Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The sterile halls of Silverlake Hospital echoed with the harsh sound of a slap striking Melody Fox’s face.

“You bitch! You won’t even save your own sister’s life? What kind of heartless person are you?” Ulric Swanson, her husband, said.

Melody held her reddened cheek, staring at him in stunned disbelief. “You want me to save Mabel? But you know that would require me to donate my own heart, don’t you?”

Ulric sneered callously, “I do, but so what? Mabel is a big–time celebrity, the most gorgeous woman in Silverlake. And you? Did you really think I’d fall for someone like you, with that plain jane look? Pfft, if you weren’t so damn useful to me, you think I’d have wasted my time marrying you?”

Melody’s eyes narrowed as a chill gripped her, the horrifying truth dawning on her. She had used her exceptional medical skills to nurse the once–disabled Ulric back to health, helping him regain his strength and vitality. As time passed, she had naively believed that their close collaboration had blossomed into genuine feelings for one another. She thought they were building a life together as true partners. However, she was oblivious to the ugly reality – Ulric had never loved her at all.

Then came the news that her half–sister Mabel had suffered a heart attack and urgently needed a transplant. As a result, they called demanded that Melody donate her own healthy heart to save Mabel’s life.

It was an unconscionable request that Melody had naively believed he would reject outright. But to her utter shock and horror, Ulric had instead lured her to the hospital under false pretenses and strong–armed her into signing an organ donation letter, robbing her of any choice in the matter.

“Hah!” Melody’s eyes brimmed with tears, yet she found herself unable to hold back a bitter, hysterical laugh. After three years of marriage, the devastating truth had finally sunk in she had fallen head over heels in love with a true monster.

Ulric looked at her near–hysterical state with utter disgust. He grabbed her hand and yelled, “Sign it! Mabel can’t wait any longer!”

“No way in hell!” Melody screamed back, struggling wildly against his grip, though she was no match for his brute strength/

Try as she might, Ulric overpowered her, forcing her signature onto the document. Letting out a sigh of relief, he handed it off to the lackey standing by. “Take this to the doctor and get the surgery started, now!”

“Will do, Mr. Swanson, the assistant replied, hurrying off to carry out Ulric’s ruthless orders.

Soon after, Melody was roughly hauled into the operating room. The anesthesia kicked in quick, leaving her body all limp while her mind stayed painfully alert.

The door slammed shut behind Melody, trapping her inside. She tried to speak up, but found she had no strength, the anesthesia robbing her of the ability to cry out.

Then, the side door of the operating room creaked open, and Melody caught sight of her stepmother, Yolanda Fox – who usually doted on Melody like her own daughter. But instead of concern, Yolanda approached with a sickeningly sweet smile.

Suddenly, laughter echoed through the room. Melody’s eyes flew wide in shock as she noticed Mabel, who was supposedly unconscious on the bed next to her, sit up with a grin.

The next second, Mabel climbed down from the bed and slowly sauntered towards Melody. Yolanda trailing close behind.

“My dear sister, I’m so touched you’d donate your heart to me. Too bad I don’t actually need it. Mabel smirked.

–

Melody’s heart sank as the horrible realization hit her this whole thing had been an elaborate con, cooked up by that mother–daughter duo. They wanted her dead, plain and simple

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Chapter 1

“Argh” Melody thrashed around with everything she had, but he hands and feet were tied up tight, and the anesthesia had her feeling all weak and useless.

Mabel let out an exaggerated sintile and wiped at her eyes, putting on an over–the–top show of phony concern. But then, her gaze landed on Melody lying on the operating table, and her eyes went wide with shock. You… your face…” she stammered, utterly flabbergasted

The nasty red spots that had always dotted Melody’s complexion had completely vanished. Her skin was now flawless, her features stunningly beautiful even without a lick of makeup. She looked like the spitting image of Aphrodite herself, the goddess of love and beauty.

