A moment later, the doors opened again. Two nurses carefully pushed out a stretcher. The figure on it was completely covered with a white sheet, faintly stained with blood.

The sight alone was enough to chill anyone to the bone.

Hyera's soul followed quietly, watching as her lifeless body was wheeled down the hallway-away from the chaos of the OR and into a private room just a few doors down.

As they passed the waiting area, she spotted someone standing there.

Her father. Hans Sterling.

He was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes, his shoulders trembling with barely contained grief. Slowly, he grabbed the armrest of the chair beside him and pushed himself to his feet. His legs looked unsteady-like they could give out at any second-as he stumbled toward the room where his daughter now lay.

"Dad..." Hyera choked out, running to his side. "Dad, I'm here!"

She waved frantically in front of him, shouting louder, desperate for him to hear.

But he didn't flinch. Didn't blink. He walked right past her, eyes fixed on the door ahead-on the body that used to be hers.

"Please... look at me..." Hyera whispered, her voice cracking. "Why can't you see me?"

Suddenly-

"Hans! Hans-how is Hyera?! Is she okay?!"

The hospital room door suddenly burst open.

Kehlani rushed in first, her heels clacking loudly against the cold tile floor. Silvia followed close behind, her face pale and tight with fear.

"Hans," Kehlani gasped. "Where is she? What did the doctor say?"

But Hans didn't answer right away.

He reached into the pocket of his coat with trembling fingers, pulled out a battered cigarette pack, and lit one with a flick of his lighter.

The flame wavered-just like him.

He sank heavily into the leather sofa in the VIP room, taking a long drag. Smoke curled from his lips, unfurling into the sterile hospital air like a ghost.

The bitter scent of tobacco quickly filled the room.

Kehlani coughed, waving a hand in front of her face. Her eyes stung with smoke.

Silvia stood frozen near the doorway, clutching her purse so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Then-

A cold glint flashed across Hans's eyes. He leaned forward and slammed the cigarette into the ashtray, grinding it out with shaking fingers. His composure cracked, and for a second, he looked like a man completely undone.

Tears welled in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks.

"They said..." he choked out, his voice low and broken. "They said we were too late. The doctors tried... they did everything they could. But she's gone."

Silence fell.

"No..." Kehlani whispered, her hand flying to her mouth. "No, that can't be..."

Silvia's lips parted, but no words came out. Her breath caught in her throat.

Standing beside the hospital bed, Hyera's soul stared at her father in disbelief.

Gone?

Her chest tightened. Her eyes widened in pure shock. She stepped closer, her voice rising in desperation.

"Dad! I'm here! I'm right here!"

But no one turned. No one heard.

Her lips trembled.

Her hands hovered in the air like she could still touch them, still reach them, still make them see.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, mirroring the ones that stained her father's face.

Why can't anyone hear me...?

Hyera's heart pounded wildly. She lay helplessly on her hospital bed-on her own lifeless body-struggling to force herself up.

But nothing moved.

No... No!

She clenched her teeth, straining with every ounce of willpower, but her limbs were heavy, frozen-as if they no longer belonged to her. Her body had become a prison she couldn't escape.

Her father's voice echoed in her mind like a cruel nightmare.

"She's gone."

Her eyes flew open in horror. She slapped her hands over her ears and screamed into the room:

"Dad! Dad-Auntie! Please, get the doctor! I'm not dead! I'm still alive! Please-someone, call the doctor!"

But no one heard.

No one even blinked.

Hyera's voice cracked as she cried louder, panic overtaking her.

"Dad! Auntie! Silvia, please-I'm here! I don't want to die! I'm begging you... I'm begging you... I'll do anything you want, just save me-please!"

Kehlani stood near the bed, her face caked in thick layers of makeup. Her lips curled into a sinister sneer as she stared at the white sheet covering Hyera's body.

"So, she's finally dead, huh?"

The words were cold. Merciless.

Hyera's head snapped toward her, stunned.

What...?

