I followed Quinn back to the fishing village, the place that I missed so much.He stopped in front of our stone house, hesitating. His fingers curled, ready to knock, but he never did.Just then, our neighbor, Shaun Ramsey, returned from fishing. He stared at Quinn for a long moment before speaking. "You're Rocky, aren't you?"Strangely enough, Quinn, who was always cold and distant with me, still managed to smile politely at Shaun, just like he used to.Shaun waved a hand dismissively. "No use knocking. They're not home."Quinn's entire body stiffened. His right hand, which had been poised to knock, dropped heavily against the wall for support. "Mr. Ramsey, where did they go?"Shaun didn't know about Grandma's illness. That night, when she collapsed, I didn't call an ambulance. I had simply run to the main road and flagged down the first car I could.To the villagers, we had disappeared in the middle of the night. So, Shaun could only guess. "Maybe they went out to sea with P
The police ignored Daphne's hysterical screams and dragged her away. As she was forced out the door, she shrieked at Quinn, her voice dripping with venom, "Quinn, you're destined to end up with nothing!"A crack formed in Quinn's calm expression. His fingers clenched tightly around the shell bracelet. The jagged edges cut into his skin, drawing blood.As the guests slowly trickled out, he remained frozen in place, standing there like a lost child.His secretary passed by and reached out to steady him, but Quinn suddenly grabbed his sleeve. "Kay… She'll forgive me, won't she?"But before the man could respond, Quinn staggered to his feet and bolted for the exit. Quinn caught the earliest flight available, rushing back to the fishing village.On the way to my home, he ran into Shaun. Barely containing his excitement, he called out, "Mr. Ramsey! I'm back! I came back for Kay!"Shaun, now older and slower in memory, squinted at Quinn's exhausted face, trying to recall. After a long p
To track down the organ traffickers, Quinn poured an endless stream of money into the investigation. Not only that, but he hired multiple private detective agencies and issued a massive bounty.I looked at the eight-figure reward, and all I could think was—If only I had this kind of money back when Grandma needed surgery.Under nationwide pursuit, the traffickers had nowhere to hide. It wasn't long before they were caught and brought to justice.They had taken six lives in total. The court sentenced them to immediate execution.On the day of the firing squad, Quinn, who had been tightly wound for weeks, suddenly became eerily calm.Returning to the Hoffman Estate, he dismissed all the household staff. Then, he stepped into my bedroom and carefully packed away everything I had ever used.Holding my things in his arms, he murmured to himself, "Kay… you're just playing hide-and-seek with me, aren't you? But I've been looking for so long, so why won't you come out?"He slung a bag o
The day after I died, my body was dumped in the wilderness.The monkey-faced man held up a cooler, his grin stretching wide. "We're rich! This girl's organs are all in perfect condition."My soul drifted above the scene, weightless and powerless, staring at my tragic fate. I had no idea how it had come to this. I only wanted to sell a kidney—just one, enough to cover Grandma's surgery.I thought I would fade away forever, but in the blink of an eye, I was back—standing beside Quinn Hoffman.He was at a birthday party with his fiancée. Daphne Poole smiled sweetly, her arm looped around Quinn's as she leaned shyly into him. He raised his glass for her, thanking the guests on her behalf.Someone in the crowd teased, "So, how far along are you and Ms. Poole?"A glow of happiness spread across Quinn's face. "We're almost there."When those words left his lips, his gaze flickered to me. I shuddered, instinctively wanting to hide. Because in public, Quinn never let me exist in his sigh
I saw Quinn again a month later.It was Daphne who found me first. She stood before me, draped in designer brands I had only ever seen on TV.Looking down at me, she asked, "So, are you the woman who took care of Quinn for a year?"I tilted my head. "Quinn? Who's that?"She frowned, impatience flickering in her gaze. "Rocky."Rocky… My heart—one I had worked so hard to steady—began racing all over again. Desperately, I grabbed Daphne's arm, begging her to tell me where Quinn was.Before she could respond, the two bodyguards flanking her seized me and yanked me away.Daphne gave me a look of disgust and pulled her heels free from the sand. "And what exactly is your relationship with him? What right do you have to know where he is?"I hesitated for only a moment before answering, "I'm Quinn's girlfriend."Daphne let out a laugh like I had just told the funniest joke in the world. She turned toward the luxury car parked behind her and called out in a sweet voice, "Quinn, this w
My thoughts snapped back to the present as I drifted into the house behind Quinn and Daphne, a place I knew all too well.They lounged on the plush couch, nestled comfortably against each other."Kayla, grind two cups of coffee for us," Quinn called out.Silence."Kayla?"Jillian Barnett hurried out from the kitchen, carefully balancing two steaming cups of coffee. She set them down in front of Quinn, her expression cautious. "Sir, Kayla hasn't come back yet."Quinn sat up slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "It's been three days. Has she still not returned?"He knew better than anyone that I had no friends or family in Solmere.Three days ago, Grandma's condition worsened, and she needed surgery immediately. So once again, I asked him for the money.Instead, he exploded. He said that even if he were to pay me back, it would be in monthly installments of 20 thousand. Until the full amount was repaid, I wasn't allowed to leave the Hoffman Estate. I had t
To track down the organ traffickers, Quinn poured an endless stream of money into the investigation. Not only that, but he hired multiple private detective agencies and issued a massive bounty.I looked at the eight-figure reward, and all I could think was—If only I had this kind of money back when Grandma needed surgery.Under nationwide pursuit, the traffickers had nowhere to hide. It wasn't long before they were caught and brought to justice.They had taken six lives in total. The court sentenced them to immediate execution.On the day of the firing squad, Quinn, who had been tightly wound for weeks, suddenly became eerily calm.Returning to the Hoffman Estate, he dismissed all the household staff. Then, he stepped into my bedroom and carefully packed away everything I had ever used.Holding my things in his arms, he murmured to himself, "Kay… you're just playing hide-and-seek with me, aren't you? But I've been looking for so long, so why won't you come out?"He slung a bag o
