"Really?"

Noah rubbed his temples and then closed his eyes again.

I closed mine too.

If only Noah had been a little more thoughtful, if he had just called me.

Even if I could never hear his voice clearly.

But my phone would have rung.

It would've—

It would've rung from the trunk of his car.

But he didn't.

He hadn't before, and he didn't now.

And he never would.

7

With my kidney, Lily's surgery was a success.

Noah was really worried about Lily. Even after the surgery, he stayed by her side until she woke up.

Only when she finally regained consciousness did he let out a sigh of relief.

"Noah, thank you for saving me."

"Don't mention it, Lily. We're friends, and not to mention you saved my life once."

Lily forced a weak smile, saying nothing more.

She looked exhausted, too drained to talk.

But I knew better.

She was guilty.

Because she knew it wasn't her who had saved Noah all those years ago.

It was me.

But to Noah, it didn't matter who had saved him.

What mattered to him was Lily being there for him.

8

Lily entered our lives when Noah started college.

He began mentioning her name more and more.

Lily.

I went to see her once. She was beautiful, from a good family, like a graceful swan. Someone who belonged up in the clouds.

And me? I was the girl who couldn't speak, who could barely hear—dirt beneath her feet.

Later, Noah and Lily went hiking together, and I followed them, unnoticed, from a distance.

I saw Noah smile—a smile he had never shown me.

It was light and carefree.

At that moment, I feared losing him.

Like a shadow, I trailed behind them, a pathetic clown compared to their picture-perfect selves.

But then they argued. I watched them walk in opposite directions, and relief flooded through me.

Yet that argument nearly cost Noah his life.

He slipped and fell off the edge of a cliff.

I didn't remember how I found him.

I forgot how I managed to carry him, step by painful step, back to the main road.

But I remembered the moonlight that night—it was soft, tender.

And as I carried him, Noah kept murmuring in my ear.

"I can't die like this... Stella's still waiting at home... Without me... they'll bully her..."

My tears fell, unstoppable.

"Noah, why do you always act like this everytime I want to let go?

"How am I supposed to walk away from you?"

9

Once he was sure all of Lily's post-op tests were normal, Noah finally returned home.

He'd texted me earlier, telling me he'd be home for dinner.

He probably imagined I'd be there, waiting in an apron, a table full of food laid out, like some puppy eagerly wagging its tail for its owner's return.

But what he didn't expect was the cold emptiness that greeted him.

After searching every room and not finding me, he pulled out his phone.

For the first time in three days since my death, Noah dialed my number.

The sound of the phone being off—the inevitable silence—was the only reply.

Furious, Noah threw the phone down.

"Stella Frost! You're crossing the line here!

"Fine! Let's see how long you can keep this up!"

He snatched up the phone again, his fingers flying across the screen as he typed furiously.

Noah: Stella Frost, if you don't come home tonight, don't bother coming back at all!

He threw the phone onto the couch, but after a moment, he added another message.

Noah: If you're not back by midnight, forget about the wedding!

I watched him from above, bitter laughter bubbling in my chest.

"Noah, I am indeed not coming back tonight.

"In fact, I won't be coming back, EVER."

10

That night, Noah paced around like a trapped animal, constantly glancing at his phone.

He didn't even bother going to bed, choosing instead to sit on the couch, waiting.

Just like I had done so many nights before.

It wasn't until dawn, when he opened his bloodshot eyes, that he finally spoke.

"Fine, Stella Frost, you've got some nerves. You better run as far as you can, 'cause if I find you, you'll be dead."

"What else do you want? You've already taken my kidney, Noah."

I sighed softly.

Once again, no one heard.

Only the wind stirred, brushing lightly through the curtains.

Noah, having stayed up all night and getting no response from me, finally thought of going to my studio.

But before he could get there, his phone rang. It was the hospital.

Lily was feeling unwell.

He hesitated for a split second before turning and driving away.

My heart, long since shattered, remained still, calm.

Of course.

This wasn't the first time Noah had left me because of Lily.

And it wouldn't be the last.

When Noah went to college, we were struggling financially.

His father hadn't found him yet, and Noah was paying for his own tuition and living expenses while also supporting me, an art student majoring in sculpture.

I had tried to tell him through gestures that I didn't need to study something so expensive.

I was willing to quit school, wash dishes, or sell things on the street—anything to make his life easier.

And, in fact, I tried.

I worked as a hostess at a hotel, welcoming guests.

It was freezing that day, snow falling heavily, and I stood there in a short skirt, shivering in the biting wind.

Noah happened to be out with his friends, and when he saw me, the look on his face...

I couldn’t quite describe it, but I knew he felt ashamed of me.

He didn’t even finish his meal. He just grabbed me and took me home.

"Who told you to dress like this, Stella Frost? Am I not giving you enough money? Do you have to humiliate yourself like this?"

I gestured, trying to explain that I just wanted to ease his burden.

He scoffed. "Those money you make can barely cover the cost of your hearing aid."

I felt wronged. I didn't need the hearing aid.

I still had one working ear, after all.

Besides, in my world, Noah was the only voice that mattered, the only one who spoke to me.

That day, I cried hard—probably harder than I ever had.

