It was a delicate heart-shaped ruby bracelet, its surface gleaming with a rich, flawless luster.

That was mine.

It was the only thing my mother had left me before she died.

When the avalanche struck, I had clutched it tightly in my palm, praying my mother would protect Julian and me and let us survive.

So how had it ended up hanging around Serena's neck?

I struggled violently to sit up, the tubes attached to my body rattling and tugging painfully.

"Give it back! Give me my bracelet!"

I roared like a crazed animal and lunged forward, reaching for the bracelet.

Julian immediately pulled Serena behind him and kicked the side of my hospital bed with brutal force.

The metal frame shook violently, and I was thrown back onto the bed.

The freshly stitched wound split open instantly, blood spreading across the white hospital gown.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Julian shouted, staring at me like I was some irrational lunatic. "It's just a worthless trinket. Serena liking it should be your honor. She just had surgery and needs something to calm her nerves. This piece happens to do the job."

Pain curled my body into itself, cold sweat soaking through my hair.

"That was... my mother's..."

The words forced their way out between clenched teeth.

Serena hid behind Julian and tugged gently at his sleeve, looking pitiful.

"Julian, I'm sorry. I didn't know it belonged to Stella's mother. I saw it lying in the snow and thought it didn't belong to anyone. If Stella is that unwilling to part with it, I'll just give it back."

She pretended to remove it, her fingers trembling deliberately as if she couldn't even undo the clasp.

Julian immediately grabbed her hand.

"Don't give it back." He turned toward me, his voice dripping with contempt. "Your mother was just some countryside woman. What valuable thing could she possibly leave behind? Something like this is wasted on you anyway. If Serena wears it, that's doing your mother a favor."

I bit my lip so hard the metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

This was the man I had loved for three years.

Not only did he intend to drain my blood, he also wanted to crush the last shred of my dignity.

"Julian, you're a monster." I stared straight into his eyes. I didn't cry. I simply said it, cold and clear.

Julian's face darkened instantly.

He strode forward and grabbed my throat.

The suffocating pressure hit instantly, forcing my head back as I met his furious gaze.

"Stella, who do you think you are? Without me you'd still be stuck in that miserable little apartment, scraping by on nothing. I gave you luxury, status, the title of Mrs. Crowe. So what if I took one piece of jewelry from you?"

The pressure of his grip kept tightening, and my vision slowly blurred.

Serena gasped dramatically from the side.

"Julian, let go! Stella can't breathe! What if she dies? What about my illness?"

Those words instantly snapped Julian back to his senses.

He released me abruptly and tossed me back onto the bed like a discarded rag.

I broke into violent coughing.

I coughed uncontrollably, dragging in desperate breaths of air.

Julian took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands with visible disgust, then tossed it onto my face.

"Stay alive. Tomorrow we continue the extraction. Don't even think about trying anything. As long as you're alive, you will save Serena."

He pushed Serena's wheelchair toward the door without looking back.

Just before leaving, Serena suddenly looked back.

She mouthed silently to me, "You can't beat me."

The hospital door slammed shut.

Lying in a pool of my own blood, I stared at the harsh ceiling light and suddenly started laughing.

I laughed until tears ran down my face.

It was all so absurd.

I would have given my life for him, yet to him I was nothing more than a walking blood bank.

A burst of hurried footsteps echoed outside the door.

Several nurses in sterile suits pushed a large medical machine into the room.

The head nurse looked at me without the slightest expression.

"Miss Hart, Mr. Crowe has given his orders."

"To ensure the purity of tomorrow's stem cell extraction, we need to perform a bone marrow puncture tonight as preparation."

The head nurse's cold voice echoed through the empty hospital room.

My blood seemed to run cold as I stared at the thick puncture needle, more than ten centimeters long.

"I just had surgery. My body can't handle this! You're trying to kill me!"

I desperately shrank toward the corner of the bed, trying to avoid the hands reaching for me.

The head nurse remained unmoved and signaled to the two male orderlies beside her.

They immediately pinned my shoulders and legs down from both sides.

"Miss Hart, please cooperate. Mr. Crowe made it clear that if we didn't use some force, you wouldn't cooperate."

I struggled in sheer desperation.

"Call Julian here! I want to see him!"

The head nurse let out a cold laugh as she picked up the thick needle.

"Mr. Crowe is busy helping Miss Vale try on her birthday dress for next month. He doesn't have time for you. Oh, and Mr. Crowe specifically instructed us that in order not to affect the stem cells' activity, this puncture will be done without anesthesia."

My mind exploded in shock.

No anesthesia?

They were going to drive that needle straight into my pelvic bone?

"Has he lost his mind?" I screamed hysterically.

The head nurse didn't give me a chance to resist and lifted my hospital gown.

Cold disinfectant was spread across my lower back.

The next second, a searing pain shot straight through my bone marrow.

I screamed in agony.

My body jerked violently like a fish thrown onto dry land.

The orderlies held me down firmly, not letting me move even an inch.

The pain felt like someone was dragging a dull saw back and forth across my bones.

My nails dug into the bedsheet until they snapped, blood staining the fabric.

