Chapter 1

I was terminally ill with cancer. The only chemotherapy treatment that could save my life was snatched away by Tiffany Hall, who bought it for Harper Sweet, who was in the early stages of cancer.

I gave up on the life-saving treatment the doctor recommended and swallowed a powerful painkiller. The price? My organs would fail in three days, and I would die.

I gave up everything during those three days.

When I gave all my hard-earned money to Harper, my parents smiled with relief.

When I signed the divorce papers that Trent Hall offered me, he sighed and said I was so understanding.

When I pushed Lily to call Harper “Mommy,” she happily said that Mommy was the best.

They didn’t suspect anything, even when I gave Harper my house and savings.

They just looked at me with relief and said, “Our sensible Riley is finally back.”

But I was curious, would they think of me after I died?

I swallowed the painkiller as the doctor looked at me with pity.

I had three days left to live.

After taking the medicine, I went to Harper’s hospital room.

Inside, Dad was peeling an orange for Harper, and Mom was talking to her.

When they saw me, the smiles on their faces instantly turned cold.

“What? Couldn’t keep up the act and decided to harass Harper again? Riley Hall, let me tell you, as long as we’re here, you won’t bully Harper again!” Dad said, his voice icy.

“Our family has always had strict rules. I don’t know where you learned to be so jealous of Harper and steal her chance at chemotherapy,” Mom scolded. “I wish I never had you!”

In a corner where my parents couldn’t see, Harper smiled at me, her eyes full of provocation.

I lowered my head. I had heard these words from my parents countless times.

In the past, I would have argued with them and exposed Harper’s lies in public, even though my parents never believed a word I said.

But now I was tired. I didn’t want to argue anymore.

“It’s good you’re here. I have something to discuss with you,” Dad said.

I smiled. “Dad, I have something to tell you too.”

“Doesn’t Harper want my store and company? I’ve decided to give them to her!”

Dad was taken aback, and Mom looked at me in surprise.

“How did you know I was going to talk about this today? You agreed?”

I smirked. It was no wonder they were surprised and kept confirming.

Harper had wanted my store and company for a long time.

My parents had said all sorts of things to get me to give Harper everything I had worked so hard for.

But I never gave in.

Now that I was dying, these things were meaningless.

Mom saw that I was serious and finally smiled with relief. She stepped forward and patted my head. “You finally understand!”

“Harper was always more talented than you in school. Even though she’s sick now, she’s better at managing money,” Mom said. “We’re relieved to have her manage your store and company.”

I smirked and handed the transfer agreement to Harper.

My parents were happy to see Harper sign it. They held my hands and kept praising me.

A touch of irony rose in my heart.

It was laughable. Mom would only smile at me when I gave in to Harper.

But I was curious.

What if Mom found out about Harper’s true colors and realized I was dead?

Would she and Dad regret it?

In the evening, I returned home and saw my husband, Trent Hall, and my daughter, Lily, cooking in the kitchen.

Maybe I was in the late stages of cancer, so I closed the door more quietly. The two of them didn’t seem to notice and were laughing as they cooked.

Trent turned around after serving the dishes and saw me. The smile on his face froze for a moment before returning to normal.

“Riley, when did you get back? You were so quiet!”

I quietly looked at the dish in Trent’s hand: stir-fried vegetables, Harper’s favorite.

Judging by the presentation, it was as good as a chef’s work.

It was ironic. I was about to die and only now learned that Trent, who I had been with for five years, could cook.

He always complained about my cooking, and Lily gradually started to dislike it too because of Trent’s “influence”.

I had worked hard for this family, but in the end, I didn’t earn any respect.

In the past, I might have already started hysterically freaking out.

But now I just calmly walked past them, sat on the couch, and sorted through the things in my bag.

Trent saw that I was silent and paused before putting the dishes on the table and walking over to me.

“Riley, I have something to discuss with you today.”

Trent touched his nose awkwardly and hesitated before speaking.

“It’s about your sister, Harper.”

My heart sank. A bad feeling suddenly welled up.

The next second, Trent’s words stunned me.

“Harper has been feeling down since her cancer chemotherapy surgery. So, Mom and Dad asked me to marry Harper to bring her good luck.”

My ears started ringing. After a long time, I found my voice.

