Chapter 2

I never expected Lucas to track down my rental with a group of men.

"Summer, you've gotten cocky, haven't you? Hanging up on Dad?"

He grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me off the bed.

"Let me go!"

I struggled with everything I had, but my body was already completely frail.

Lucas threw me onto the floor, glaring down at me.

"Take her!"

"Unless you apologize to Chloe today, you're not getting out of this alive."

They shoved me into a car and hauled me back to the Hayes mansion.

In the living room, Chloe was sitting on the sofa, clutching a mug of warm milk.

The moment she saw me, she feigned terror and shrank into our mother Eleanor's embrace.

"Mom, I'm scared... Is Summer here to hurt me again?"

Eleanor wrapped her arms around Chloe protectively, glaring at me with raw venom.

"Summer, you jinx! Nothing good ever happens when you're around!"

"Get on your knees!"

She pointed at the marble floor, shouting at the top of her lungs.

I stood straight, staring at them coldly.

"I did nothing wrong. Why should I kneel?"

Richard slammed his fist onto the table, marched over, and delivered a vicious slap across my face.

The impact swelled my cheek instantly, and blood trickled from the corner of my mouth.

"Disobedient trash! You dare talk back?"

"Kneel down and apologize to your sister!"

His strike was so violent that I collapsed onto the floor.

My knees hit the hard marble with a sickening thud, sending a jolt of pain through my body.

Lucas walked over and stepped heavily onto my calf.

"Summer, didn't you pretend to have a spine?"

"Let's see which is harder—your bones, or the sole of my shoe."

He ground his heel down, and my bone let out a muffled crack.

Yet I didn't scream.

I could barely feel it.

The cancer cells had already invaded my body; this superficial pain was nothing compared to the agony burning inside my organs.

"Go ahead, Lucas. Step on me."

"It'd be better if you just stomped me to death right here."

I looked up at him, my eyes empty.

Meeting my hollow gaze, Lucas felt a sudden chill of panic.

He subconsciously pulled his foot back.

"Stop being dramatic."

"You think putting on that dead-eyed face is going to make us pity you?"

Chloe peeked out from Eleanor's arms, speaking in a frail, soft voice.

"Summer, if you just give me the necklace Grandma left you, I'll forgive you."

"That necklace should have been mine in the first place."

Hearing that, my fingers clenched tightly around my shirt.

That necklace was the only heirloom left to me by my grandmother—the only person who had ever truly loved me.

It was my final lifeline.

"Never."

"Grandma gave it to me. Keep dreaming."

I gritted my teeth, rejecting her word for word.

Richard's face darkened completely.

"It's just a damn necklace! What use is it to you?"

"Chloe asking for it is doing you a favor!"

"Lucas, search her and take it!"

Richard shot a glance at his son.

Lucas immediately stepped forward, roughly searching my clothes.

I desperately shielded my chest where the necklace hung.

"Let go of me! Lucas, you lunatic!"

I fought back with the last ounce of my strength.

Growing impatient, Lucas grabbed my right arm and twisted it violently.

*Snap.*

My right arm bent at a gruesome, unnatural angle.

"Ah!"

Chloe shrieked in horror, covering her eyes.

Lucas froze.

He stared at my broken arm, a flash of panic crossing his face.

"Summer... don't fake it. I barely used any force."

His voice trembled slightly.

Looking at my mangled arm, I suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hahaha..."

"Lucas, do you see this?"

"My arm is broken, but I don't feel a single thing."

Using my left hand to push myself up, I slowly got to my feet.

Eleanor stared at me, dread flickering in her eyes.

"You... you psycho, what kind of sick trick are you playing?"

Looking at them, I found the whole scene bitterly absurd.

"Because the cancer has spread into my bones."

"My nerve endings are already dead."

"Lucas, are you happy now?"

I pulled the waterlogged diagnosis slip from my pocket and threw it onto the coffee table.

Though smeared, the words "Stage IV Gastric Cancer" were still undeniable.