For a moment, Mabel–Silverlake’s reigning queen of beauty–felt completely overshadowed. She knew that if Melody ever set her sights on showbiz, she’d be a thousand, even ten thousand times more popular and sought–after than Mabel could ever dream of.

“How…” Mabel staggered back, her face draining of color. The Melody that she had always deemed unattractive was actually a stunning beauty underneath

Melody caught sight of her reflection in the mirror on the operating table and suddenly understood Mabel’s stunned reaction. Those angry red splotches on her face had vanished without a trace.

In fact, the blemishes had been caused by toxins building up in ber system. Melody had always figured Ulric was the type to look past the surface stuff and appreciate the beauty on the inside. She’d been planning to surprise him tonight by flushing out those nasty toxins and unveiling her true, flawless face.

But it seems fate had other plans in store. Melody just hadn’t had the time to complete that whole detox regimen, and now instead of getting to surprise her beloved Ulric, she found hers being strong–armed into donating her heart to that wretched half–sister of hers, Mabel

At the surgical table, Mabel’s eyes blazed with jealousy. Shock and consuming her like rapidly growing, towering trees. There was no Melody’s transformed, radiant face.

envy look root in her heart in an instant, swelling and way she could stomach the idea of Ulric laying eyes on

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road! I want that heart out of her. Now! Mabel shrieked, her shrill command ringing out through the operating room.

Yolanda was quick to chime in, barking at everyone to step on it and pick up the pace.

The thing was, the mother–and–daughter duo had paid off all the members of the surgical team. As long as they kept their mouths shut, no one would ever be the wiser that the supposedly “ugly duckling” Melody was actually a stunning swan in disguise.

Melody fought to speak up, to get a word in edgewise, but that anesthesia had her dead to the world. Still, from the movements of her lips, it was clear she was trying to say, “I’ll haunt you forever, even from beyond the grave!”

Yolanda’s lips curled into a smug grin as she clocked the silent threat in Melody’s eyes. “Pfft, give me a break. Remember how your dear old mom kicked the bucket? I made sure that meddling midwife was taken care of Haunt us forever, huh? Fat chance, sweetheart. If ghosts were really so powerful, your dear old mom would’ve been making our lives hell a long time ago. But look around no spooky specters here, just us getting the job done.”

Melody’s eyes went wide as the awful realization dawned on her. Her mother’s death hadn’t been natural at all – Yolanda had been the one to snuff her out. All this time, she’d been treating these two like they were her own flesh and blood, when in reality they were nothing but cold–blooded monsters.

Those fucking bitches Animals! she cursed internally, fury boiling inside her. A vile sweetness surged in her throat, and she suddenly spat out blood.

Those fucking bitches! Animals!‘ she cursed–internally, fury boiling inside her. A vile sweetness surged in her throat, and she suddenly spat out blood.

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Yolanda screamed in shock, snatching a surgical knife and plunging it deep into Melody’s heart,

Melody’s vision blurred as darkness enveloped her, and she lost all sensation.

The pain was overwhelming, and her head pounded non–stop.

“When Melody’s eyes flew open, she was staring into the ruggedly handsome face of a disheveled man. He was pressing down on her, and his hand swiftly clamped over her mouth as soon as she awake.

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Completely disoriented, Melody thought, What the hell? Didn’t I just die on the operating table? How am I here? And who the fuck is this guy?

Her mind whirled as she tried to plece everything together. She looked around and realized she was in the cabin of the cruise ship that had brought her back to Silverlake from the countryside three years ago.

The realization slammed into her: she wasn’t dead; she had somehow been sent back in time three years.

In a flash, she shook off the shock of being given another go at life.

But what the heck was going on now?

She gasped, trying to resist, only to feel a dagger pressed against her neck.

“If you wanna make it out alive, shut the hell up!” the man growled coldly.

The cabin’s curtains were drawn, hiding his face in the dark, bui Melody could sense the reek of blood on him. Suddenly, he began forcefully tearing at her clothes.

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