Chapter 1
Serenity Villas, the Johnson family
Emily Johnson clutched a stack of property transfer documents as she approached her sister and mother.
Just as she reached her sister Bianca Johnson’s bedroom door, she noticed it was slightly ajar.
She was about to push it open.
Inside, she heard Bianca’s voice.
“Mom, my illness is acting up again. I’m terrified that one day I’ll fall asleep and never wake up. I can’t bear to leave my kids, my husband, and especially you and the family…”
Bianca, pale and trembling, clutched their mother Cleo’s hand as she lay on the bed.
Cleo’s elegant face was filled with sorrow.
She gently patted Bianca’s hand. “Don’t worry, we still have Emily, don’t we?”
“But will she be willing?” Bianca hesitated. “What if others find out…”
“She has no choice. If it weren’t for the umbilical cord blood, she wouldn’t even be here. Besides, we brought her back for your health,” Cleo reassured, her eyes firm. “You know we are on your side; everyone agrees. She has heart disease and won’t live long anyway. It’s better to make use of her.”
Make use of her!
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Emily felt her blood run cold.
So, it wasn’t love that made them search for her when she was kidnapped and went missing. It was her bone marrow they wanted.
Before she was twelve, she was a wandering beggar, found rummaging through trash before they brought her back.
Her tattered, dirty clothes clashed with the opulence of the Johnson family’s mansion. She felt inferior and sensitive, but their words, “We never gave up looking for you,” filled her heart with hope and a desire to belong.
So, she worked hard for this family, for each member, losing herself in the process.
When the Johnson family business faced trouble, she stayed up night after night, creating plans to solve the crisis, which led to her heart disease,
When her older brother Aiden Johnson was framed and nearly killed, she risked her life and agreed to the enemy’s terms to save him.
She hacked into and cleared her second brother Chase Johnson’s website to save his reputation in the entertainment industry.
She tested medicine on herself to save their poisoned father, Eli Johnson.
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She climbed a cliff to gather rare herbs to improve Cleo’s health.
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For her other family members, she gave her all, ending up battered and bruised.
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As for Bianca, in the years since her return, her poor health meant that any grievance she felt was always Emily’s fault. Anything Bianca wanted, even Emily’s most precious belongings, was handed over to her, no questions asked.
Even though her umbilical cord blood saved Bianca, and her boyfriend was deceived by Bianca’s frail appearance, Emily forgave her, considering Bianca’s weak health.
But what did she get in return?
Her lifelong desire for love, her humble pursuit, all turned out to be in vain.
Her heart ached as if cut by a knife.
She trembled in pain.
The inheritance documents slipped from her hands, scattering on the floor. She painfully bent down to pick them up.
“Who’s there?”
Cleo got up to check the noise.
Emily didn’t want Cleo to see the documents.
She’d rather donate her inheritance than give it to them.
None of them deserved it!
Emily hastily gathered the papers, but one slipped to the doorway.
As she reached for it, Cleo stepped out and accidentally stepped on her hand.
Pain!
But it was not as painful as her heart.
“Emily, why are you eavesdropping? What’s this?” Cleo lifted her foot, noticing the documents. She frowned, “What are these?”
The first thing Cleo did upon seeing Emily was to accuse and question her.
No concern, no worry.
Emily had come to terms with the fact that Cleo didn’t love her.
But it still hurt deeply.
Cleo probably wished she would die soon.
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Otherwise, why would she hide her illness?
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Emily had felt unwell before and went to the hospital. Cleo had taken the test results and told her it was nothing, just needed rest.
In reality, she had been diagnosed with heart disease. Today, the doctor had shaken his head at the new results: “If you had started treatment earlier, surgery could have extended your life by several years.”
She thought it was a missed diagnosis, her fate.
But no, Cleo had hidden it for the bone marrow transplant.
As Cleo lifted her foot, Emily ignored the pain and instinctively grabbed the documents.
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This action aroused Cleo’s suspicion.