“So, you agreed?”

Trent sighed. “Riley, Harper may not be your biological sister, but she’s still your family after Mom and Dad adopted her.”

“And it’s just for good luck. Once Harper is discharged from the hospital, I’ll still be your husband and Lily’s mother.”

Before I could speak, Lily chimed in, “Yeah, Mommy, Auntie has been feeling really bad lately. You have to understand her!”

I quietly looked at the father and daughter in front of me.

This was the man I had loved for so many years.

This was the child I had raised with so much effort.

I never made any mistakes. I was always honest with my family, husband, and child.

But in the end, I was betrayed by them.

It didn’t matter now. Since Harper wanted it, I would give her everything.

I didn’t want anything.

I raised my head and looked at Trent. “Okay, I agree!”

A flash of surprise crossed Trent’s eyes. “Really?”

He quickly took out the divorce papers from the drawer and placed them on the table.

I smirked.

Trent, your eagerness is showing. Can’t you even try to hide it?

I picked up the pen and quickly signed my name.

After signing, Trent’s face was full of relief. He looked serious and affectionate.

“Riley, we’ll get remarried after Harper is discharged from the hospital. Don’t worry, I’ll never let you down!”

After speaking, Trent also signed the divorce papers.

He looked at me and sighed, “Riley, you’re much more sensible than before. I’ve made mistakes too. It was my fault.”

“Once Harper gets better, I won’t let you worry about anything anymore!”

“Yes, Mommy!” Lily said like a little adult. “Mommy is so nice to Auntie. I’m proud of Mommy!”

Looking at them, my heart turned to ashes.

Before this, I had held onto a glimmer of hope for Trent and Lily.

But now…

I had no expectations except for death.

I stood up and tried to walk past them to go back to my room.

A wave of dizziness hit me. I couldn’t help but faint.

In the moment before I blacked out, I saw Trent’s anxious face.

I woke up to a cold feeling and realized I was still lying on the floor.

When I looked at Trent and Lily, they were looking at me with disappointment.

“Dad, I told you, Mommy is faking it!” Lily said.

“Mom, can you stop being so childish? You’re wasting our time to see Auntie at the hospital!”

Faking it?

Trent said with disappointment, “Riley, can you stop messing around?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Even though we’re divorced, I still love you. You don’t have to test me with childish tricks like faking a faint!”

After hearing Trent’s words, I finally understood.

The painkiller I took could block all pain for three days.

During this time, I would look like a normal person, and my complexion would be the same as everyone else’s.

But the side effects were severe. I would die of organ failure after three days.

It seemed the medicine was working really well.

I struggled to stand up. “Maybe it’s low blood sugar. It’s nothing. I’ll go to the hospital with you.”

“There are some transfer procedures that Harper needs to sign.”

Trent nodded. There was no surprise on his face. It seemed my parents had told him in advance.

At the hospital, Harper was watching TV in her room.

“Riley, you’re here!” Harper’s face was still pale, but she looked much better.

I didn’t miss the smugness and arrogance in her eyes.

“Riley, thank you for trusting me and letting me manage your assets. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down!”

“Yes, Riley, it’s great to have Harper manage your store and company. You can stay home and collect dividends every day. Isn’t that great?” Mom said with a smile.

I took out the remaining documents from my bag. “In that case, let her manage all my assets too. That way, I won’t have to worry about anything in the future.”

Everyone in the room froze.

“Riley, are you serious? You’re giving all your assets to Harper?”

Trent grabbed me, his eyes full of surprise.

Now I was confused.

They had always sided with Harper. They would give her whatever she wanted.

If I didn’t agree, they would scold me.

Why didn’t they understand now that I was giving everything to Harper?

Dad was the first to come back to his senses. His eyes were full of relief. “This child is finally sensible! We didn’t waste our love on you!”

“Riley, it’s a good thing you’re accepting your sister now!”

“Live well together in the future. We’ll be relieved even when we get old!”

Relieved?

Mom and Dad, you’ve been fooled by Harper’s hypocrisy for too many years.

Do you really believe Harper will manage everything I own well?

My head started to spin again, and my nose felt itchy. I touched it and realized it was bleeding.

“Riley, why are you having a nosebleed? The weather hasn’t been dry lately?” Mom asked.

