Hatred flooded her veins. Katrina glared at the man in front of her, her eyes bloodshot and filled with murderous intent. If she could, she would tear him apart with her bare hands-make him suffer in the cruelest way possible.

Owen didn't seem fond of her either. His gaze was icy, his presence distant and cold.

"Since Rachel is awake," he said indifferently, "there's no need to inform Dad and Mom. Tell them everything is stable. No need for them to rush back."

His assistant nodded, then hesitated. "Mr. Blake... what about Miss-"

"Leave," Owen ordered abruptly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Wade glanced at Katrina, sighed softly, and lowered his head before walking out.

The moment the door closed, Owen's polite façade completely vanished. His lips moved, his words sharp as ice.

"Rachel, your life really is tough. Post–heart transplant infection, multiple complications. The doctors already issued a death notice, yet you still survived."

Because of the oxygen mask, Katrina couldn't speak.

But nothing could suppress the killing intent blazing in her eyes.

If looks could kill, Owen would have died ten thousand times over.

A weak, mocking curve lifted at the corner of her lips.

Of course he didn't want her to live.

If she died, who would save his sister?

Wait-

Suddenly, something clicked.

Her pupils shrank as she stared at him in disbelief.

Rachel?

The woman who stole her boyfriend... the woman who took her heart?

No.

No!!!

This couldn't be real.

Katrina struggled violently, tugging at the tubes. Her mind was a chaotic mess.

What was going on?

Why was he calling her Rachel?

Her beautiful eyes widened in shock. She thrashed too hard; the monitoring devices clattered to the floor. Her breathing grew erratic, her vision darkening-

And then everything went black.

From beginning to end, Owen merely watched coldly, as if observing a stranger. His face showed nothing but indifference. Deep within his eyes, however, a trace of suppressed ferocity flickered.

After a long moment, he finally withdrew that dark glint. Soon, a group of doctors and nurses rushed in, pushing the bed toward the emergency room.

...

When Katrina opened her eyes again, night had fallen.

Beside her bed stood Owen.

His tall shadow loomed over her, and he himself looked like a sculpted statue-cold, distant, untouchable.

Under the harsh hospital lights, his sharp, chiseled features appeared even more severe. Every angle of his face radiated frost.

His piercing gaze landed on her.

"Dad and Mom's flight arrives early tomorrow morning. Your body is weak-you can't handle any more stress. Behave yourself."

For a brief second, he truly felt like washing his hands of her completely.

But he could not betray the kindness his adoptive parents had shown him.

Before leaving, he dropped one final sentence, his voice colder than winter steel.

"Rachel. Your life was bought with hers. Aren't you afraid of death? Then remember this-your life belongs to her. I won't allow you to waste it."

Rachel.

Rachel.

This time, Katrina was certain she hadn't misheard.

He had called her Rachel more than once.

No matter how unwilling she was to accept it, she forced herself to calm down and sort through everything.

Her name was Katrina Donovan.

She grew up in an orphanage. Felix Clarke was her childhood sweetheart. They had grown up together.

Then the nightmare began.

Felix met the heiress of the Sterlings. Behind her back, he became entangled with Rachel. On Katrina's birthday, he tricked her into going to the closed-down medical wing.

And there, they carved her heart out of her chest.

She had died miserably at the hands of the man she loved most.

And now...

She had been reborn.

Reborn into Rachel's body.

Heh.

How utterly ironic.

A self-mocking laugh escaped her.

She laughed-

And then she cried.

Tears slid down her cheeks one by one.

While Rachel was alive, she had schemed to get close to her, even persuading Owen to approach her. That night, when Katrina watched her own heart being dug out, the pain ripping through her chest couldn't compare to the agony of betrayal.

She had died with her eyes wide open.

Now she finally understood.

Rachel had asked Owen to get close to her... for her heart.

Perhaps even Rachel herself never imagined that she would die instead-

And that Katrina would live on in her place.

Half laughing, half crying, Katrina lay back against the pillows, her frail body trembling with exhaustion. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier until she finally drifted into sleep.

Her shallow breathing was proof-

She was truly alive.

But her sleep was anything but peaceful.

In her dreams, she relived the moment of her death over and over again-the cold blade, the tearing pain, the suffocating helplessness. The nightmare wrapped around her like thorny vines, tightening with every struggle, dragging her back to the brink of death again and again.

...

Two days later, Katrina had finally forced herself to accept reality.