This wasn't the Kehlani she knew. In her memory, the woman had always been kind, graceful, nurturing-a picture-perfect stepmother. She had never once shown a side like this.

Now, all that warmth was gone, replaced by cruelty she didn't even know existed. Hyera froze in disbelief.

Silvia, standing behind her mother, glanced nervously toward the door, which hadn't yet closed fully. She hurried over, peeked out into the hallway, then shut the door and locked it.

She turned back and met her mother's eyes.

They shared a silent, wicked grin.

Only now-once they were sure no one else was around-did they drop their fake concern and look at the body on the bed with cold amusement.

Silvia stepped closer.

"Hyera... you're finally gone. Do you have any idea how long I've waited for this day?"

She sneered, her voice dripping with venom. "God really doesn't disappoint the ones who try the hardest. You're dead now. And tell me-why? Why was everything always handed to you?"

"Why did you always get to stand above me? Why did the spotlight always follow you? Why was there never a place for me-no matter how hard I tried?!"

Silvia's voice cracked as she screamed at the lifeless figure under the sheet. Her face twisted with rage, and veins bulged visibly at her neck.

But then, something shifted in her expression.

Her anger melted into a cruel, triumphant smile.

"You know what though?" she said, her tone suddenly light, mocking. "It doesn't even matter anymore. You don't need to answer."

"Because you're dead. Gone. Forever erased from this world."

"Everything you ever owned... everything that ever belonged to you... it's mine now. Your past is finished, Hyera. And I, Silvia-I am the present. The one who matters now!"

***

Silvia took a deep breath and with a sudden motion, she ripped the white sheet off Hyera's body.

As her eyes landed on that pale, lifeless face-devoid of any color-her fear was replaced by a strange thrill.

The corners of her lips curled into a wicked grin.

That cold, eerie smile matched Kehlani's perfectly. The resemblance was chilling.

From behind her came Kehlani's impatient voice, sharp and cutting:

"Well? Is she really dead?"

Silvia didn't turn around. She swallowed hard, her throat tight, then slowly reached out a hand to touch Hyera's forehead.

There was still the faintest trace of warmth.

Startled, Silvia flinched-then, without missing a beat, her eyes darkened.

She grabbed a pillow from the adjacent bed and spun around.

Without hesitation, she slammed it down over Hyera's nose and mouth, pressing down with terrifying force.

Her expression twisted into something monstrous-something no one who knew her would recognize.

"Let's see if you're really dead," she hissed, her voice low and venomous. "Or just playing dead. Either way, you're not walking out of this room alive, Hyera."

From beside the bed, Hyera's soul froze.

She looked up at Silvia with wide, tear-filled eyes, disbelief and horror flooding her.

Silvia... was trying to kill her. Again.

Her face crumpled, overwhelmed by disbelief.

'This is my sister?'

The one she had respected and loved?

The one who used to promise they'd grow up together, protect each other?

Her lips quivered. Her voice came out soft and broken.

"Silvia... why? Why are you doing this to me? I'm your sister, aren't I? Silvia... please..."

It felt like her whole world had collapsed.

The betrayal crushed her.

Her chest burned.

Her soul trembled.

She leaned her head against the pillow, unable to fight anymore.

Tears streamed silently down her cheeks, soaking the pillow beneath her. Her eyes were red, her heart completely shattered.

Behind them, Kehlani stood silently with her arms crossed, a sinister smile playing on her lips. She said nothing-only watched.

She wasn't going to let Hyera live another day.

Whether the girl was faking her death or not, it made no difference.

She had to die.

Watching Silvia smother her without hesitation, Kehlani let out a cold, satisfied laugh.

"She's dead. Finally dead. Ha... ha!"

Suddenly, a chill spread through Hyera's entire body.

It was bone-deep, terrifying.

She shivered uncontrollably.

She couldn't believe it-Kehlani, the woman who had once been kinder than her own mother, was happy to see her die.

She turned her head, staring at that face twisted into a grin.

Frozen in place, she could only watch.

