing to Theodore's side. "Theodore, from now on, you'll only have me!" But he only smirked, gripping her chin with brutal force. "How naive. Anyone connected to Gemma disgusts me. Why would I want any of you?" He pressed the call button without hesitation. "Throw them all out." The guards dragged the screaming women away, while Gemma knelt amid the wreckage. Her trembling fingers gently brushed over the shattered remnants of her parents' past. She picked up a half-torn, faded family photo, where Edith's warm smile still lingered. "Theodore," she sobbed out, clutching the remnants of her past, her voice breaking with pain. "Someone like you, who can't love anyone, should never have dragged others into this!" "Who says I can't love anyone?" Theodore sneered coldly. As the words left his lips, the door swung open. A woman in a white dress walked in dragging a suitcase. "Theodore, I've brought my luggage. Which room am I staying in?" His expression instantly softened. He pulled her into his arms, pressing a tender kiss to her hair. "In the same room as me, of course." His arm wrapped possessively around her slender waist as he turned back to Gemma, his gaze freezing over. "Meet Matilda Palmer, my fiancée. Remember the accident three years ago? I was close to dying. It was Tilly who saved me and gave me her heart in a transplant. That's how I survived, so I could get my revenge on the Hodge family. "You said I couldn't love, right?" Theodore tightened his hold on Matilda but kept his eyes locked on Gemma. "Now I'm going to show you exactly how much I love her." At these words, Gemma's whole body trembled. Shock, fury, pain, despair—waves of emotion crashed over her, threatening to drown her. She bit her lip hard, the metallic tang of blood jolting her back to reality. And then, she laughed. A broken, trembling laugh shook her whole body, forcing her to cough up blood. Tears poured down her face and splattered onto the ground. How bitterly ironic. She had given him her heart, yet he cherished someone else's as if it were his treasure. When she signed the donation agreement, the doctors had sworn to keep the donor's identity confidential. She never imagined it would lead to this. He mistook another for his savior. But she wouldn't explain. What was there to say? That the heart beating in his chest was hers? That she had only seven days left to live because of him? Two lives were lost from the Hodge family, and two were lost from the Barre family. The ocean of blood and vengeance between them had long since cut off any chance of reconciliation.