Chapter 1

My fiancée made a bet with her childhood best friend and pulled the plug on my bedridden sister’s ventilator.

They stood there laughing as they watched my sister struggle in bed, placing bets on how long she could hold out.

My sister couldn't hold on.

She fought for five minutes before finally suffocating to death.

When she died, her eyes were wide open, and dried tears stained her face.

I held my sister in my arms, crying uncontrollably as I called my fiancée to confront her. But she just sounded excited on the line.

"So, how long did your sister last? If it's over five minutes, I win! You better not make me lose face!"

I clenched my fists so hard that my fingernails dug deep into my palms. I wanted nothing more than to tear her apart right then and there.

My sister was gone. Any love I had left for my fiancée died with her.

Later, she would break down in tears and beg me to stay.

What a joke. There was a human life between us. How could I ever look back?

It took two whole days to finish laying my sister to rest.

I used every ounce of my remaining sanity to thank the friends who came to pay their respects, but the moment everyone left, I completely collapsed.

From start to finish, my fiancée didn't call me once.

She was too busy throwing a massive celebration party at her luxury villa with her rich friends.

A three-hundred-million-dollar deal had just been closed, securing her position at the top of the Vance Group.

It was almost funny. I was the one who had worked myself to the bone to land that contract, yet all the credit went straight to her.

Everyone praised her for being brilliant, saying she was amazing for managing to keep a lucky charm like me working for her.

Right now, the villa was ablaze with light, bright as day.

No one remembered that in a dark, quiet corner of the city, my sister had already drawn her last breath.

The drinks were flowing. The room was drowning in luxury and debauchery, without a single trace of guilt or unease.

My fiancée was holding up a glittering massive diamond ring, slipping it onto the ring finger of her childhood sweetheart, Julian. Julian held up his hand with a look of pure bliss, leaning in to press his lips against hers.

The crowd cheered and whistled, shouting for them to kiss harder.

I stood there watching, my eyes burning.

Someone with sharp eyes finally spotted me by the entrance and called out awkwardly, "Hey... Sean!"

The word nearly slipped out as "brother-in-law," but she choked it down at the last second.

My fiancée’s furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and she turned to look at me with a detached expression.

"Skipping the victory party? You're already getting arrogant just because of one deal?"

Before I could even call her out for acting like a shameless couple with another man while being engaged to me, she put the blame on me first.

Julian wrapped his arm around my fiancée’s waist, pulling her close.

"Don't be too hard on Sean, Victoria. He comes from the wrong side of the tracks, so he can't really handle high-class settings. He's definitely not used to parties like this."

Yes, I came from humble beginnings. So did my sister.

Even if we were ordinary people, we weren't born to be their playthings.

I let out a cold laugh.

"Right, you're high class. You're the elite. Does being rich make you special? Is this what high society does—shamelessly making out in front of everyone without a shred of dignity?"

Maybe because I had always been so calm and composed, Victoria’s face flickered with surprise before turning into deep disgust.

"Sean, don't push it!"

Julian immediately put on a wounded face.

"Yeah, why are you being so hostile? Victoria and I weren't overthinking it. We just thought it was fun!"

Fun?

My fiancée kissing another man right in front of me was fun?

Pulling the plug on my sister’s ventilator and letting her suffocate to death was fun?

Reminded by his words, the trust-fund kids around them started chiming in.

To them, was watching someone else's agony just as entertaining as crushing an ant?

Pain surged through me, so overwhelming that I could barely keep my face straight.

Julian looked totally smug, acting as if something had just crossed his mind.

"Oh, by the way, Sean, how long did your sister last yesterday? We're all dying to know!"

"Victoria really spared no expense just to make her sweetheart smile!"

"Chloe had the best idea, though. Pulling the ventilator plug was brilliant! Talk about knowing how to party!"

"I bet a sports car that she'd hold out for five minutes. She better not have disappointed me."

"Relax, his sister didn't look sick at all. Didn't you see? Once the oxygen mask came off, that little girl was flailing her arms like crazy. She probably lasted at least half an hour."

The image of my sister right before she died flashed in my mind.

Those flailing arms, those pale hands with bulging veins—she was begging for help!

Yet the people in this room hadn't cared at all. They had laughed and joked, watching her life slip away right before their eyes.

Hatred burned deep in my chest. I wanted to drag every single one of them to hell with her.

"How long did she last?"

"Why don't we pull the plug on your paralyzed mother's ventilator and see how long she lasts?"