I'm diagnosed with a rare, incurable disease.

A wonder drug that is being auctioned off is my last chance at survival. However, upon winning the bid for the said drug, my parents hand it to my older cousin, Annie Harper, who is suffering from infertility instead.

This time, I will not make a fuss. I will even purchase a variety of supplements for Annie.

My fiance tells me that Annie deserves to be married off splendidly. He wants to give his wedding gifts, which were originally meant for me, to her instead.

I consent willingly. On top of that, I transfer both the house and the car he purchased for me to Annie.

My parents have relief and delight written on their faces.

"You've finally grown up and understood that Annie needs this medication more than you do because she's getting married."

My dad says, "Once I've attended the medical symposium for rare diseases and completed the dissection of a patient's cadaver, I will be able to develop a cure for you."

Nonetheless, seven days later, I have become the cadaver meant to be cut open by my father.

My primary physician calls my father out in public at the symposium, pointing him out as an unethical doctor who gave my life-saving medication to Annie.

My parents and boyfriend are criticized by the audience for being murderers.

Yet, they firmly believe that this is how I'm getting back at them. They intend to reveal my memories to the public so that everyone learns that I deserved to die.

Lorelei Judson's POV:

"Lori, I heard that your parents won the bid for the wonder drug. I won't issue the official diagnosis of this critical illness, then. I wish you the best of health in the future," said Martin Snow.

The critical illness diagnosis showed that I only had seven days left to live.

I curled my lips into a slight smile as I lowered my head and signed the cadaver donation consent form.

Martin, the doctor, was unaware of the fact that my parents had given the wonder drug to my infertile older cousin, Annie Harper, right after they won the bid.

When I arrived back home, Annie put on a remorseful look.

"Lorelei, you're finally willing to come back home. Please don't blame Aunt Jenny and Uncle Mike. I'll throw the medicine back up and return it to you."

While she said that, she reached her fingers into her throat.

My mother, Jennifer Goodwin, sided with Annie by admonishing me. "I'm still not through with you for faking your illness at the auction to get your hands on the medication. And now, you're trying to mess with Ann?"

My father, Michael Judson, had a grim look on his face. "Annie is about to get married. Don't you know how important this medication is to her? How could you say that you'll die without that medication? It sure looks to me that you're completely fine right now!"

As Annie leaned into my mother's arms, she shot me a taunting smile.

When I collapsed from my illness at the auction this morning, they assumed that I was putting on an act in order to get my hands on the medication and simply stepped over my convulsing body as they walked away.

If not for the staff members who sent me to the hospital, I would have already died.

While I spent a long time at the hospital being resuscitated, they assumed that I was simply throwing a tantrum and refusing to return home.

Just as everyone waited for me to argue and retaliate, I retrieved two boxes of supplements from my bag and handed them to Annie.

"Annie, I heard that the wonder drug comes with side effects, so I bought these supplements specially for you."

Annie was stunned. Even though Mom was a little shocked, she soon broke into a smile.

"You've finally matured, Lorelei. You now know to care for your cousin."

Dad looked deeply satisfied. "Annie will be married soon, so she has to ensure that her infertility is treated. Don't worry, just wait till I attend the medical symposium for rare diseases. Once I find the cause of your disease through the dissection of a patient's cadaver, I will be able to develop a cure for you."

Outwardly, I nodded meekly. But on the inside, I was laughing at him.

That medical symposium for rare diseases would only happen seven days later. I couldn't afford to wait until then.

Though I was really curious about whether Mom and Dad would feel even a sliver of regret if Dad realized that the dissection he was about to perform was on me.

In the evening, my fiance, Oliver Mosley, brought me out for a candlelight dinner.

Oliver and I were collegemates. He fell in love with me at first sight and pursued me fiercely. He was extremely doting toward me at first, but we later often fought because of Annie.

When I pleaded with my parents to give the medication to me during the auction, he sided with Annie and reprimanded me loudly. "Lorelei, can't you just be more understanding? Don't fight with Annie over everything!"

It was only at that moment that I realized that Oliver had only proposed to me previously so that he could be by Annie's side openly as a family member.

It was no wonder that he always sided with Annie whenever I argued with her.

So, his sudden favor left me rather bewildered. "What's the special occasion today?" I asked.

The smile on his face stiffened up as he licked his lip somewhat unnaturally. "Lorelei, Annie is getting married soon, right?"

My hand jerked involuntarily, and the piece of vegetable I was picking up fell off my fork. Nonetheless, Oliver did not notice anything amiss about me.

"Your parents have been fretting about Annie's wedding gift lately, so I offered to give your wedding gifts to Annie as her wedding gifts instead," he said.

I lowered my head and started gobbling up my food.

Because Oliver had the impression that I was in disagreement, he continued persuading me. "Lorelei, as an orphan, Annie has had it tough. As her family member, you would want her to get married off splendidly, wouldn't you?"

