Chapter 2

Evelyn carefully fed Jonah chicken soup, spoon by spoon, her face filled with deep, maternal concern.

"Jonah, how is your body recovering?" she asked softly.

"If Cole’s heart feels uncomfortable in your chest, just tell me. I’ll find you another matching donor."

Hearing this, Jonah looked deeply moved, his eyes glistening with tears. "Evelyn, you are so good to me."

But as he spoke, a flash of mockery crossed his eyes. He lowered his head, pretending to hesitate.

"But... after the ritual, Cole hasn't come home for a month. Is he angry with me?"

"If he's mad, maybe I should give his heart back. I don't mind the pain. I don't want to ruin your relationship with him."

Evelyn’s heart ached for him, and she immediately pulled him into a comforting embrace.

"Don't worry about that ungrateful trash. He does this every single time. He throws a tantrum, runs away from home to threaten me, and eventually crawls back on his knees to beg for my forgiveness."

"This is just his pathetic way of trying to get my attention."

I hadn't actually left. I was standing right beside them, but they couldn't see me.

If this had happened in the past, I would have gone mad, desperately trying to pull my sister away from Jonah.

Jonah had stolen the love that rightfully belonged to me. Evelyn was my only remaining family, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing her.

And because of that jealousy, I used to get screamed at by Evelyn every time I tried to interfere.

But now, as I stood right in front of them, I felt nothing.

I was completely numb. Because my heart was gone, and I was dead.

After the Heart Transfer Ritual, the violent organ rejection had tortured me to death.

After my physical death, my soul had detached from my body. With a gaping, hollow hole in my chest, my spirit was bound to Evelyn, forced to watch her every move.

Just then, Thomas, our old family butler, walked in with trembling steps.

"Lady Evelyn, about Master Cole..."

Evelyn frowned, her face darkening with annoyance.

"What about him? Didn't I tell you? I don't care about anything regarding Cole anymore."

"Running away for a whole month over a petty fight. How childish. When will he ever grow up and be as mature as Jonah?"

Thomas kept his head low, his voice shaking.

"My Lady... Master Cole didn't run away. He... he has been locked in his room for a month. No food, no water."

Hearing this, Evelyn’s frown deepened.

Seeing her reaction, Jonah quickly chimed in, putting on a guilty face.

"Evelyn, Cole must be really angry. Maybe I should go and apologize to him in person."

"After all, I'm just an outsider. I can't let myself cause a rift between you two."

Evelyn immediately snapped at the butler, "Don't bother with him. No food or water for a month? He'd be dead by now if he was actually fasting. Does he really think this cheap trick will make me worry about him?"

She sneered, her voice icy. "What a pathetic drama queen. If he loves pretending to be dead so much, let him starve."

Thomas’s face went pale. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but stopped.

Seeing his hesitation, Evelyn’s expression hardened. "Fine. If you're that worried, I’ll go check on him myself later."

"But only on one condition: once he apologizes to Jonah and promises never to bully him again, I will let him out of that room."

Hearing her words, a phantom pain shot through my hollow chest, as if someone had poured crushed glass into my empty ribcage.

I instinctively clutched my chest. My heart was currently beating inside Jonah’s chest, yet she wanted *me* to apologize to *him*?

In the past, Jonah was always the one who set me up, but Evelyn never believed me.

She was my biological sister, yet she treated me with nothing but cruelty.

I still remembered the day of the ritual. Lying on the cold floor of the basement, I had cried and screamed, telling her how much it hurt.

But she had looked down at me with pure disgust.

"This little pain is nothing compared to what Jonah suffered," she had said coldly.

"You triggered Jonah's heart attack. If I don't teach you a lesson and make you feel his pain, I don't deserve to be your older sister!"

I had begged and apologized frantically, even though Jonah had faked the whole thing.

I apologized because the pain of having my chest ripped open was too much to bear. I just wanted my heart back.

But Evelyn didn't care. She had ordered Thomas to lock me in the dark room.

"If you learn how to behave and show Jonah some respect, I might consider finding you a healthy donor heart in the future."

She had slammed the door, leaving me in the dark.

And in that darkness, my soul had withered away, and I died in absolute silence.