Her Heartbeat in His Chest

A frail figure rushed into the hospital room. A young boy, his face set in determination, spread his arms wide as if to shield his mother, casting a wary glance at Skyler Thomas. He was Kyro, my little brother.

Skyler took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, and crouched to meet Kyro’s gaze. Once, Kyro had adored him, calling him "brother-in-law" with a sparkle in his eyes. But after I was gone, Skyler took his frustrations out on my family. This innocent boy became isolated, bullied, and eventually expelled from school.

The warmth in Kyro’s eyes was now replaced with hatred. Skyler spoke, his voice cold and demanding, "Kyro Bryant, tell me where your sister is."

"If you can convince her to come back and donate her bone marrow, I'll make sure you get to return to school. Does that sound good?"

Kyro’s eyes filled with tears. The day the principal announced his expulsion to the entire school, he had run to Skyler’s home, begging for help. But Skyler never came to see him. Instead, the guard mocked him, saying, "Some people have no shame. Even after their sister put Miss Cole in such a state, they still come begging Mr. Thomas."

Kyro had wanted to wait, but the guard slapped him and threw him out. "The brother of a disgrace is just as disgraceful! What bad luck!” They insulted me without restraint, driving Kyro to the brink of collapse.

And now, facing Skyler’s "deal," Kyro choked out, "How can I tell you where my sister is?"

"She’s already gone! She died to save you!"

"I regret it so much. I wish I had never introduced you to her!"

Yes, it was through Kyro that I met Skyler. Kyro had attended one of his business lectures and was starstruck, eagerly chatting with him afterward. I had come to pick Kyro up, and that’s when I bumped into Skyler.

He tilted his head, looked at me with surprise, then smiled, extending his hand. "Hello, I’m Skyler Thomas."

Back then, his smile was charming, and his gaze gentle. We grew close, eventually falling in love. Everyone thought it was a classic fairy tale of a prince and a commoner. Who could have predicted things would end up like this?

Hearing Kyro’s words, Skyler’s face darkened. He laughed bitterly, "Regret? She was always plotting to get close to me. What's there to regret?"

Even now, as a mere spirit, I couldn’t help but shiver. The emptiness in my chest ached with a familiar sting. Once, Skyler’s parents had advised him to be cautious, claiming someone like me only wanted money.

Skyler would always frown and argue back, "Izabella isn’t like that!"

When did his perception of me change? It was probably when Estrella Cole, his childhood friend, returned from abroad. She greeted me with a smile, then tearfully complained to Skyler, "I’m not trying to take him away, so why is Izabella targeting me?"

She gave me expensive jewelry and then lamented to Skyler, "You should give more gifts to Izabella; it's not right for her to keep taking mine."

This beautiful yet fragile girl even pushed a drunken Skyler into my room one night, then led his parents there the next day. The Thomases were livid, pointing at me in fury, "Is this how desperate you are to marry into our family? Doing such shameless things?"

"You’re not fit to be a Thomas!"

I looked helplessly at Skyler, but his face was stony, and his eyes held a cold gaze of judgment. In their minds, I was nothing but a greedy, unscrupulous person.

And such a person, in their eyes, had driven the Cole family’s precious daughter to the brink and refused to donate bone marrow to save her. Skyler’s hatred for me seemed justified.

His harsh words left Kyro speechless with rage. Shaking with anger, Kyro clenched his fists tight. Skyler, losing interest in further confrontation, stood up and declared, "Regardless, I want to see Izabella Bryant tomorrow."

"I doubt Izabella would just sit back and watch as I tear you all apart."