Despite being my fiance, Oliver took the wedding gifts meant for me to bolster another woman's position, claiming that it was for my own good.

Nevertheless, I couldn't care less about that now. If they wanted to let Annie have it, then so be it.

I swallowed my last mouthful of food before lifting my head to look at Oliver.

"Sure. Let's just go with your suggestion," I replied.

Oliver beamed, picking up his phone eagerly to share this good news with Annie. Meanwhile, I picked up my glass of water and downed it.

"This meager wedding gift won't cut it. How about transferring ownership of the house and car you bought for me to Annie too?" I suggested.

Upon hearing my words, Oliver took me by the hand excitedly.

"Lorelei, don't worry. I will work hard to earn more money and treat you way better in the future. I really am blessed to be able to marry such an understanding and caring wife like you!"

I pulled my hand away without showing any change in my emotions. Then, I used needing the washroom as an excuse to step away.

Hunched over the toilet, I threw up everything that I had just ingested. Instantly, a sourish stench filled the confined space.

The moment I heard the sound of footsteps at the door, I pressed the flush button hurriedly.

Water swirled out of the toilet bowl, as if it were flushing away my pain and misery along with it.

By the time I emerged from the washroom, Oliver had left, leaving only a note on the table. It read, "Lorelei, Annie is experiencing a power cut at her place. She's afraid of being alone since her fiance isn't at home. I'm going over to keep her company."

I let out a mocking chuckle and picked my bag up to head home. However, a service staff member stopped me at the door.

"Hold on, ma'am. You haven't paid the bill yet."

My face flushed red under the strange stares of the other patrons. I whipped my phone out to settle the bill before scurrying away.

I got into the car and stared at Annie's latest post on Facebook. She wrote, "Thank you for sacrificing your own happiness just to be by my side."

Attached to it was an image of Oliver from behind as he lit some candles.

That night, I cried myself to sleep.

Mom pulled me out of bed the first thing the next morning. "Lorelei, get out of bed quickly and have your breakfast. I made your favorite acai bowl."

The last time I had an acai bowl was on my tenth birthday. Ever since Annie moved in to live with my family, all the dishes at home were to her preference.

Once I sat down at the dining table, Dad, who was reading the newspaper, spoke up suddenly. "Yesterday, Oliver told me that you wanted to give Ann your car and the house in the city as her wedding gift. You really have matured."

Mom poured me a glass of milk with a smile on her face.

She remarked, "I'm having a hard time getting used to it, now that you've become so well-behaved all of a sudden.

"Frankly speaking, Ann has always been very fond of you, Lorelei. In mine and your father's eyes, you're both like biological sisters. When we're no longer around, you and Ann will still be able to rely on one another."

Suddenly, the acai in my mouth tasted bitter.

As it turned out, my parents were only nice to me when I was nice to Annie.

I wondered if Mom and Dad would still think the same on the day they found out Annie's true colors?

I lowered my spoon and studied them with a serious gaze. "If I passed away from my illness because I didn't get to take the wonder drug, will you both regret it?"

Mom stroked my head. "Don't overthink it. Didn't your father tell you that he will soon be able to develop a cure for you?"

Dad echoed, "That's right. Your condition hasn't progressed to that severe an extent. There just haven't been any previous case studies available for research.

"However, yesterday morning, the general hospital notified me that a late-stage patient had agreed to donate their body after death."

That was because Annie switched my medical records. My condition had worsened a long time ago.

I couldn't help but say, "That donor patient is actually—"

"Aunt Jenny, Uncle Mike, I'm here," Annie interrupted as she pushed the door open and entered the living room.

She threw her arms around my mother, smiling from ear to ear.

Meanwhile, her eyes filled with glee when she looked at me. "Lorelei, thank you for being willing to give your wedding gift, house, and car to me. You have always been like my very own younger sister.

"Feel free to come to me if you face any troubles in the future."

"I feel at ease, seeing you both getting along well," Mom said with a smile while handing Annie an acai bowl.

"Ann, you messaged me yesterday saying that you were craving acai, so I prepared it for you early in the morning. Come and have a taste."

Then, she continued, "Oh, right. What were you about to say earlier, Lorelei?"

So, these acai bowls were prepared specially for Annie.

I lifted the corners of my lips slightly. "It's nothing important."

After finishing breakfast, my parents urged me to head out and complete the ownership transfer procedures for Annie.

Right as we arrived at the office, I realized that I forgot to bring my ID along.

Mom looked at me with utter disappointment on her face. "I knew it. You were just paying lip service. You weren't actually sincere about wanting to give your house and car to Ann."

Dad, on the other hand, let out a heavy sigh. "Lorelei, no one's forcing you if you're not willing to do so. Is it fun for you to play everyone like this?

"I thought you finally learned to behave yourself, but I guess we were wrong. You haven't changed a single bit!"