"Please..." she choked out, her voice cracking. "I'm begging you... I don't want to die... I haven't even lived yet... I haven't gotten married... there's so much I haven't done..."

Her voice turned desperate.

"If you save me... I'll give you anything you want-anything! Even the 20% shares I hold... they're yours! Just please... let me live..."

She pleaded with everything she had. But no one responded.

Not a word.

Only silence.

Her tears poured freely now, endless and hopeless.

"Hans," Kehlani cooed, casually walking over to the man sitting in stunned silence.

She slipped her arm through his and sat beside him, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

"Now that Hyera's dead... that 20% stake of hers? That's all yours."

A smirk tugged at her lips. "Congratulations. Should we go celebrate?"

Twenty percent of the shares?

Celebrate?

Hyera's soul screamed as the world around her turned pitch-black.

"No. Absolutely not."

Hans's voice cut through the room like a blade.

"Don't forget-she was still my biological daughter. By now, the news must've already leaked that the heiress of the Sherwood Group, Hyera Sherwood, has died. If we go out and celebrate so publicly and get caught by the press, what do you think that'll look like? What will people say about me, Hans Sterling? How would I hold my place in society after that?"

His eyes were razor-sharp, locked on Kehlani. The way he looked at her-cold, cutting-felt like he was stabbing her with a thousand knives.

But Kehlani didn't flinch. She ignored him completely, turned to her daughter, and gave Silvia's thigh a quick pat as her face bloomed into a sickly sweet smile.

"Silvia, you did well this time," she praised, her voice like poisoned honey. "That little tramp Hyera is finally dead. From now on, no one will ever be able to compete with you again. Everything-everything-is yours."

"I've always said it-Hyera never had what it took to compare to me. She was nothing but a parasite. Honestly, she should've died a long time ago."

Silvia picked up a glass of water from the table, tipped her head back, and downed it in one gulp. She let out a cold laugh, her eyes filled with twisted satisfaction.

From where she hovered, unseen, Hyera finally pieced everything together.

She was really dead. Killed in a car accident.

And now... maybe she was just a wandering ghost-alone and forgotten.

'Why? Why would they do this to me? I trusted you... I loved you...'

"You were all I had," Hyera whispered through clenched teeth, even though no one could hear her. "Besides my dad, you were my only family. A stepmother, a sister... Why did you betray me like this? Why show me the truth now-when it's already too late?"

She balled her hands into tight fists, her slender fingers curling with rage and despair. Her bones seemed to stand out beneath her skin.

She stared at the mother and daughter in front of her and screamed with everything she had, though the room remained silent.

No one heard her cries.

No one ever would.

Was it regret she felt?

Was it hatred?

No-more than anything, it was heartbreak.

Kehlani, the woman she once looked up to more than her own mother... the one who'd always treated her with more warmth than even her father... had been the one to stab her in the back.

Hyera lay motionless on the bed, replaying everything-every moment, every smile, every lie.

Kehlani slowly walked up to the bed. She stared down at Hyera with a smirk curling her painted lips.

"There's one more thing you didn't know, Hyera," she said in a low voice, filled with venom. "Your mother's death? That wasn't fate. That was me. I had people take care of her."

Her eyes sparkled with cruel pleasure as she dropped the final bomb.

"And your father?" she continued. "He stood there and watched it all happen. He didn't lift a finger."

Hyera's eyes widened in horror.

Kehlani's voice dropped even lower-cold, deliberate. "And that man who raped you years ago? That wasn't just some random monster."

"It was my son."

Her voice rang out like a death knell.

"But now that you're finally dead," Kehlani said with a satisfied smile, "I don't have to keep secrets anymore. Because you know what they say-the dead keep secrets best."

The words echoed in Hyera's ears, but they felt like explosions going off in her chest.

Her mother's death wasn't an accident?

Her father... let it happen?

That man-the one who ruined her life-was Silvia's brother?

The truth was unbearable.

It all made sense now. The vague memories. The doctor's words. The way her mother could still walk, still talk, still help with her homework just days before she suddenly... died.