“Tell me, what are these? Did you steal important documents from Eli’s study?” Cleo’s fierce gaze looked at her not as a daughter, but as
an enemy.
She didn’t notice Emily’s pale face.
Emily bit her lip, holding back the pain, and coldly said, “No, you can check the surveillance!”
Without waiting for Cleo’s reaction, she turned and ran downstairs.
“If it’s not, then why are you running? Did you hear my conversation with Bianca? Then you should know, your life exists because of Bianca. You don’t have long to live anyway, so donating your bone marrow to Bianca is the right thing to do, isn’t it?” Cleo shouted as she
chased after her.
If she had a choice.
She would rather not have been born into this family.
Emily smiled bitterly.
Hearing such heartless and shameless words, she felt dazed.
In her daze, she stumbled.
She missed a step and fell down the stairs.
Cleo hurried after her, muttering, “Emily, are you okay? You have to be okay, or how will we do the bone marrow transplant…”
This was her “good” mother. No, she was Bianca’s good mother, not hers.
Her birth was never blessed.
Maybe she really shouldn’t exist in this world.
Emily coughed up blood, staining the scattered documents red.
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Her heart ached, her bones felt broken, and every joint hurt.
Her consciousness was fading.
She knew she wouldn’t survive.
Good!
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Death would free her from these hypocritical, heartless relatives.
But even in death, she didn’t want to die in this heartless place.
So, despite her broken, twisted limbs, she dragged herself, leaving a trail of blood, out of the villa.
“Why are you so stubborn? Even if you’re dying, shouldn’t you think about saving Bianca first, to earn some good karma…”
Emily closed her eyes in despair.
The pouring rain washed away the blood and dirt from her body.
It seemed to cleanse a path for her rebirth.
“Emily, hurry and apologize to Bianca. If you hadn’t conspired with outsiders to bully her, would her old illness have flared up? How can you sleep at night?”
Emily was jolted awake by a loud shout.
Her arm was yanked painfully.
Emily frowned and opened her eyes, meeting Eli’s angry gaze, and the disapproving looks of Aiden and Chase, and the disappointment in Cleo’s eyes.
She instinctively covered her heart.
No pain!
So, no heart disease!
She looked around.
The cluttered room filled with Bianca’s art supplies, the room she lived in before she turned eighteen.
Had she been reborn?
With that question in mind, she tried to understand her situation.
Seeing the crowd gathered around her right now, ready to accuse her, brought back memories for Emily.
It was her senior year of high school when Bianca had a panic attack after being startled by someone at school. Emily had tried to help
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her, but ended up falling into a lake and came back with a high fever.
If anyone had cared about her even a little, they would have noticed the flush on her face from the fever.
“What are you staring at? How can you sleep at a time like this? Get out of bed, you heartless thing!” Eli snapped, ready to drag her out of
bed.
Emily’s body was weak, and she tumbled to the floor, knocking over an easel with a painting on it. It was a sunflower painting Bianca had recently finished and left to dry.
“Bianca’s painting… Those cost her days of her hard work! Emily, did you do that on purpose? You really are a piece of trash with no manners,” her brother Finn Johnson, who was just a year older than Bianca and very close to her, glared at Emily.
Emily smirked coldly. Bianca’s so–called hard work was just a few strokes and some coloring. Most of the painting was done by Emily, which was why Bianca didn’t mind Emily staying in her private studio. They had put Emily in the studio because they were afraid Bianca would get too emotional and have another attack if she saw her.
Emily didn’t bother to argue. Her head hurt more and more, and she stayed silent. There was no point in trying to wake someone who was pretending to be asleep or change the mind of someone who was biased.
“Say something! Are you mute now? You weren’t mute when you were bullying Bianca and conspiring with those people at school!” Her other brother, Hayden Johnson, frowned and pulled Emily in front of them to face their anger.
Emily looked up expressionlessly. “What should I say? That it wasn’t me? Or that I saw that person laughing and talking with Bianca, and she was the one who invited him?”