She was now Rachel.

Her body was gradually recovering. At the very least, she no longer needed the machines to keep her alive.

The day Rachel's parents landed, they rushed straight to the hospital. Because of her weakened state, Katrina remained constantly on edge, terrified she might expose herself.

She knew nothing about Rachel.

Her habits. Her personality. Her past. The countless details that shaped her life.

Katrina was completely in the dark.

All she could do was tread carefully, responding cautiously to every word.

For the past two days, Wade had been running around the hospital nonstop. Since that confrontation, she hadn't seen Owen again.

Good.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"Help me find out... where Katrina is buried."

Even saying the word buried out loud felt strange.

Wade froze slightly. "That..."

"What?" she turned to look at him.

He shook his head. "Miss Donovan's funeral is today."

Katrina frowned. "Where?"

If she remembered correctly, it had already been nearly half a month since her birthday.

And they were only burying her now?

Thinking of Owen's warning, Wade lowered his head and fell silent.

He didn't know what this spoiled young lady had done to anger his boss again, but he could tell-this time, Owen was genuinely furious.

Wade didn't dare say too much.

Katrina struggled to sit up.

If he wouldn't tell her, she would find out herself.

"My god, what are you doing now?" Wade rubbed his forehead helplessly.

This young lady truly didn't care about her life.

She had just survived a major surgery, suffered severe complications, barely clawed her way back from death-and now she was stirring up trouble again?

"The address," she insisted.

Sweat beaded on Wade's forehead. Finally, he gave in.

"Okay, okay, Miss... I'll take you. I'll take you, alright? Please, just stay put. I'll get a wheelchair."

When her temper flared, only Owen could suppress her. Wade had no desire to provoke her.

In the end, he reluctantly pushed her to the cemetery.

The funeral had just ended.

Katrina scanned the area.

When her eyes landed on Felix-standing there, crying with a grief-stricken expression-her hands tightened around the wheelchair armrests. Veins bulged faintly on the back of her hands.

She forced herself to look away.

Forced herself to suppress the raging hatred threatening to burst from her chest.

Not far away, Owen stood in a black suit. A white daisy was pinned to his chest. Dark sunglasses concealed his eyes, revealing nothing of his emotions.

Katrina curled her lips in cold mockery.

After joining hands to kill her, they still had the audacity to show up at her grave?

Did they want to disturb her even in the afterlife?

Too bad.

Her life wasn't meant to end.

She stared at them both, swearing silently in her heart-

One day, she would have her revenge.

Owen.

Felix.

She wouldn't let either of them go.

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching sob erupted behind her.

Her body stiffened. A flicker of sorrow flashed across her face before she could stop it.

A figure rushed in front of her.

"Rachel, you bitch! What are you doing here? Get out! Get out of here! Haven't you hurt Kate enough while she was alive? You bitch! You and that bastard Felix will get what's coming to you! You won't die a good death! Kate is watching you from heaven! You two shameless adulterers-how dare you show your faces at her grave?!"

Katrina looked up.

The face before her was painfully familiar.

Tear-streaked. Twisted with hatred and overwhelming grief.

Each word cut into her heart like a blade.

Sophie.

Her closest friend when she was alive.

Grief surged through her chest. She forced the tears back with sheer willpower.

There were too many eyes watching.

Endure.

She couldn't expose herself.

"Get out... Rachel, get out!" Sophie screamed hysterically. "Just wait-I'll find proof that you murdered Kate. I won't let you get away with this!"

Sophie's words struck straight into Katrina's heart, shattering the fragile composure she had been desperately holding onto.

"I-"

Before she could finish, Sophie suddenly lunged forward, reaching to shove her wheelchair.

Felix reacted instantly, stepping in front of Sophie and blocking her.

"Have you lost your mind, Sophie? I already told you-Kate's death was an accident. It had nothing to do with Rachel. Are you done causing a scene? This is Kate's funeral! What exactly are you trying to do here?"

-Smack!

The sharp sound echoed through the cemetery.

Felix's face snapped to the side. A clear handprint bloomed across his fair cheek.

"Felix," Sophie spat, pulling her hand back, "the one who has the least right to stand in front of Kate is you, you hypocritical coward."

She took two steps back as if being close to him would stain her.

Felix's face darkened, his eyes blazing as he glared at her.

When he was slapped, Katrina had nearly applauded.

Just one slap?

That was letting him off easy.

