A Love Beyond Life

"Sharon, do you regret it? Abandoning Jace while he was still unconscious for a measly seven million? Do you even know how much he makes in a single day now?" That was Cecilia. She was still as ruthless as ever. That woman always exaggerated the truth, turning the seventy thousand check into seven million.

That surgery left me with irreversible damage. It wasn't until I went to Kevern for a check-up that I found out my right lung had been completely removed. My health had deteriorated over the past year. My breathing was getting weaker and last week, the doctor gave me a critical diagnosis. He said I might not survive if I didn't get treatment.

I turned to face her, my voice unwavering. "I don't regret it." I don't regret giving up my lung to save Jace. I had done my research and I knew lung transplants had a high rejection rate. The fact that his body accepted mine perfectly was the best possible outcome.

The woman in front of me curled her lips into a smirk. "You really are a disgusting gold-digger."

It was then that I recognized her. She was the surgeon who had performed my operation, Mila Sage. Was she Jace's mysterious fiancée? She finished washing her hands and was about to leave when I instinctively reached out to stop her. "Wait, you're Dr. Sage, right? You were the one who operated on me back then … "

Before I could finish, Jace grabbed her wrist, not sparing me even a glance. His cold voice echoed in my ears. "Honey, why are you talking to a stranger?"

Mila clung to his arm, pouting. "It's your fault for spilling coffee all over her earlier. I just wanted to apologize."

My words caught in my throat, unable to utter a sound. He called me a stranger. Jace, who once risked his life to save me, now treated me like a stranger. I gripped the wall for support, barely keeping myself from collapsing. The manager reassigned me to the lobby. By the time their meeting ended, it was already 8 p.m.

My ankles were raw from my high heels when I got the news that I had to work overtime. "Sharon, Lowen from the restaurant called in sick. You'll have to help serve dishes for a while."

"Manager, my shift is over."

"I'll pay you overtime, alright?"

I had no choice but to grit my teeth and push through. I went upstairs to the restaurant to help out. I thought I had successfully avoided any unwanted encounters, but I still ran into Jace.

The hallway to the private dining rooms was long and there was no way to avoid him. I could only step aside to let him pass, but he stopped right in front of me. "How much for one night?"

I was stunned. It wasn't until I saw the mocking smile on Jace's lips that I realized what he was talking about. "Sir, I'm just a waitress. I'm not selling myself!" I spoke too quickly and almost bit my tongue.

He scoffed. "You'd go with an old man, so don't pretend you have any pride. How much do you want for a night with me? A hundred thousand? Two hundred thousand?"

I knew my face must've turned pale, but there were cameras here. So I couldn't throw the food in the man's face. I clenched my jaw and forced myself to respond. "Sir, don't make baseless assumptions about others."