Serena returned to her roots. After all that bitterness, sweetness finally came. She moved out of Mongkok Tower and got the best medical care money could buy. She inherited the family business. Got engaged to some rich heir.
Her life kept getting better. Her name started appearing on financial news channels.
And me? I replaced my heart with the cheapest artificial one on the market. Curled up in the Underground, silently waiting to wither away.
Seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
Even I didn't expect that at the end of my life, I'd see Serena again.
……
The roar of the sports car cut through my memories.
When I looked up, her figure had already vanished into the dust.
I patted myself off, picked up the loose change from the ground, and walked back to that shabby little rental.
Maybe Serena had already forgotten. That we once lived here together, happy, for a very long time.
Maybe she still hadn't been able to forget.
So she wanted to tear down this building. Tear down every memory tied to me.
But none of that mattered anymore.
An artificial heart only lasts seven years.
Whether Serena forgives me or not. However the world sees me. My life entered its countdown the moment I made that choice seven years ago.
Life is too short—no time left for sighing.
Before death comes, there's only one way to live: fight with everything I have.
I tidied up the room and waited for the evening's regulars.
But that night, it wasn't regulars who showed up.
It was a pack of vicious punks.
The rickety door caved in with one kick. They shoved me around while trashing the place.
The lackey up front bowed and scraped to the man standing off to the side.
I recognized him—Ethan Pruitt. Serena's fiancé. The one she'd thrown obscene amounts of money at to chase down.
Ethan was handsome, but his temper ran hot.
The moment our eyes met, he backhanded me across the face.
His nails raked my cheek. He grabbed my chin and sneered. "So this is Serena's first love? Doesn't look like much. How'd you manage to stay in her head all these years?"
The lackey forced an awkward laugh, still groveling. "How could he compare to you, brother-in-law? He's just a shameless streetwalker—not even fit to carry your shoes. If he hadn't pulled tricks to show up in front of Serena today, I'd never have let him dirty your eyes!"