But...

She would have plenty of chances in the future to settle the score with Felix-slowly.

"Who allowed you to come here?"

A cold, merciless voice sounded from behind her.

Owen.

The faint curve at the corner of her lips disappeared instantly.

"I heard Miss Donovan was being buried today," she replied calmly. "I thought I'd come and see her off one last time. Is that not allowed?"

Attending her own funeral.

What a ridiculous thing.

And yet it had happened to her.

Owen let out a cold snort. "What right do you have to stand in front of her? Rachel, you truly have no shame."

The moment he saw Rachel appear at the funeral, a chill had radiated from his entire body. If not for his iron self-control, he would have ordered someone to drag her out without hesitation.

Katrina gave a soft laugh, her tone dripping with mockery.

"Why can't I come? After all, Miss Donovan was technically my lifesaver. I'm just here to send her off. That's not too much, is it?"

The moment she mentioned that, Owen's anger surged uncontrollably. His icy eyes flared with piercing cold.

That night, when he learned that Rachel and Felix had lured Katrina out under the pretense of visiting a friend, he had gone nearly mad searching for her.

He hadn't slept for a single second.

Like a wild beast driven insane, he tore through the city.

But when he arrived at the abandoned hospital, the only thing left was the thick stench of blood in the air.

On the operating table lay Rachel-unconscious after surgery.

Katrina was gone.

She wasn't found until three days later.

"Go back," Owen ordered, his voice brooking no refusal.

Katrina almost laughed.

"You can stay, but I have to leave? Why?"

She lifted her chin, meeting his increasingly frigid gaze with open defiance. There was no fear in her eyes-only raw hatred.

She hated him.

Katrina hated Owen.

Completely.

Yet he paid no mind to the hatred in her gaze.

"Wade," Owen commanded coldly, addressing the silent assistant behind him, "take her back to the hospital. Until her body has fully recovered, she is not to leave the ward for even half a step."

What he regretted most-what he blamed himself for most-was failing to find Katrina that night.

Failing to pull her out of Rachel's hands.

Now, even in death, Rachel refused to leave her alone. How could he allow her to stand here and disturb Katrina's final farewell?

Although Owen had been adopted by the Sterling family since childhood and was Rachel's nominal older brother, his patience with her had already reached its limit after what she had done.

The fact that he hadn't strangled her with his own hands was already the extent of his restraint.

Wade quickly stepped behind Katrina and began pushing her away.

This time, she didn't resist.

As she was wheeled off, her gaze drifted to the photo on the tombstone.

Her own face smiled back at her.

A deep sorrow rose in her chest.

She knew that after today, there would no longer be anyone in this world named Katrina Donovan.

No matter how much she loathed the name Rachel, she would have to live on wearing the identity of the person she hated most.

She had to avenge herself.

What she didn't notice was that as she left, Felix's eyes never left her.

In his gaze swirled a complicated emotion-something unfamiliar, almost breaking free.

...

After returning from the cemetery, Rachel was practically confined to her hospital room by Owen.

This time, she cooperated obediently.

Not because she had given in-

But because she needed her body to recover as quickly as possible.

Only once she left the hospital could she begin doing what she truly intended.

If God had arranged for her to be reborn in Rachel's body, then her story was far from over.

Katrina was dead.

Now, she was Rachel.

The reborn Rachel.

Once she came to terms with that, no matter how much she resisted it in her heart, she would survive under this name.

And she would make them all pay.

During her hospitalization, aside from Rachel's parents visiting from time to time, Owen never showed up again.

Felix, however, came to the hospital every single day, hoping to see Rachel.

And every single time, she refused.

She wasn't confident she could control herself if she saw him face-to-face.

There was a real chance she might lunge forward and strangle him on the spot.

That afternoon, Felix showed up again and started arguing with the bodyguards stationed outside her room.

On the surface, they had been assigned by Owen to protect Rachel.

In reality, they were there to monitor her every move-making sure she didn't leave the ward even half a step.

"Let him in."

Hearing the commotion outside, Rachel spoke calmly to the housemaid inside the room.

When she saw Felix again, her heart was much calmer than before.

She turned to the maid. "You can leave us."

Once the door closed behind the servant, Felix rushed to the bedside.

"Rachel, are you feeling better?"

Rachel quietly withdrew her hand from his grasp. Her voice was neutral.

"I'm much better. Why are you here?"