I paused with my hand wiping the blood and couldn’t help but look at them.

“Mom, Dad, if I really die from my illness one day, will you regret it?”

Mom didn’t even change her expression. She just smiled at me. “Your complexion looks so good. How could you die from an illness? Don’t say such unlucky things!”

“Yes, Harper is different. She needs to be taken care of after she recovers!” Dad said as he looked at Harper worriedly.

“I think so too!” Lily said. “Mommy is pretty healthy. Auntie is the one we’re most worried about!”

The last glimmer of hope in my heart disappeared.

I had nothing to look forward to anymore…

I lowered my head and looked at Lily, smiling. “Lily, haven’t you always wanted your auntie to be your real mom?”

“I agree. Harper is your mom now. Why don’t you call her Mom?”

A look of joy appeared in Lily’s eyes. “Really?!”

I smiled faintly. “After you call her Mom, you can eat the food she makes and have her with you all the time!”

“This is what you’ve always wanted. Aren’t you happy?”

Lily jumped up excitedly. “Great! Mommy is the best in the world! Thank you, Mommy!”

After speaking, Lily shook off my hand and hugged Harper. My parents and Trent looked at the scene with relief.

I turned around and left, taking one last look at them.

My parents were teasing Lily with Harper. Trent was also watching with a smile on his face.

No one noticed me.

I closed the hospital room door and left the hospital.

I had only one day left to live. I had nowhere to go.

I had been busy and rushed my whole life. I had never relaxed and seriously enjoyed myself.

I booked a ticket to New York City and watched the ocean at night. I wanted to go hiking, but I couldn’t hold on anymore.

Before I was about to faint, I dialed a number I hadn’t called in almost five years.

Then, everything went black.

When I woke up again, I was in the hospital.

I turned my eyes to check the time.

I had only six hours left to live.

Beside me was my childhood friend, Jane, with red eyes.

Jane had tried to stop me from being with Trent, saying he wasn’t worth my life.

But I didn’t listen. I had a big fight with her. She didn’t even come to my wedding.

I knew I shouldn’t bother her now.

But other than her, I really couldn’t find anyone else in this world.

“What happened to you? Weren’t you so proud after marrying Trent?”

“Weren’t you a happy family? How did it turn out like this? Why did the doctor say your organs are starting to fail?”

Jane’s voice choked. I was wearing a breathing machine and smiled at her.

We had promised each other when we were little that if one of us reached the end of our life, the other would take care of things for them, no matter what.

I couldn’t speak, so I could only reach out and point to my bag.

Jane took out the agreements from the bag.

She looked at them for a moment and nodded slightly, putting them in her bag.

Fortunately, our understanding hadn’t changed. We could understand each other’s thoughts without speaking.

I had only three hours left to live.

I gave up on the rescue.

After fainting again, I woke up.

Jane showed me a message from Harper on her phone:

[Riley, I won! I got everything you had.]

[You thought you could compete with me? Blame yourself for not being good enough. Who told your parents to like me so much?]

[Just leave the family quietly! I’ll take care of your parents, husband, and daughter for you~]

After reading it, Jane was so angry that she cried and cursed in the room.

I sighed in my heart.

I had never regretted anything in my life, except for letting my dad help Harper.

I had seen Harper in a run-down orphanage.

I was following the teacher as a volunteer.

It was snowing that day. All the children were huddled in the house to keep warm.

Only Harper was in the backyard trash can, picking up leftover bones to eat.

I couldn’t bear it and asked my dad to help Harper.

After that, Harper and I became good friends.

The next year, Harper came to my class.

She gained the favor of teachers and classmates with her excellence.

I was very proud whenever someone praised her.

Later, things started to go wrong.

My friends started to distance themselves from me and treat Harper as their best friend.

The boys who liked me gradually became indifferent to me and confessed to Harper instead.

Even my parents started to frequently ask me to bring Harper home for meals and to stay over, even turning my room into Harper’s room.

I was too naive and slow to realize that Harper’s strength was to steal everything that belonged to me in the praise of others.

When I came to my senses,

My room was gone,

My family was gone,

Everything I had was taken over by Harper.

I had asked Harper why, but her answer made me feel cold all over:

“Riley, do you think I’m grateful for your help? How could I be grateful to you?”

