BOOK 1

Chapter 1

On her fifth wedding anniversary, Julia's four-year-old daughter is critically injured in a car accident—only to be declared dead by her own father, a respected doctor. But the truth is far darker: the accident was staged, and their child was never a daughter to him—just a heart donor for the woman he truly loves. As the betrayal unfolds and her world shatters, Julia uncovers years of lies, manipulation, and heartbreak. Her perfect marriage was built on blood. Now, with nothing left to lose, Julia must decide—will she walk away from the past, or make them all pay?

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On my fifth wedding anniversary, my daughter sneaked out to surprise her father at the hospital and got into a car accident. She was critically injured.

But my husband, a doctor, didn't save her. Instead, he had her sent to the morgue.

Devastated, I rushed to the hospital to confront him.

Outside his office, I overheard his conversation with his colleague.

"Troy, your daughter is only four years old, how can you perform a heart transplant on her? That's murder! Although artificial hearts are scarce in supply now, Rylie has already waited for five years, a little longer won't kill her!"

"I had this child to save her. I've waited years for this surgery. It wasn't easy to orchestrate the accident. This is my only chance.

"Enough talking. Go arrange the surgery. I'll explain things to Julia."

Tears streamed down my face.

So it wasn't an accident. My daughter's death had been sentenced the moment she was born.

This marriage was nothing more than a façade; for him to save his Rylie.

Troy stared at the file in his hands, his expression bordering on madness.

"Without my daughter's heart, Rylie won't survive for long. This is her chance. Don't try to stop me. Do as I said."

His colleague looked at him with a mix of pity and horror.

"You had a child just to use her heart to save Rylie? Are you insane? That's your flesh and blood! Does Julia know any of this? How can you face her?

"Your daughter snuck out to deliver a gift to you. When she was sent to the morgue, she was still clutching it, she wouldn't let go. Is your heart made of stone?

"Rylie has had congenital heart disease for over 20 years. Why are you in such a rush? An artificial heart can save her all the same! You're a doctor, if it's leaked that you staged a car accident to kill your own daughter, the entire hospital will go down with you!"

Troy's face darkened. He slammed the file on the desk.

"It's because I'm a doctor that it kills me not to be able to save the woman I love!

"I've watched Rylie suffer all these years. I can have another child but Rylie has only one life!

"No more talk. Do what I said. Whatever happens, I'll take full responsibility."

The colleague sighed deeply, disappointment etched all over his face.

"And Julia? What will you tell your wife? Your daughter still has a heartbeat, and you sent her straight to the morgue. Do you think she's stupid? You're underestimating a mother."

"She'll never know. After the surgery, I'll have the child's body cremated immediately."

I stumbled into the nearby emergency stairwell.

Both hands clamped over my mouth.

But I couldn't stop the flood of tears bursting from my eyes.

In five years of marriage, I never imagined that the perfect man beside me loved another woman all along.

Loved her enough to raise our daughter as a heart donor.

We first met right here at this hospital, when I came in for a medical examination.

Troy saw my file in the system and insisted I get a heart screening.

I thought he was a responsible doctor. I was moved.

But now I know. It was all a pretense.

It was a test to see if I was a match for Rylie.

Once the match was confirmed, he deliberately got close to me. Chased me with everything he had.

The marriage I thought was full of happiness… was a complete lie from the very beginning.

The one he loved had always been Rylie.

To save her, he didn't hesitate to have someone stage a car accident.

And yet, when our daughter fell into a coma, she was still clutching that drawing of our family of three, refusing to let go.

My heart felt like it would burst out from my chest.

Messages kept popping up on my phone.

I glanced at it; they was from Troy.

He had signed the death notice for our daughter.

And sent me a photo of the death certificate.

Clutching the phone, I dashed to the morgue like a madwoman, wanting to take my daughter to another hospital for emergency treatment.

But the place where her body had lain was already empty.

Troy had taken her away.