The Heart He Would Burn the World to Save

It took me ten years to help my fiancé, Ethan Blackwood, reclaim his place as head of the family. Then I was diagnosed with a heart condition. There was a good chance I wouldn’t live to see thirty. The man who hadn’t even blinked with an enemy’s gun pressed to his head spent the entire night crying on the balcony where I couldn’t see him. The next day, he invested $800 million in a biomedical research institute. All to develop an artificial heart that could keep me alive. “I can always make more money. But there’s only one Claire. No one could ever replace you.” Three years passed in a flash, and the institute finally had good news. Ethan brought me home from the private island treatment center and settled me into his hot springs villa. But the day before my surgery, his stepsister, Lily Foster, barged in. The moment she saw the ring on my finger, her eyes burned with jealousy. “Everyone knows Ethan doesn’t mess around with women. He has one fiancée, and she’s recovering on a private island. How dare you take advantage of that and pretend to be her, you bitch!” “Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson for her, you shameless, gold-digging knockoff!” She stripped me, took pictures, and dragged me into the water to torture me. Then she took me away to use as a human test subject, locking me up with over a hundred lab mice. When Ethan came looking for me, Lily gazed at him adoringly, eager for praise. “Ethan, I took care of that woman pretending to be your fiancée!” The phone on the couch had rung three times, but Ethan was still carefully blowing on a spoonful of soup before bringing it to my lips. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. We’d practically been an old married couple for years, yet he was still this clingy. “I’m not made of glass. If you have something to do, go take care of it.” Ethan glanced at the phone, still buzzing on the couch, and said in disgust, “If this isn’t important, those idiots are going to regret it.” When his brow furrowed, I reached up to smooth it. “Come on. I’ll be right here. I’m not going anywhere. There’s supposed to be a seven-planet alignment tonight, and my surgery is tomorrow. Finish early and come home. We can make a wish together.” Ethan sighed. The fierce look in his eyes softened instantly as he gazed at me, turning almost watery. He looked like an abandoned puppy. A very large one. “We’ve barely had any time together, and you’re already kicking me out?” I burst out laughing and leaned in to kiss the corner of his mouth. “Yes, yes. It’s been two whole hours since we got out of bed. I’ve missed you terribly.” His lips curved. He wrapped an arm around my waist and demanded enough kisses to satisfy him before reluctantly letting go. “Fine, I’m leaving. I’ll bring you a present.” I got up to fetch his coat. He put it on and made it a few steps out the door, then abruptly turned back and swept me into his arms. He held me so tightly it felt as if he wanted to make me part of him. “Once your surgery is over tomorrow, I won’t have to spend every day terrified of losing you.” My heart ached. “Yeah. We’ll be together forever. We’ll grow old together.” Over the years, I had stood beside Ethan as he rose from nothing to the top. I had taken a bullet for him, and he had nearly died for me more than once. To everyone else, Mr. Blackwood was a ruthless wolf. With me, Ethan was a devoted puppy who wanted nothing but kisses and cuddles. I was his childhood sweetheart, his first love, and the only woman he’d ever dreamed of. Only I could soothe the darkness and rage left behind after he’d witnessed his mother’s suicide as a child. After seeing Ethan off, I stretched out on the chaise in the study and read for a while. Suddenly, the roar of a sports car came from outside. To give me peace and quiet while I recovered, Ethan had bought every property in the area. He’d forbidden the rich kids who raced their cars from coming anywhere near it, and he never drove a sports car home himself. Puzzled, I walked into the living room. A jumble of voices and footsteps drew closer. “I’m going to see which shameless bitch thinks she can seduce Ethan!” “Calm down, Lily. She’s not worth getting upset over…” “Ethan has never even let me come here. How dare that bitch!” “But Mr. Blackwood banned us from this place. You know his temper. If he finds out, we’re dead…” “What are you afraid of? I’ve already sent his people away. I’m a Blackwood. I can do whatever I want! Besides, Ethan only has a temper with outsiders. He adores me. Have you ever heard him yell at me?” “No! Never!” I frowned, a terrible feeling settling in my stomach. With a bang, the front door was kicked open. I looked at the hostile group charging inside. Their leader glittered with jewelry, her eyes vicious. I recognized her immediately. It was Lily Foster, the daughter of Ethan’s stepmother!Years ago, Ethan had brought me back to the Blackwood estate, avenged his mother, and taken control of the family from his scumbag father. He’d confined his father and stepmother, Diane Foster, to a residential care facility. But he hadn’t let