“I really can’t stand you showing off in front of me. I will take everything from you.”

“I just want to see the look of despair on your face after I take everything from you!”

…

I thought I could drive Harper away.

I thought I could make my parents, Trent, and Lily realize her true colors.

But I was too naive.

I underestimated Harper’s methods and ignored my parents, Trent, and Lily’s fondness for her.

I lost miserably.

I had only nine minutes left to live.

My consciousness began to fade, and my vision began to blur.

But I still saw the message my mom sent me on Jane’s phone:

[Riley, have someone paint the walls of your house pink. Your sister likes pink!]

[Also, your sister will be discharged from the hospital in half a month. After she’s discharged, move some of your things out. Harper wants to put her things there!]

Until the last moment of my life, my mom was still worried about Harper.

It seemed I really wasn’t important to her.

Then, so be it…

Jane seemed to be crying and shouting something in my ear, but I couldn’t hear it anymore.

I was too tired after fighting for so many years.

I could finally get a good night’s sleep…

On November 24th, Riley Hall passed away in a hospital in New York City at the age of 29.

Harper was watching TV in her hospital bed when the door suddenly opened.

She looked up and saw a man, Harper’s biological father.

“What are you doing here?” A look of disgust flashed in Harper’s eyes, but there was also fear.

Harold Sweet sneered, “If I hadn’t left you in the orphanage, you wouldn’t have met such a rich family, would you?”

“I’m broke. Transfer me $100,000!”

Harper sat up abruptly and looked at Harold. “Why? Have you ever raised me for a day since I was born?”

Harold sat comfortably on the couch in the hospital room.

“Stop talking nonsense, Harper, I know all your dirty secrets.”

“Give me the money, and we won’t fall out. Otherwise, you know what I’ll do!”

Harper clenched her fists tightly. After a while, she relaxed.

“Okay, give me some time. I need to be discharged to earn money.”

Harold sneered, “You weren’t born to be a princess, but you got a princess’s illness. It’s just early-stage cancer. What a waste of money!”

“I’ll give you two days. If I don’t see the money in two days, I’ll find your rich foster parents!”

Harold stood up and kicked open the hospital room door and left.

Harper smashed the glass on the bedside table into pieces. She gasped, her eyes full of hatred.

Why…

Why could everyone else have such a happy life? Why was she the only one who deserved to be thrown in an orphanage by such a beastly father?

Why did she have to live such a despised life?

She had finally taken over the nest and driven Riley, the Hall family’s daughter, out of the family.

She never wanted to live that uncertain life again!

Harper got out of bed.

After stealing the chemotherapy from Riley, she was recovering faster every day.

She would be discharged in a while.

But now she just wanted to quickly sell all the assets, store, and company she had stolen from Riley.

Then she would transfer all the money to a foreign country in batches and use the excuse of going abroad.

That way, her beastly father would never find her, and neither would the Hall family.

Yes, she had to get this done as soon as possible!

She told the nurse at the desk that she was going out for a walk. She went downstairs and called a cab to go to the bank.

Harper arrived at the bank and handed the card to the teller. Her heart was trembling with excitement.

Soon, Riley’s money would belong to her. She could finally be free.

But then, the teller suddenly looked up and gave her a strange look.

“Ma’am, the name and identity on this card don’t match your identity.”

“Ma’am, did you take the wrong card?”

Harper was stunned.

“How is that possible? When I did the procedures before, my family gave me the ownership of this card!”

“Could you be mistaken?”

The teller shook her head. “Ma’am, the owner of this card is still Ms. Riley Hall, and this card has been frozen for asset protection in our bank!”

Harper was dumbfounded. Asset protection freeze?

How was that possible? She had watched Riley sign the transfer agreement!

She had read the transfer agreement over and over again before confirming the signature. Had Riley done something behind her back?

That’s right, there were also the store and the company!

Harper left the bank and called a friend she knew.

She sat on the bench outside the bank, waiting anxiously. A few minutes later, her friend called her back.

“Harper, the ownership of the stores and company you mentioned is a person named Riley Hall.”

“Two days ago, a lawyer representing this Riley Hall applied for an ownership protection order!”

Boom!

Harper’s mind exploded.