I explained immediately, "I'm sorry. I was in so much of a rush to get out of the house that I forgot about it. I have the documents all prepared.

"Annie, you can first sign the papers, and I'll come back on my own to get the remaining procedures done."

Only then did the look on my parents' faces ease up.

"You'd better do as you say you would," they said.

Deep down, I chuckled bitterly. My time was almost up. These materialistic things didn't mean anything to me.

All of a sudden, Annie brought up the job assessment that we took together last month.

"Congratulations, Lori. The assessment rankings were released this morning. You placed first while I placed second, a whole ten marks behind you. My chances for the interview are definitely gone now."

I smiled at her. "I'll give up on the interview, then. I'm sure that you'll succeed in this job interview."

Right after I said that, shock settled across my parents' faces as they stood next to us. They were aware of how much I wanted this job. After all, I spent an entire six months studying day and night for it.

Yet, I gave my position up for Annie with such a candid statement.

Annie raised her brow. "Oh, Lori, I was just mentioning it casually. You don't have to say such spiteful things intentionally."

Thereafter, I sent a text message about giving up on the interview under their watch.

Because of that, my parents praised me for being understanding.

That afternoon, Oliver drove Annie and my parents to Hamlett City to watch a fireworks show. He said that my health wasn't good enough for long-distance travel.

I smiled and did not argue.

Over the course of those five days, Annie kept sending me group photos, showing off to me how much my parents and Oliver doted on her.

"Lorelei, you can never win against me."

As I read her message, I pressed the power off button silently.

Disbelief was written all over Martin's face. "Lorelei, didn't your parents win the bid for the wonder drug? How is it that your condition still worsens?"

My vision gradually became blurry. I forced myself to hold it together as I replied, "Dr. Snow, please handle my remains. I truly have no one else I can ask.

"Do not let my parents know of my death. I don't want their vacation to be ruined because of me."

…

Third-person POV:

After Michael and Jennifer returned, they realized that Lorelei wasn't home. Nevertheless, they weren't bothered by it. They simply assumed that she ran away from home out of retaliation.

At the medical symposium for rare diseases the next day, Michael was on his phone, selecting Annie's wedding gift. He chucked the body donor's information to the side without even looking at it.

It wasn't until the symposium began that he put on his white doctor's coat and walked up onto the stage.

After pulling back the white cloth, he froze in shock. The scalpel fell from his hand and onto the floor with a crisp clank.

"Lorelei!" he yelled.

Jennifer leaped to her feet from the audience seat, her eyes widened.

"What are you saying, darling? Where's Lorelei?"

A doctor within the audience recognized Lorelei. "Isn't that cadaver Dr. Judson's daughter?"

Right at this moment, Martin got to his feet.

"What's with the act, Dr. Judson? Information on the body donor had been given to you before the symposium began. Weren't you already aware that it's Lorelei who's on the table?

"You people gave Annie the wonder drug that could have saved Lorelei's life. Didn't that mean that you were planning to watch Lorelei die?"

Instantly, those in the audience started gossiping with one another.

"I heard that Annie is infertile. How could that be more important than their own daughter's life?"

"They couldn't possibly have given the wonder drug to someone else so that they can have a valid reason to watch Lorelei die, could they? Isn't that premeditated murder?"

Following that, those in the audience pointed at Michael and Jennifer, calling them murderers. Oliver, who tried to speak up for them, was called an accomplice in Lorelei's death.

Suddenly, Annie flung the doors to the main hall open. She barged in and announced loudly to Michael and Jennifer, "Lorelei didn't transfer ownership of her house and car to me at all. She didn't even deposit a single cent of the wedding gift that she agreed to into my bank account.

"She played us!"

Jennifer's expression was dark. "Was she plotting to take revenge against us by putting on an act and pretending to be well-behaved these last few days?"

Michael growled through gritted teeth, "Lorelei was wicked to the core, engaging in all kinds of bad behavior ever since she was young.

"We are not murderers. Do not accuse us mindlessly if you people don't even know what the truth is!"

What Martin saw made him sad for Lorelei. "Lorelei was absolutely not the kind of person you people claim that she was. She was a kind soul who wanted to donate her body to save the lives of others even when she was facing her own death."

Someone in the audience remarked cynically, "You people can slander her all you want, now that she's dead and can no longer speak."

"How could someone willing to donate their body be wicked?"

Michael and Jennifer were rendered speechless.

After a moment of silence, Michael suddenly said, "There's only one way to prove our innocence—to use the newly-developed memory-reading machine to replay her memories.

"Once all of you witness her bad deeds, you will know why we treated her that way!"

Martin scoffed. "Dr. Judson, this decision will be the greatest regret of your lives!"

Michael and Jennifer ignored Martin's comment, making arrangements for the machine to replay Lorelei's memories right away.

The moment the replay of Lorelei's memories began, Annie, who had been silent the whole time, yelled out agitatedly, "Don't replay her memories!"