The police ignored Daphne's hysterical screams and dragged her away. As she was forced out the door, she shrieked at Quinn, her voice dripping with venom, "Quinn, you're destined to end up with nothing!"A crack formed in Quinn's calm expression. His fingers clenched tightly around the shell bracelet. The jagged edges cut into his skin, drawing blood.As the guests slowly trickled out, he remained frozen in place, standing there like a lost child.His secretary passed by and reached out to steady him, but Quinn suddenly grabbed his sleeve. "Kay… She'll forgive me, won't she?"But before the man could respond, Quinn staggered to his feet and bolted for the exit. Quinn caught the earliest flight available, rushing back to the fishing village.On the way to my home, he ran into Shaun. Barely containing his excitement, he called out, "Mr. Ramsey! I'm back! I came back for Kay!"Shaun, now older and slower in memory, squinted at Quinn's exhausted face, trying to recall. After a long p
I followed Quinn back to the fishing village, the place that I missed so much.He stopped in front of our stone house, hesitating. His fingers curled, ready to knock, but he never did.Just then, our neighbor, Shaun Ramsey, returned from fishing. He stared at Quinn for a long moment before speaking. "You're Rocky, aren't you?"Strangely enough, Quinn, who was always cold and distant with me, still managed to smile politely at Shaun, just like he used to.Shaun waved a hand dismissively. "No use knocking. They're not home."Quinn's entire body stiffened. His right hand, which had been poised to knock, dropped heavily against the wall for support. "Mr. Ramsey, where did they go?"Shaun didn't know about Grandma's illness. That night, when she collapsed, I didn't call an ambulance. I had simply run to the main road and flagged down the first car I could.To the villagers, we had disappeared in the middle of the night. So, Shaun could only guess. "Maybe they went out to sea with P
Daphne waved her delicate fingers in front of Quinn's face when he didn't respond. "Quinn? What's wrong?"Snapping out of his daze, Quinn absentmindedly fastened the shell bracelet around her wrist. "It's nothing. If you like it, you can have it."Daphne beamed with delight and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I knew you loved me the most."Even though I was already dead, a sharp pain still shot through my chest. Quinn didn't even have the basic decency to respect me anymore.This place was so far from the ocean. I missed home. That was why I had kept those shells with me, so that whenever I felt like I couldn't hold on anymore, I could take them out and remember where I came from.And that silver starfish charm? Grandma had made it for me from her wedding ring. She told me that as long as I wore it, it would be like she was always by my side.But now? My longing for home and her love for me—all of it had been tossed into Daphne's hands without a second thought.Daphne knew it was
My thoughts snapped back to the present as I drifted into the house behind Quinn and Daphne, a place I knew all too well.They lounged on the plush couch, nestled comfortably against each other."Kayla, grind two cups of coffee for us," Quinn called out.Silence."Kayla?"Jillian Barnett hurried out from the kitchen, carefully balancing two steaming cups of coffee. She set them down in front of Quinn, her expression cautious. "Sir, Kayla hasn't come back yet."Quinn sat up slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he had just heard. "It's been three days. Has she still not returned?"He knew better than anyone that I had no friends or family in Solmere.Three days ago, Grandma's condition worsened, and she needed surgery immediately. So once again, I asked him for the money.Instead, he exploded. He said that even if he were to pay me back, it would be in monthly installments of 20 thousand. Until the full amount was repaid, I wasn't allowed to leave the Hoffman Estate. I had t
I saw Quinn again a month later.It was Daphne who found me first. She stood before me, draped in designer brands I had only ever seen on TV.Looking down at me, she asked, "So, are you the woman who took care of Quinn for a year?"I tilted my head. "Quinn? Who's that?"She frowned, impatience flickering in her gaze. "Rocky."Rocky… My heart—one I had worked so hard to steady—began racing all over again. Desperately, I grabbed Daphne's arm, begging her to tell me where Quinn was.Before she could respond, the two bodyguards flanking her seized me and yanked me away.Daphne gave me a look of disgust and pulled her heels free from the sand. "And what exactly is your relationship with him? What right do you have to know where he is?"I hesitated for only a moment before answering, "I'm Quinn's girlfriend."Daphne let out a laugh like I had just told the funniest joke in the world. She turned toward the luxury car parked behind her and called out in a sweet voice, "Quinn, this w
The day after I died, my body was dumped in the wilderness.The monkey-faced man held up a cooler, his grin stretching wide. "We're rich! This girl's organs are all in perfect condition."My soul drifted above the scene, weightless and powerless, staring at my tragic fate. I had no idea how it had come to this. I only wanted to sell a kidney—just one, enough to cover Grandma's surgery.I thought I would fade away forever, but in the blink of an eye, I was back—standing beside Quinn Hoffman.He was at a birthday party with his fiancée. Daphne Poole smiled sweetly, her arm looped around Quinn's as she leaned shyly into him. He raised his glass for her, thanking the guests on her behalf.Someone in the crowd teased, "So, how far along are you and Ms. Poole?"A glow of happiness spread across Quinn's face. "We're almost there."When those words left his lips, his gaze flickered to me. I shuddered, instinctively wanting to hide. Because in public, Quinn never let me exist in his sigh