them off that easily. He’d thrown a paternity test in his father’s face proving that Lily wasn’t his biological daughter, then left him and Diane to tear each other apart. One had suffered a stroke from sheer rage and could no longer care for himself. The other had been tormented into insanity. Around that time, I’d been diagnosed with my heart condition. And Lily’s heart was a match for me. Without a moment’s hesitation, Ethan had wanted to give me her heart. But looking at Lily, so young and barely starting college, I couldn’t bear it. I didn’t want more blood on Ethan’s hands, either. I’d asked him to let her go. Still, afraid the artificial heart wouldn’t be ready in time, Ethan had kept Lily close. Just in case. My surgery was tomorrow. Nothing could go wrong now. I couldn’t let all our efforts and Ethan’s years of sacrifice go to waste. With that thought, I hurried forward to ask them to leave. “Lily, you’re not allowed here. Please take your friends and leave immediately.” I gestured toward the door. But when Lily saw the ring on my hand, she froze. “You bitch!” Suddenly, someone yanked me forward and slapped me across the face. “Who gave you permission to wear a matching ring with Ethan?” My vision went black. Dizzy and disoriented, I staggered and fell onto the polished tile. The sharp pain in my knees forced me back to my senses. “Lily! How dare you—” Smack! Before I could finish, the girl beside Lily stepped forward and slapped my right cheek. Stars burst across my vision. The corner of my mouth must have split. I could taste blood. “A gold-digging slut like you thinks you can speak to Lily that way?” Lily lifted her chin, smiling in approval. She looked down at me and scoffed. “You even look like a little home-wrecking whore.” Then she kicked me in the lower stomach. Still dizzy, I couldn’t dodge. Her foot slammed into me. “Ah!” I cried out and curled up on the floor, clutching my stomach. “Listen to her. Even her screams sound dirty. Must get plenty of practice in bed.” The men behind Lily whistled, then burst into lewd laughter. Fighting through the pain, I pushed myself up and glared at her. “Lily, you’ve met me!” “I’m Ethan’s fiancée, Claire Bennett! Three years ago, I was the one who asked him to spare you. Have you forgotten?” “You broke in here and assaulted me. You’re going to pay for this!” A few of Lily’s friends looked uncertain. The men exchanged glances. Apparently, they weren’t completely unaware of my existence. Ethan had too many enemies before, so he’d kept my identity secret to protect me. Only in the past year had he gradually let people know he had a fiancée he adored. He’d spent over a billion dollars building a biomedical institute for her and bought an island for her treatment center. Someone had once tried to send another woman to him. He’d made them pay dearly for it. That warning had made one thing clear to everyone: his fiancée was the one person they must never touch. Not under any circumstances. But Ethan had protected me so well that almost no one knew what I looked like. Lily, who’d seen me three years ago, was one of the few exceptions. “Bullshit!” Lily suddenly began shoving me like a madwoman. “You think you can use Claire’s name? You’re not worthy!” “Just because you look a little like her, you think you can take her place? Dream on!”As she shoved me, I slapped her back. “What the hell are you talking about? I am Claire! If you don’t believe me, call Ethan. Stop acting insane!” The blow turned her head. She froze for a second, then lunged at me even more wildly, grabbing fistfuls of my hair. “You bitch! You dared to hit me!” “Let me tell you something. You might fool Ethan for a while, but he’ll never give up the real Claire for you!” As she spoke, she grabbed the drinking glasses from the table and hurled them at me. Shattering glass sliced into my calves. Blood immediately streamed from the little cuts. “What are you all standing around for? Did I bring you here to watch? Hold this bitch down!” At Lily’s command, two men seized my arms and forced me onto the floor covered in broken glass. “Ahhh!” The sight of glass piercing my flesh was so brutal that several of the girls looked away. I nearly passed out from the pain. Tears poured down my face. Unable to break free, all I could do was scream. “Mr.… Mr. Harris! Mr. Harris!” Where was he? And the housekeepers, the bodyguards… why had they all disappeared? Lily roughly seized my chin, forcing me to look up at her. There was none of her former innocence left. Her eyes were full of jealousy and resentment. In an instant, I understood. She was doing this on purpose! She was pretending not to recognize me! Lily smiled wickedly. “You’re a sneaky little slut. If I hadn’t made arrangements to get everyone out of the way, you might have fooled us.” She patted my cheek with open contempt. “Don’t bother shouting. Everyone here came with me.” Before straightening, she leaned close and whispered so only I could hear. “Claire. You have no idea how hard I’ve looked for you.” “I’m going to torture you to death.” “And don’t count on Ethan saving you. He’s about to have a little car accident. Then