Chapter 1

When I was nine, a car crash took our parents from us forever.

My older sister hated me with every fiber of her being for it. She sent me away to a boarding school, where I stayed for ten agonizing years.

When I drew my last breath in the cold operating room, my sister was at the top hospital in the neighboring state. She was busy tending to her adopted brother.

I lay on the bed, coughing up blood, and dialed her number one last time before dying.

The second the call connected, her furious voice barked through the speaker.

"What is it this time? I'm warning you, Caleb. Today is Dylan's kidney transplant, so don't you dare cause trouble!"

That was our final conversation.

She hung up without a shred of hesitation.

Less than ten hours later, I died alone in that ward.

Yet, my soul remained bound to my sister's side.

1、 After death, my soul was shackled to Chloe, floating around her with a heart full of heartache.

Dylan suffered an acute rejection reaction after the kidney transplant and was still trapped in the ICU.

Chloe's face was ghastly pale. She stared unblinkingly at Dylan through the glass, terrified that the slightest thing might go wrong.

"Chloe, take a breath," Dr. Bennett said, gently patting her shoulder to comfort her. "Immune rejection happens in most organ transplant cases."

Chloe turned around to express her gratitude. "Thank you so much, Dr. Bennett. With you as the lead surgeon, Dylan will definitely pull through."

Dr. Bennett looked at her kindly. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something.

"By the way, I heard a phone vibrating non-stop in your coat earlier. You should check if it's an emergency."

Chloe hurried into Dr. Bennett's office.

The moment she pulled out her phone, the screen lit up with another incoming call. The caller ID clearly displayed my school advisor's name.

Chloe glared at the screen with sheer disgust, her thumb hovering to decline it.

Dr. Bennett spoke up from behind her.

"Isn't that Caleb's school advisor? She sounded really anxious earlier. Did something happen to Caleb at school?"

Chloe frowned, her tone dripping with venom.

"He's nothing but a dramatic troublemaker who constantly stirs up drama at school. His advisor calls me every few days claiming he's either vomiting blood or passing out. I honestly wish he had died in that car crash instead!"

Dr. Bennett let out a heavy sigh.

"Chloe, you really can't blame your little brother for what happened…"

Chloe cut him off harshly.

"Stop it, Dr. Bennett! If he hadn't begged for that stupid birthday cake, Mom and Dad would never have crashed, and I wouldn't be an orphan! I will never forgive him!"

I circled around her frantically, desperate to explain.

"Chloe, that wasn't why. I only asked for the cake because I knew how much you loved it!"

Chloe continued to stare ahead with eyes full of hatred. She couldn't hear a single word I said.

Even if she could, she would never believe me.

Ever since our parents died because of me, Chloe had turned into a complete stranger. She stopped hugging me, stopped calling me her sweet little brother, and never took me out with her friends again.

Right after the funeral, she drove straight to the remote countryside over a thousand miles away.

I had been terrified that something bad would happen to her, so I begged her to take me along.

"Get lost," she snapped coldly back then. "I'm warning you, don't you ever speak a word to me again."

A week later, she returned with a boy around my age.

That boy was Dylan, who suffered from severe kidney failure and had a family unwilling to pay for his medical care.

From that day on, it was as if Dylan were her only brother. She showered him with affection and took him everywhere.

Even the neighbors in our community started gossiping behind her back.

"What is wrong with Chloe? She abandons her own flesh and blood to pamper an orphan she picked up from nowhere."

"She's blowing through her parents' inheritance just to treat that kid. Anyone looking would think he's the real Harper family son."

The rumors and whispers spread like wildfire.