She gave a mocking smile. In her past life, she had explained that she hadn’t hurt Bianca and had actually tried to help her. But they didn’t believe her. They were convinced that the school bully was there because of her; otherwise, how would he know Bianca’s whereabouts?
Since explanations were useless, she didn’t waste her breath.
Eli slapped her hard, making her head snap to the side. Her face swelled instantly, with a clear handprint.
“You little brat, how can you be so vicious at such a young age? Not only did you scare Bianca into getting sick, but you also tried to ruin her reputation,” Eli yelled.
Everyone except Chase looked at Emily with disdain, showing no sympathy for her injuries.
Emily was deeply disappointed but stubbornly held her head high, refusing to be the submissive, people–pleasing girl she used to be.
“You’re angry, but why hit Emily?” Cleo finally spoke up after Eli’s outburst, lightly tapping his arm in disapproval. She then turned to Emily, “Why are you so stubborn? Bianca got sick because of you. You know she’s been frail since birth, and the whole family takes care of her. You should apologize to her. She’s kind and will forgive you.”
Emily felt a wave of nausea at Cleo’s fake kindness. In her past life, Cleo had always pretended to be a good person, giving her hope whenever she was hurt by her family, making her give up her own dignity to please everyone. Maybe because she thought Emily was going to die, she finally showed her true colors in the end.
Emily pushed Cleo’s hand away forcefully and stepped back.
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Cleo stumbled, looking hurt.
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Aiden, who had been silent, spoke sternly, “Emily, you’ve gone too far. Today, you must sincerely apologize.”
Emily’s face was cold. “So that’s what you want. Why beat around the bush? Just say it.”
“Emily, why are you so sharp–tongued now?” Cleo looked at her with a hurt expression.
“If you won’t say it, then get out!” Emily ignored them and lay back down.
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“The opportunity to be Mr. Williams‘ student, give it to Bianca. You saved Mr. Williams, so even without this chance, he would teach you if you wanted, Eli said, trying to sound reasonable.
Hayden agreed, “You don’t have Bianca’s talent for painting. It’s better to give her the opportunity.”
“Fine!” Emily agreed quickly, surprising everyone.
“You’re not planning something, are you?” Finn asked suspiciously.
Everyone thought Emily’s quick agreement was suspicious.
Hayden warned, “Emily, don’t scheme against Bianca. She’s kind–hearted, and it’s because of her that you were found. Be grateful. Once you give up the spot, don’t think about taking it back.”
Emily wondered how she had been so foolish before, actually feeling grateful to Bianca. They had only found her because her bone
marrow was useful.
As for the student spot, she didn’t care. Bianca wouldn’t be able to handle it anyway. Most of Bianca’s paintings were Emily’s work. She had saved John, but she hadn’t wanted to be his student. She was too busy helping the Johnson family with their company crisis and trying to please everyone. She had only agreed because James Smith wanted to fulfill his grandmother Uma’s wish to be John’s student, and she had negotiated for him to be included.
“If you want the spot, take it. But if Bianca wants anything else, just say it,” Emily said coldly.
“Who taught you to talk like this? This is your compensation for what you did to Bianca. Don’t act like you’re so wronged,” Eli scolded.
Is that all? Then you can leave!” Emily ordered them out.
Her head was pounding, and she felt like it would explode if she heard another word from them.
“You…”
Eli was furious at being dismissed by the neglected Emily.
Emily, Bianca is still in the hospital alone. We’re going to see her. Reflect on your actions. We care about you and want you to do better,” Cleo said, pulling Eli away and giving Emily another seemingly kind lecture.
They all left, leaving behind a “Take care of yourself.”
The door closed, shutting out the outside world and separating her from them completely.
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Emily struggled to sit up. Her head was spinning, and her forehead was burning. She needed to get to the hospital. If she burned up and became brain–damaged, it would waste her second chance at life.
Just then, the door opened again.
Emily frowned, annoyed. “What now? Can’t you leave me alone?”
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