he’ll have surgery, lose his memory, and forget you forever…” “Ethan belongs to me!” She practically ground out that last sentence through her teeth. My eyes widened. “You—mmph!” Lily grabbed a tablecloth and stuffed it into my mouth, a calculating gleam flashing through her eyes. She really was doing this deliberately! And she had planned it. She couldn’t have arranged everything alone. She didn’t have that kind of power. There was only one explanation. Lily had joined forces with someone else. And lately, one of Ethan’s competitors had been targeting him relentlessly. Ethan… Ethan was in danger! But what could I do now? My situation was already desperate. What Lily said next stripped away what little hope I had left. She straightened and announced confidently, “I’m telling you, she’s just a stand-in. Claire video-called me last night and asked me to watch out for any shameless sluts hanging around Ethan.” “And if I found any, she wanted me to teach them a lesson!” At that, her friends’ uncertainty vanished, replaced by righteous anger. “What the fuck is wrong with this woman?” “Now we get it, Lily. These knockoffs are the worst. Sit back. We’ll take care of this shameless gold digger for you!” Lily’s smile widened. She settled onto the couch, crossed her legs, and leisurely admired her manicure. “Thanks, everyone. I’ll tell Claire tonight. She’ll reward anyone who helps me deal with this bitch!”Getting on the good side of Ethan’s fiancée meant getting on Ethan’s good side. Everyone Lily had brought was a spoiled rich kid. Their families’ businesses all depended on Ethan in one way or another. Her promise instantly excited them. The first woman who’d hit me stepped in front of me again. Smack! Pinned down by two men, I couldn’t avoid the blow. She sneered and lifted my chin. “All this gold and jewelry. You’ve really cashed in, haven’t you?” Smack! Another slap, this time with the back of her hand. “Did you get Mr. Blackwood to buy it all because you look like Claire?” Drip… Bright red blood spilled from my nose and mouth onto the white floor. I couldn’t even cry out anymore. All I could think about was Ethan. A car accident… a deliberate crash. They wanted to take his memory. How badly would it hurt him? My Ethan. My love. Ten years. We’d suffered so much to find this happiness. Was it all going to be destroyed? While my thoughts spun, someone else took her place in front of me. She kicked me in the stomach. Pain left me dazed. It took a while before I could hear her words. “This bracelet is limited edition! We couldn’t even get one. A mistress like you doesn’t deserve it!” She grabbed my bracelet and yanked. With every bit of strength I had, I hooked my fingers around one end. Ethan had given it to me yesterday. The happiness in his eyes as he’d carefully fastened it around my wrist had made me smile, too. “Claire, what I give you belongs to you alone. No one can take it away.” I’m sorry, Ethan. I can’t protect your gift. “Let go!” She bent my finger back until it broke. The bracelet slipped from my hand and fell to the floor, staining itself in my blood. I sobbed. From the pain in my body, and even more from the agony in my heart. Ethan, Ethan… Silently repeating his name was the only thing that eased my suffering. But they were far from finished. The more Lily enjoyed herself, the harder they tried to entertain her. Taking my bracelet wasn’t enough. They roughly ripped away my earrings and necklace. My earlobes tore. In agony, I struggled desperately and rammed my head into the person in front of me. “Hold still!” Lily got up, grabbed my hair, and ground my face against the floor. Glass fragments still littered the tiles. In seconds, my face was a bloody mess. With a low, demonic laugh, she crouched in front of me and whispered, “Oh, Claire. Look at you now. When my mother and I were on our knees begging Ethan for mercy, you were so far above us.” She clapped her hands and stood, smiling at the men nearby. “Ethan paid for her clothes, too. Strip them off!” “You boys can handle that part!” The men immediately perked up. They held my arms and legs while roughly pulling at my clothes. Everyone else took out their phones and snapped pictures. “Damn. No wonder she fooled Mr. Blackwood. Look at that body!” As I fought, I finally spat out the cloth in my mouth. I bit the arm of the man tearing at my clothes, then kicked with all my strength between the legs of the man holding my ankles. “Ah!” “Fuck! This bitch is still fighting!” “You sell your body for money. Why pretend you’re some pure little virgin now?” I fought so fiercely that, for a moment, the spoiled little crowd couldn’t get near me. Then Lily had another vicious idea. “If she won’t behave, drag her to the pool! Let’s wash that whore stink off her!” My clothes were already in tatters. Two men grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the living room like a dead fish. Two winding trails of blood followed me, left by my skin scraping against the floor. “What are you doing?” Suddenly, a familiar, stern voice rang out behind us. Mr. Harris! He must have realized something was wrong and brought people back!