Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In our fifth year together, Landon Thorne went completely broke.

When things were at their worst, we slept on park benches and scavenged discarded diner leftovers behind the market.

I never left his side. I truly believed he would bounce back.

On our hundredth day living in the park, I went to an underground clinic to sell my plasma. I used the cash to rush him to the hospital, praying with everything in me that he would recover.

That was when Landon's gorgeous ex, Camille Foster, sent me a video.

"A little surprise for you."

It was a link to a hidden livestream site, a place where filthy rich heirs pulled cruel pranks on ordinary people.

Right at the top of the trending page was a live feed of me.

My fingers trembled as I tapped the screen.

In the video, I was huddled in a dark corner of the park, forcing down cold, salvaged food just to keep my weakened body alive.

On the split screen beside me, Landon was lounging on a plush velvet sofa in a five-star penthouse, sipping vintage wine.

"This is insane. Young Master Thorne just faked a cough, and she literally sold her blood to pay his hospital bill."

"Prank sixteen, she got tossed into freezing ocean water. Prank twenty-five, she got hit by a car while pushing Landon out of the way... Why is this girl so damn hard to kill?"

"Landon swore on his family name that if she survived every prank until the end, he'd actually marry her and never look at another woman!"

"There's only one month left. Will she get wrecked to death by Landon, or will she get carried into the Thorne mansion in a white gown?"

"Fifty million bucks says she ends up dead. Hahaha!"

...

I crouched on the cold hospital floor, clutching my hands in prayer for Landon's health.

I had sold my own plasma to pay for his treatment, but the money was still barely enough. I was racking my brain trying to figure out where to earn more.

Seeing the IV drip slowly running into his vein had finally put my mind at ease.

I stared down at my own medical report and let out a quiet sigh.

Suddenly, a violent itch scratched at the back of my throat. I grabbed a napkin and coughed into it, pulling it away to find a smear of bright red blood.

I was coughing up blood. I was dying. But none of it mattered to me as long as I could keep Landon alive before my time ran out.

A man as brilliant as him did not deserve to die young. I had been ready to give my life to save his.

Right then, my phone buzzed with a text from his younger brother, Lucas.

"You really think my brother loves you? Stop dreaming."

I frowned in confusion and sent back a question mark.

Lucas replied with several photos. Landon's familiar face instantly filled my screen.

In the pictures, Landon sat on a leather couch with his legs crossed, flanked by two scantily clad models feeding him grapes.

Surrounding him were the very friends he had supposedly cut ties with.

I swiped to the next photo and saw Lucas grinning into the camera.

Three years ago, Landon had missed a call from Lucas because he was keeping me company.

Lucas had stormed over to humiliate me, and Landon had staged a massive fight with him, claiming he chose me over his family.

Supposedly, Landon had been kicked out of the Thorne family with all his bank accounts frozen.

I had spent years blaming myself, believing that if it weren't for me, Landon would never have been forced to sleep in a park or fall so terribly sick.

I had believed he sacrificed his entire luxury lifestyle just to be with me.

"Don't you want to know the truth? Open the stream and see for yourself."

Another text from Lucas popped up.

Without thinking, my numb, trembling fingers clicked the link.

"Welcome to the Prank World. Prankster: Landon Thorne. Target: Piper Hayes."

Beneath the title was a small countdown: "Final Prank: One Month Remaining."