Chapter 1: She is Elaine

It was early summer in June, the season when white roses bloomed.

A sensational piece of news spread through the streets and alleys of the city. Aaron, the CEO of Aaron Group, and Sarah, the heiress of Luman Real Estate, were set to hold a grand engagement ceremony on June 19th. It would also be Sarah's twenty-third birthday. The two childhood sweethearts had been together for nine years and were finally tying the knot.

In the executive residential area of St. Love Hospital, a south-facing two-bedroom apartment boasted excellent lighting. Several pots of blooming white roses swayed gently in the breeze. Inside the off-white single sofa, a woman was fast asleep. Her delicate features, including her finely shaped eyebrows and mesmerizing eyes, were like a painting. Her long, feather-like eyelashes peacefully rested, while her almost translucent, fair skin glowed in the sunlight. With her cherry blossom-pink lips, she was a picture of ethereal beauty.

Suddenly, she abruptly opened her eyes. Those watery eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness, and a peculiar smile twisted the corners of her soft lips. She seemed like a devil crawling up from hell.

Her slender and fair hand reached out to pick up a newspaper from the table. The front page featured a headline with a photo of Aaron and Sarah. Both of them were dressed in white attire, with Sarah leaning against Aaron's embrace, and Aaron holding her shoulders, smiling sweetly and happily for the camera. Next to the large photo were four bold, black words: "A Perfect Couple!"

The woman curled her lips, revealing an eerie smirk.

"Awake?" The sliding door opened, and Sylvia walked out with a smile, casually handing a glass of milk to the woman. As she sat down, her smile froze upon seeing the newspaper in the woman's hand. Nervously, she grabbed her hand and spoke.

"You still can't forget about that, can you?"

"How can I forget?" The woman chuckled self-deprecatingly, forcefully throwing the newspaper aside.

Sylvia furrowed her eyebrows, and the woman directly grasped Sylvia's hand, placing it over her heart.

"Sylvia, do you know? It hurts so much here, so much that I want to die immediately. Sometimes, I wonder if Mason saving me from the scheme was right or wrong. Instead of living in such ambiguity, I'd rather die and be done with it."

"Don't talk nonsense. What if you die? What will happen to Uncle? He has finally found you after so much effort. Do you really want to make him suffer the pain of losing a daughter?" Sylvia stood up, raising her voice abruptly.

"But," the woman's expression was filled with agony, "I really don't know the meaning of living like this. Am I supposed to watch them happily while I can't? Sylvia, I truly can't do it."

Sylvia embraced her with tenderness, "Have you forgotten, Emily is already gone. You are now Elaine Smith, with a brand new life as Elaine. Forget about that incident, forget about Aaron Brown. Let's bravely look forward, shall we?"

Elaine broke down in tears in Sylvia's embrace, the overwhelming hatred in her heart impossible to extinguish.

Ten months ago, in that cold operating room, she truly believed she was going to die. Perhaps it wasn't her fate to perish. The surgeon, Mason, saved her. He transplanted someone else's heart into Sarah, not her own. That person had exchanged their heart for enough money to secure their family's future and indirectly saved her life.

Afterward, she learned that she was not an orphan after all. The person who truly saved her was her biological father, Tatum Smith, and Mason and Sylvia were her cousin Bowie Smith's children, her cousins. She didn't die, but she was living in great pain now.

"Sylvia, I just want the truth. Did he really plan this whole conspiracy so heartlessly? I really want to know," Elaine tightly grasped Sylvia's collar.

Sylvia comforted her, "Even if you know, what difference does it make? You've seen the news, he and Sarah are childhood sweethearts. He has long forgotten about you."

"It's not like that. I can only find complete release by knowing the truth. If it really is him, I'll accept it. I was blind to love the wrong person. But if it's not, I must find the real culprit and ask them why they wanted to harm me."

Recalling the painful past, Elaine's voice became increasingly agitated. Sylvia hurriedly held her hand, "But you already know. Mason has found that doctor, and he confessed that Aaron instructed him to deceive you about the tumor. You already know, so why can't you let go?"

Elaine fell silent.

Yes, even before the surgery, she had learned the truth from Melissa. Why didn't she believe it? Was she still holding onto illusions about Aaron?

No, that wasn't it.

She just didn't want to see him enjoying his life so carefree.

Why was it that after committing such a heinous act, he could still rise to fame and live recklessly, while she had to live cautiously under a different identity?

It wasn't fair!

Sylvia's pager beeped urgently, indicating an emergency call from the hospital. Sylvia hesitated, looking at Elaine. Elaine suppressed the cold determination in her eyes and smiled, urging her, "Go, attend to your duties. Don't worry about me."

"Are you sure it's okay?" Sylvia was still concerned.

Elaine nodded repeatedly, assuring her, "Yes, it's fine."

"Then I'll go attend to it. I'll come back to pick you up for dinner at home tonight."

"Okay, go ahead."

Sylvia left first, and as soon as the door closed, Elaine stood up and her gaze swept over the large photo. Suppressed hatred surged forth from the depths of her eyes. She quickly changed her clothes, grabbed her bag, and left the house.

If she couldn't bear it any longer, why should she force herself to endure?

...

Elaine sat in the taxi, watching the passing scenery outside. Memories flashed through her mind. When she married Aaron, there was no wedding ceremony, and he didn't even publicly announce their marriage. She simply moved into his house with a small suitcase.

That house located at the foot of Hongshan Mountain was quite secluded. Although Aaron provided her with a car, she didn't have the inclination to get a driver's license at the time, so she rarely went out. Most of the time, she stayed in that empty house, waiting eagerly for Aaron to come back.

It was said that after her death, he changed the name of that house to Cold Garden.

It was said that he rarely went back there anymore.

It was said that he recently bought another property elsewhere, intending to use it as his and Sarah's love nest after marriage.

"Miss, this place is quite remote. You might have trouble finding a taxi to go back later. Would you like me to wait for you?" The car arrived at the destination, and the driver warmly offered to take her back.

Elaine shook her head and declined, "No, it's alright."

The driver left, feeling quite disappointed.

Elaine stood in front of this distinctive building, her gaze sliding over the calligraphy on the wall that spelled out "Cold Garden." A sardonic smile curved her red lips. She took out a key from her bag and opened the door directly.

The whole house was pitch-black. Summoning her courage, she walked through the garden to the front of the main house and opened the door with the key. She turned on a small wall lamp and immediately noticed a vase of fresh white roses on the coffee table. It was her habit; she loved white roses and always had to replace them with a fresh bouquet every day.

But...

Since Aaron never came back here, how could she explain this bouquet of white roses?

Her heart trembled slightly. Footsteps approached from the back door, and a chubby shadow swiftly moved towards the living room. "Young master? Is that you?"

There was someone in the house!

This thought flashed through Elaine's mind, and her immediate reaction was to hide. But it was too late. Before she could take a step, a piercing scream echoed through the room.

"Ghosts! There are ghosts!"