Chapter 2

Austin's POV

After Clara chased after Edward, I had no idea what she said to soothe him. But when they came back to the room, the smug grin hadn't left his face, and he threw me a deeply provocative look.

I ignored him, but the moment my eyes fell on the necklace around his neck, my breath hitched.

That was the first gift Clara had ever given me—a necklace with a half-heart pendant she had bought at a street stall. Though it wasn't worth much, I cherished it more than the finest treasure in the world.

Clara had bought two necklaces, one for me and the other for her. Put together, they formed a complete heart.

She had said, "We're both living on borrowed time, Austin. But if we can piece ourselves together, we can survive anything."

Now, that same necklace was hanging around Edward's neck.

Later, when Edward ran into me in the living room, he idly toyed with the pendant and tilted his head slightly, his eyes gleaming triumphantly.

"Clara insisted on giving this to me, Austin. She said it'd keep me safe. You don't mind, do you?"

I pressed a hand against my chest as a wave of exhaustion washed over me. "I don't mind," I replied flatly. "It's just an old piece of junk. Keep it if you like it."

I was going to leave Clara, after all. What did a stupid necklace even matter?

I returned to my room. The moment I closed the door, a sharp pain exploded in my chest.

As I clutched my chest, cold sweat instantly soaked through my shirt. The heart rejection symptoms were getting worse.

Stumbling toward the cabinet, I yanked open the drawer and reached for the white medication bottle, only to find it empty.

I froze. The medication was special and important—the only thing keeping me alive. It wasn't available anywhere in Crisea. Every single pill was incredibly precious and difficult to secure.

Fighting through the pain, I called Clara's assistant, Lily Jones. She stammered and hesitated for a long time before muttering, "Ms. Prescott took the medication, Mr. Duncan."

A loud buzzing exploded in my brain.

Gathering the last of my strength, I opened the door to the study and found Clara reviewing documents.

When she saw me walk in, looking deathly pale, she frowned and demanded, "Why didn't you knock?"

I braced myself against the doorframe and asked, my voice shaking, "Where's my medication?"

Clara was briefly stunned before looking away, casually replying, "Ed is badly shaken lately. He's been having heart palpitations and trouble sleeping. Since your medication has a calming effect, I gave it to him to help him recover."

I stared at her in utter disbelief. "That's my anti-rejection medication. Without it, my heart could stop beating!"

Clara closed her file, and her expression turned cold.

"Ed's depression could kill him! You just had a heart transplant, and you're long past the dangerous stage. All you need is regular rest. Why do you always have to fight a sick man for everything?

"Now, you're not just jealous, but you're also making up lies just to get my attention. I'm really disappointed in you, Austin."

I stared intently at Clara, catching the disgust and impatience in her eyes.

Suddenly, a memory from three years ago flashed through my mind.

After my heart transplant, the anesthesia had worn off and left me shaking all over from intense pain. Clara had tears brimming in her eyes, her expression filled with anguish, as she held my hand through the night and kissed my forehead.

But now, she had taken away the medication keeping me alive, just because Edward complained about heart palpitations and a little insomnia.

She had completely forgotten that without that medication, my transplanted heart would stop beating.