And her father-his silence, his avoidance.

It wasn't grief.

It was guilt.

Hyera's whole body went cold. Her spirit trembled.

She turned her head toward the man she still wanted to call "Dad."

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Dad..." she whispered. "I'm your daughter. Your real daughter. You're all I had left. Why...?"

Her voice cracked.

"Why would you do this to me?"

"Why did you do this to Mom?"

"Didn't Mom love you?" Hyera sobbed.

"She gave you everything. Everything she had. The company, the shares, even the deed to the old Sherwood estate-she handed it all over to you without hesitation. Whatever you wanted, she gave. Because she loved you!"

Her voice cracked with grief.

"So why-why did you do this to her? To me? What did we ever do to deserve this?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks. Hyera gripped the edge of the hospital bed with both hands, using all her strength to try and sit up. But no matter how hard she pushed, her body wouldn't budge. She was just as paralyzed as before.

Her face turned red with fury. Her features twisted in pain and rage, her entire being consumed with hatred. Her voice thundered through the quiet hospital room as she screamed:

"Hans Sterling! Kehlani Brooks! Silvia Brooks! Tim Brooks!"

"I swear-I swear I'll make you all pay for what you've done to me and my mom! I'll drag you to hell where you'll suffer for eternity!"

Suddenly, a strange force-like a magnetic pull-gripped her.

It yanked her hard.

She tried to resist. She twisted. She thrashed. But the force was too strong. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn't break free.

Then-darkness.

...

When Hyera opened her eyes again, she was lying in a different hospital bed.

The room wasn't lavish or modern. It looked... old. The medical equipment was basic-no state-of-the-art monitors, not even an oxygen wall. Everything was simple, outdated even.

Where... where am I?

Warm sunlight poured in from the window, spilling across her body like a soft blanket. As it touched her skin, a strange calm came over her. She took a long, deep breath.

Then a sharp pain stabbed through her head.

"Ow... my head," she muttered, clutching her temples. "It hurts... so bad..."

A familiar voice rang out from just outside the room:

"Hyera? Sweetheart, are you okay? Does your head still hurt?"

"That little brat! Who throws a basketball at someone's head? How dare he hit my Hyera? I swear I won't let him get away with it!"

The voice grew louder as it neared, warm and scolding at the same time.

The door opened.

Hanabi Sherwood walked in.

And suddenly, time stopped.

That voice.

That voice...

Wasn't that... her mother's?

But... her mom was dead. She'd died. How could she possibly be here?

Hyera stared, frozen.

Then she leapt off the bed and ran straight into her mother's arms, throwing herself into her embrace. Her hands clutched at her mother's waist like she was afraid she'd disappear again.

"Mom... Mom! Mom!"

She sobbed so hard her body trembled.

Hanabi gently stroked her back, humming a soothing tune like she used to when Hyera was little. Her voice was soft, like a lullaby.

"It's okay, Hyera. Don't be scared. Mommy's here. Mommy's always here. No one's ever going to hurt my little princess again."

'But this doesn't make sense...'

'Mom's dead... Isn't she?'

'How can I be holding her?'

'Wasn't I just... dead in that hospital room?'

'How am I still alive?'

'Why is Mom saying someone hit me with a basketball?'

'What is going on?'

Hyera clutched her mother tighter, confused, trembling, her thoughts spinning in circles.

Just then, footsteps echoed from outside the room. Someone was coming in.

Hyera was still crying into her mother's shoulder when the sound stopped beside her. She slowly opened her swollen eyes and looked up. For a moment, her world froze.

She blinked hard, then rubbed her eyes with both hands as if to confirm she wasn't seeing things.

"...Ken? Ken, is that really you?"

Kenny Stark.

Her boyfriend.

In her past life, they were separated after high school. He had been accepted to a prestigious university in the U.S. thanks to his stellar grades. She, on the other hand, had failed her entrance exam miserably. She'd stayed behind while he flew across the world, and just like that, they drifted apart.

But now...

Could she change it this time?