"Hold her tighter. If she moves and the needle breaks inside, we'll have a real problem." The head nurse gave orders coldly, her hands never pausing.

Pain darkened my vision as cold sweat and tears soaked my face.

Julian...

How could his heart be so cruel?

For Serena's sake, he wouldn't even allow me anesthesia.

I had no idea how long the torture lasted.

By the time the needle was finally pulled out, I had already blacked out from the pain.

When I woke again, the surroundings had changed.

The air was thick with the sour smell of mold mixed with disinfectant.

The soft hospital bed was gone. I was lying on a hard military cot.

Above me hung a dim bulb that flickered weakly.

This was the hospital's basement storage room.

I turned my neck with difficulty and saw piles of discarded medical equipment nearby.

The sound of high heels echoed outside the door.

The door opened, and Serena walked in wearing a tailored suit.

She covered her nose in disgust and nudged my cot with her foot.

"Well, well. The once-proud Mrs. Crowe is now lying here like a piece of trash. How pathetic."

I looked at her coldly and said nothing.

Serena looked down at me from above, her eyes gleaming with vicious satisfaction.

"Don't look at me like that. The VIP room is full, and there's nowhere to put all my supplements. Julian said you're basically useless now anyway. It doesn't matter where you sleep, so they moved you down here."

As she spoke, she pulled a delicate invitation card from her bag and tossed it onto my face.

"My birthday banquet is next week. Julian said that to celebrate my new life, he'll announce our engagement at the party."

I stared at the bright red invitation, my heart turning cold and empty.

"So you came here just to show off?"

Serena covered her mouth and giggled softly.

"Of course not. Julian ordered that you must attend next week's party. After all, without your blood, how could I stand beside him looking so radiant?"

She suddenly leaned down, her lips close to my ear.

The sound of leather shoes stepping across the concrete floor echoed outside the door.

Serena's expression changed instantly.

She suddenly straightened up, let out a sharp scream, and threw herself toward the abandoned metal rack beside her.

"Ah! Stella, don't push me!"

With a dull thud, her forehead struck the edge of the metal rack, and blood immediately began to seep out.

At the same moment, the door was kicked open violently.

Julian rushed in with long strides and immediately saw Serena lying on the floor, bleeding.

"Serena!"

His eyes widened with fury as he pulled Serena into his arms.

Serena nestled against his chest, sobbing pitifully.

"Julian, please don't blame Stella. She just hates me too much… she thinks I stole your love. I'm fine. I just feel a little dizzy."

Julian suddenly turned toward me, his eyes dark and vicious.

He strode to my bed, grabbed my collar, and hauled half my body off the mattress.

"Stella! Are you looking for death? Serena came to see you out of kindness, and you dared to attack her?"

His grip nearly cut off my breathing, yet I looked at him with a cold smile.

"I can't even stand. What exactly did I use to push her? Julian, are you blind?"

A sharp slap rang out.

A brutal slap struck my face.

My head snapped to the side. My ears rang as blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.

"You still dare to argue back!"

Julian's furious roar echoed through the basement.

"I completely misjudged you. You're nothing but a vicious woman! Since you love using your hands so much, you won't need them anymore!"

He turned and shouted toward the guards outside the door. "Break her hands."

Two burly bodyguards stepped in immediately and grabbed my arms from both sides.

Serena hurriedly tugged at Julian's sleeve, pretending to plead for mercy.

"Julian, don't! If Stella's hands are ruined, how will she take care of me later? She already gave me her stem cells. Her life will be difficult from now on, so I'm willing to keep her around. Let her stay by my side for the rest of her life and serve me as atonement, alright?"

Julian looked at Serena, his eyes instantly softening with tenderness.

"Serena, you're just too kind. Even after what she did to you, you still want to spare her."

When he turned back to me, the warmth vanished from his eyes, replaced by cold indifference.

"Did you hear that? From today on, you are no longer Mrs. Crowe. You're leaving this marriage with nothing. From now on, you are Serena's personal caretaker. And her personal blood donor. If she tells you to kneel, you don't stand."

He pulled a divorce agreement from his suit pocket and threw it, along with a pen, in front of me.

"Sign it."

I looked at the divorce papers without crying or protesting.

After overwhelming despair, my heart had become eerily calm.

There was truly no sorrow greater than a heart that had died.

With trembling hands, I picked up the pen and slowly wrote my name on the signature line.

Stella Hart.

After finishing the last stroke, I tossed the papers back at him.

"Julian, just as you wished. A cheating bastard and a worthless bitch. Perfect match. Hope you stay together forever."

Julian's face turned livid as he raised his hand to strike me again.

I met his gaze without a hint of fear.

For some reason, when he saw the lifeless look in my eyes, his hand froze in midair and never came down.

He let out a cold snort, picked Serena up, and strode away.

The basement fell silent once again.

Supporting my battered body, I slowly pulled out an old backup phone hidden beneath the pillow.

I had hidden it inside the lining of my clothes before the avalanche.

I powered it on and dialed a hidden number.

The moment the call connected, an eerie smile slowly curled on my lips.