He had caused such a scene outside these past few days for one reason only-he wanted to see her.

Even without Rachel's full memories, she could guess why he was here.

Seeing her distant attitude, Felix clenched his jaw.

"Rachel, don't tell me that now that you've gotten what you wanted, you're planning to dump me? Don't forget the conditions you promised me."

Her expression shifted slightly.

Conditions?

Had the original Rachel promised him something?

She knew Felix well. Beneath that refined appearance was a calculating mind. When she had been Katrina, she had loved him blindly-tolerating his flaws without question.

If he was bringing up 'conditions,' then Rachel must have left something in his hands-some leverage.

Now that she was living in Rachel's body, no matter how much she despised it, she couldn't afford to let anything go wrong before taking her revenge.

"Felix," she said with a faint smile, forcing warmth into her tone, "what are you saying? Do I look like that kind of person? You're my boyfriend. You've helped me so much. How could I treat you that way? You're overthinking it."

Her smile felt stiff, but she maintained it.

"Really?" he asked suspiciously.

"Mhm." She nodded, looking at him with what appeared to be sincerity-while revulsion churned violently in her stomach.

To stabilize him, she had to act.

Only after studying her face carefully did Felix finally relax.

He had genuinely worried that this difficult heiress would toss him aside the moment she got what she wanted.

To be honest, when Rachel first pursued him aggressively, he had been suspicious. But considering the wealth and background of the Sterlings, he didn't care whether her feelings were real or fake.

If she truly loved him, even better.

If not?

He had plenty of ways to squeeze benefits out of her.

...

At the Sterling Corporation headquarters, Wade knocked on the office door and stepped inside.

He leaned down toward Owen and spoke quietly.

"Mr. Blake, the hospital guards just called. Felix caused another scene today. Miss Sterling met with him-and dismissed the servant who was accompanying her."

Every move Rachel made in the hospital was under Owen's surveillance.

"Oh..." Owen's lips curved into a cold smile.

Felix finally couldn't hold back anymore?

And Rachel...

A trace of frost flashed through Owen's eyes, quickly followed by a hint of helplessness.

He hadn't told Rachel's parents about what she had done. Without solid evidence in hand, he could only suppress the matter for now.

"Mr. Blake, there's something I don't understand," Wade said cautiously.

Owen raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

"The entire company knows Miss Sterling and Felix are together. Why are we still preventing them from meeting?"

Rumors were already spreading that Owen was deliberately breaking up a loving couple.

Owen let out a cold laugh.

"Do you really think Rachel is sincerely dating Felix? Or that Felix approached her without ulterior motives?"

More importantly-

Felix's official girlfriend had only just been buried a few days ago.

Katrina Donovan.

So what did that make Rachel?

The other woman.

The mistress who destroyed Katrina and Felix's relationship.

Wade froze for a second. "Given Miss Sterling's status, Felix is definitely the one punching above his weight."

He'd met Felix a few times and never liked him. Sure, the guy put on a bright, easygoing front-but Wade always felt there was something calculating beneath that sunshine smile.

He just hoped Miss Sterling would come to her senses and not let herself be used.

"Mr. Blake... aren't you going to check on her?" Wade asked helplessly.

Owen's voice was cold. "He won't be able to stir up anything."

Wade: "..."

Was that really okay?

"Mr. Blake, you should still go. It'll be easier to explain things to Chairman Sterling and Mrs. Sterling."

That reminder made Owen pause.

The kindness Rachel's parents had shown him was deeper than the ocean. Even though they had never used that debt to pressure him-and had even treated him, their adopted son, with boundless affection-no matter how ruthless Owen could be, for the sake of the two elders, he still had to clean up the mess Rachel kept making.

"Let's go."

He slipped on his suit jacket as he walked out.

...

Twenty-five minutes later, the car pulled up in front of the hospital.

Owen stepped inside with an indifferent expression, Wade following closely behind.

The elevator doors opened.

Felix, his face twisted with anger, ran straight into Owen.

His heart skipped. "Mr. Blake."

Why was he here at this time?

Owen didn't even spare him a glance. He brushed past him and headed straight toward Rachel's ward.

Felix stood there awkwardly, his expression stiff, resentment boiling inside.

'What's he so proud of? He's only lucky because he was adopted by the Sterling family. Just like me-parents unknown. What's with that arrogant act? Tch!'

Fuming, Felix left the hospital, already scheming how to use Rachel to get what he wanted.