The rain outside the hospital windows fell like shattered glass.
Cold.
Endless.
Lina Zhao lay on the hospital bed, her body weak and numb beneath the thin white sheets. The scent of antiseptic filled the room, sharp and suffocating, masking the underlying smell of decay.
She could barely move.
Barely breathe.
The doctors had already delivered the verdict. The car accident had destroyed her spine. Even if she survived… she would never walk again.
But the pain crushing her chest had nothing to do with the accident.
It came from the two people standing beside her bed.
Victor Han.
And her cousin, Melissa Zhao.
Victor looked exactly as he had the day he proposed three years ago—tall, handsome, draped in an expensive black suit. He was the man every woman envied her for marrying. The man she had trusted with everything.
But the warmth in his eyes was gone.
Now, there was only cold indifference.
Melissa stood beside him, leaning comfortably against his arm as though she belonged there. Her lips curved into a satisfied smile.
Lina's fingers trembled against the blanket, weak as dry leaves.
"…Victor," she whispered.
Her voice was so soft it almost disappeared under the drumming of the rain.
"Why…?"
Victor didn't answer immediately. Instead, he calmly adjusted his cufflinks. The same silver cufflinks Lina had given him as an engagement gift.
Finally, he looked down at her. His gaze was distant. Almost bored.
"You really want to know?"
Melissa laughed softly. "Oh, cousin… you're still so naïve."
Lina felt something crack inside her chest.
Victor reached into his briefcase and pulled out a thick stack of documents. He placed them slowly on the bedside table.
"Sign these."
Lina's blurry vision struggled to focus on the first page. Her breath stopped.
Share Transfer Agreement.
Zhao Group.
Her father's company.
Her inheritance.
Her entire world.
"You promised you would help me protect the company…" Lina whispered.
Victor's lips curved slightly. "Yes. I did say that."
Melissa leaned closer, her perfume sweet and suffocating. "But protecting it for you was never the plan." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "It was always meant for us."
Lina stared at them, disbelief flooding her mind. Memories rushed through her head like broken glass.
Her father's sudden death.
The board members who turned against her.
The "accident" that left her in this hospital bed.
Her heart began to pound violently against her ribs.
"You… planned all of this?"
Victor finally smiled. But the smile carried no warmth.
"You were useful, Lina. Your shares. Your family name. Your influence." He shrugged slightly. "But now that Zhao Group is under my control… you're no longer necessary."
Lina felt tears sliding silently down the sides of her face.
Three years.
Three years of love.
Three years of trust.
All of it had been a lie.
Melissa suddenly wrapped her arms around Victor's arm, leaning against him affectionately. "You should thank us, cousin." Her voice was playful. "If Victor hadn't convinced you to sign those earlier agreements, taking Zhao Group would have been much harder."
Victor gently placed his hand over Melissa's. The gesture was intimate. Natural. Like they had done it a thousand times before.
Lina's chest tightened painfully. "How long…?" she whispered.
Victor didn't hesitate. "Since before the engagement."
The words crushed the last piece of hope inside her.
Melissa smiled brightly. "You were just the perfect stepping stone."
Outside, thunder roared.
Lina's breathing became uneven. "You killed my father…"
Victor didn't confirm it. But he didn't deny it either. Instead, he slid the pen toward her.
"Sign the documents. If you cooperate, we'll make sure you receive proper medical care."
Lina looked down at the pen. Her hand trembled.
Then, she began to laugh.
The sound was weak and broken.
"You think I would help you… after this?"
Melissa's smile vanished.
Victor sighed slightly. "I was hoping you wouldn't make this difficult."
He nodded toward the door.
Two men in black suits walked into the room. Security.
Lina's heart sank.
"You don't have a choice." Victor leaned closer. His voice turned cold. "If you don't sign… your treatment stops tonight."
The room fell silent except for the sound of rain.
Lina slowly closed her eyes.
Everything was over.
Her family.
Her company.
Her life.
All stolen by the man she loved most.
Tears slipped down her cheeks. But when she opened her eyes again… something inside them had changed.
"If there is another life…" she whispered weakly.
"I swear…"
Her voice trembled, heavy with hatred.
"I will make both of you pay."
Melissa scoffed. "Dream on."
Victor turned toward the door. "Come on. We're done here."
But before they could leave—
A loud crash echoed outside the hospital corridor.
Someone shouted.
Then the sound of gunfire exploded through the hallway.
The security guards rushed toward the door.
Victor frowned. "What the—?"
The door burst open.
A man in a dark coat stepped inside. His face was cold. His eyes sharp like blades.
Lina recognized him instantly.
Adrian Lu.
Victor's greatest business rival.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Adrian looked at her silently. Then his gaze moved to Victor.
"You should have killed her earlier," he said calmly.
Victor's expression darkened. "You're too late."
But Lina's vision was already fading. The machines beside her bed began to scream. Her heartbeat slowed.
The last thing she heard was Adrian's voice echoing faintly through the room.
"…What a waste."
Darkness swallowed everything.
***
Lina Zhao suddenly gasped.
Her body jolted upright.
Her heart pounded violently against her ribs.
The hospital room was gone.
Instead—
She was sitting in her bedroom.
Sunlight streamed through the window, warm and bright.
Her hands shook as she grabbed the phone on the bedside table.
The date on the screen made her breath stop.
June 18.
Three years earlier.
Exactly one week before her engagement ceremony.
Lina slowly looked at the diamond ring on her finger.
Then she began to laugh softly.
This time…
Her eyes were cold.
"Victor Han."
She removed the ring.
"Let's see how you steal my life again."