002

Present:

The first thing Jane noticed was the scent of antiseptic. The air felt too cool, almost sterile.

She tried to move, but a dull ache spread through her body. It felt like she had been beaten for days. Her limbs were too heavy, her throat too dry.

She raised her hand weakly—and that was when she saw it.

A cannula.

A shiver ran through her. This wasn't a dream.

"Where… am I?" Her voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.

She tried to sit up, but her body refused to cooperate. Her mind raced. Is this the afterlife? No, it couldn't be. If this were the afterlife, why did everything still hurt?

Before she could process anything, the door creaked open. A nurse walked in, carrying a tray. Her footsteps hesitated. Then, as soon as their eyes met, the tray clattered against the floor, and she bolted out the door.

Seconds later, she returned—with a doctor.

He stepped closer, shining a light into Jane's eyes. She squinted. Her pupils responded, and he nodded in approval.

She caught the name on his tag: Dr. White.

Not an angel. A real doctor.

She was alive.

"Can you hear me?" His voice was steady, professional—but there was something else in his expression. Amazement. Disbelief.

"Tell me your name."

She swallowed. "Jane… Jane Stadler."

As soon as her name left her lips, panic settled in. Her heart pounded as she scanned the room. Where are they?

"Where is my husband?" she asked, her voice weak. "Where is my sister? Where—"

Dr. White cut her off, his expression unreadable.

"Relax. Take things slow." He took a deep breath before dropping the bombshell. "You've been asleep for six years."

Six… years?

Jane blinked at him, waiting for him to take it back. He didn't.

Six years… but it felt like yesterday. The rooftop. The fall. The betrayal. Lucy—Lucy had to be the one who brought me here.

"How did I get here?" Her voice shook. "Where is the woman who brought me here? Lucy Stadler?"

Dr. White's brows knitted together. "Lucy?" He looked genuinely confused. "I don't know who that is. An old man brought you here six years ago, and ever since then, no one by that name has come."

Her breath hitched.

"The only person who has visited you consistently for the past two years is the son of the man who brought you here."

Jane barely heard the rest of what he was saying.

No Lucy?

Her mind refused to accept it. She wouldn't just leave me. She wouldn't.

She looked around frantically, searching for her phone. Maybe she called. Maybe she texted.

Nothing.

She clenched her fists, ignoring the sting of betrayal swelling inside her. The only thing she could do now was wait for this mysterious visitor.

...

The room was quiet except for the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. Jane had been staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of everything, when she heard footsteps.

Someone approached her bed, adjusting the covers over her.

Her heart leaped. Daniel?

She forced her heavy eyelids open—only to be met with a stranger.

He wasn't her husband. Her stomach twisted. Her heart ached badly.

Noticing she was awake, the man gave a small smile.

"Hello, Miss Stadler. How do you feel?"

His voice was deep, smooth, confident. His presence filled the room effortlessly.

"Who are you?" she asked, her tone sharp despite her weakness. "And what's happening?"

He smirked like he saw through her act.

"My name is Dante," he said casually. "I'm an assistant to Mr. Orlov. I was sent by the organization to check on you."

Jane frowned. Organization? What organization?

Before she could ask, a cough rattled through her chest. Dante immediately turned, calling the doctor. He returned seconds later, pressing a glass of water into her hands.

She wanted to ask more questions, but he stepped out to take a call.

Left alone, she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV, searching for anything to distract her. She needed an escape—something that didn't remind her of her life falling apart.

But then—

Something on the screen caught her attention.

An interview.

At the bottom of the screen, the caption read:

DANIEL CRESTWELL FOR ASSEMBLYMAN.

A cold wave crashed over her. Her stomach twisted violently, nausea rising in her throat. Her fingers trembled as she turned up the volume, heart hammering so hard it hurt.

She turned up the volume, wanting to hear what they were talking about. Then, she saw them.

Daniel.

And sitting right next to him was—

Lucy.

Jane let out a shaky breath. Okay. Maybe she's just supporting him. She was his assistant, after all. Or perhaps… maybe it's about me. Maybe they're still looking for me.

But then the interviewer asked Daniel a question that shattered everything.

"Mr. Crestwell, can you tell us about the woman sitting beside you?"

Daniel smiled, his hand resting over Lucy's.

"This is my wife, Lucy," he said. "She's been by my side ever since I lost my wife five years ago. She took care of me, supported me, and made me fall in love again."

Jane stopped breathing. Huh? What is he saying?

He continued.

"She even gave me a son. Our boy just turned five."

A sickening chill spread through her body.

A son? Wait, is this for real? how, when, where, .

Five years ago?

No. No, this couldn't be real. Maybe it's just for content or to get pity votes...

Her mind replayed that night. The woman on top of Daniel had a waist chain. And the mark on her body….

Lucy had the same waist chain and the mark. How did it escape me?

It had been Lucy all along.

A strangled sob ripped from her chest, raw and painful. She lurched forward, but the room spun violently. Her knees buckled she just woke up from a long sleep, and she crashed onto the cold floor. A sharp sting shot through her arm as her cannula tore out, hot blood streaking her skin. But the pain was nothing compared to the suffocating weight in her chest.

She ignored the pain.

"DANTE!" Her voice cracked as she screamed his name. "Dante, please!"

The door burst open.

"Jane! What happened?" Dante rushed to her side, lifting her effortlessly and placing her back on the bed.

She gripped his arm, her nails digging into his skin.

"Please," she choked out, gripping his arm like a lifeline. "Tell me this isn't real. Tell me my husband didn't throw me away. Tell me they searched for me. That they… That I mattered." Her voice broke into a sob. "Please, say something Dante, what's this."

Dante's expression darkened.

"Miss Jane…" His voice was soft but firm. "I'm sorry. But this is the truth."

Her chest tightened, as if an invisible weight was pressing down on her, making it harder to breathe. No words could ever capture the storm raging inside her.

.

"Your husband married her a month after your accident…"

"The day you were brought here, we called your husband. He said you were already dead. We called your sister… she denied knowing you."

Jane clutched her chest, gasping as if the air had been knocked out of her. It felt like something heavy was pressing down, making it impossible to breathe, "why will they do this to me huh" she murmured.

But Dante continued.

"Two weeks later, they announced your funeral on live TV. People came to pay their respects to an empty grave. They gave donations… everything you owned was transferred to Lucy because legally she is your sister even though she was adopted."

His next words hit her like a wrecking ball, splintering something deep inside her.

"And in the eyes of the world… you no longer exist."