Noah held me, warming my frozen legs and stroking my hair until I calmed down.

"It's okay," he said gently, "As long as you act like a good girl, I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

My face was burning red, and I gestured, wanting to argue that I could still work.

But he just smiled. "No need. My Stella deserves the best. I'll earn so much that I'll spoil you, making sure you never have to worry about anything."

After that, he began his internship at Shade's hospital, and as he started earning more, he spent less and less time with me.

Most of his attention shifted to Lily.

To be honest, I was terrified that he would leave me.

Maybe it was because I was afraid of losing him that I occasionally lied, pretending to be sick just to have him come home.

But that didn't end well.

Gradually, Noah grew more impatient with me, hanging up on my calls, and avoiding me.

One night, I was struck with appendicitis at midnight, and all I got from him was a dismissive response.

"Stella, stop bothering me over every little thing. Lily's not doing well. She's in the hospital. Stop making a fuss. You're exhausting me."

After that, I called him less and less.

But that last time, I still reached out to him.

I was bleeding, dragging myself across the floor, my body heavy and failing me.

I called Noah.

He rejected my call twice.

When he finally answered the third time, all I heard was his irritated voice.

"Stella Frost, will you cut it out already? I told you Lily's situation is critical. If you can't help her, don't bother me!"

That desperate cry for help was dismissed, and he hung up.

He'd even forgotten the code we had set up.

One call meant I missed him.

Two calls meant he should come home for dinner.

And three... Three calls meant I was in danger, asking for help.

He had long forgotten what he promised me.

11

I cast one last longing glance back at my studio as we drove away.

There were still unfinished sculptures waiting for me in there, left behind because my death had come so unexpectedly.

But it didn't matter anymore. None of it did.

Noah rushed back to the hospital, where Lily was crying her eyes out.

"Noah, I don't feel well... Do you think something's wrong with the kidney? I've been feeling so uncomfortable," she sobbed.

Noah ran a thorough check-up and, after confirming everything was fine, gently reassured her.

"Lily, don't worry. You're overthinking. It's just a kidney transplant—it's no big deal. Look at me, I've had a transplant for years, and I'm perfectly fine."

"Really?" Lily asked, her eyes still brimming with tears.

"Of course. In fact, we're kind of on the same boat now. You've got a new kidney, and so do I. And since we both have such rare blood types... If my kidney hadn't failed back then, I would've given mine to you."

As Noah spoke, a shadow passed over his face, as if he'd remembered something.

Lily noticed it right away.

"Noah?" she asked.

Noah snapped out of it, shaking his head. "It's nothing...probably just a concidence."

Watching the two of them share sweet words, I felt a wave of sorrow.

Fool.

Noah, you were so intelligent, yet you never thought to question how those "coincidences" kept happening.

Your blood type was so rare—how could you have gotten a match so easily?

And back then, you had nothing, no money, no status.

If you had paid a little more attention to me, you would have known.

When you had your surgery and I wasn’t there, it wasn’t because I was throwing a tantrum.

It was because I was in the room next to yours.

The kidney inside you—it was mine.

12

For some reason, Noah didn't stay long in Lily's room.

Instead, he called his old classmate, Oliver.

"Oliver, is there really no way to find out who donated the kidney for my transplant back then?"

"Noah, stop putting us in a difficult position," Oliver sighed on the other end of the line. After a pause, he added,

"Noah, you're about to marry Stella. She's been through so much—please, take good care of her."

Noah had always blamed me for his mother's death, but I knew deep down, he was also burdened with guilt.

That day, the person who was supposed to visit my house was him, not his mother.

But he threw a tantrum, and his mother came over to deliver a cake instead.

For years, Noah had carried the weight of that guilt.

He was a kind, gentle person, despite everything.

That was why, when it came time for his transplant, I begged Oliver to keep the secret.

No matter what, Noah couldn't know that the kidney inside him was mine.

I didn't want him to carry the burden of guilt any longer.

Oliver had kept that secret all these years.

Noah's face was dark as he rushed back home.

He finally realized what had been hidden from him for so long.

But the house was empty, just as it had been before.

I watched as he frantically dialed my number, only to hear the same dead tone again and again.

He buried his face in his hands, collapsing onto the couch.

After a long silence, his tears began to seep through his fingers.

"Stella, tell me... tell me that it wasn't you, please."

Noah, I could lie to you.

I could spin a thousand stories if that's what you wanted—

If only you'd believe them.

13

I could sense Noah's growing desperation.

Maybe he needed confirmation, or maybe he was just trying to cling to hope. He began tearing through the house, rifling through drawers and cabinets.

When he saw that none of my clothes were missing, he breathed a sigh of relief.

But then, the phone rang.

His face lit up as he quickly answered, but it wasn't me.

It was the wedding planner.

"Hello, is this someone who knows Stella Frost? We've been trying to contact her for several days now without success, so we had no choice but to reach out to you.

"Ms. Frost canceled her wedding package with us. Subjected to the company policy, we can only refund thirty percent of the deposit..."

"Wedding package?" Noah sounded surprised.

But what shocked him more was, "Why? Why did she cancel?"

"Oh, Ms. Frost mentioned that she couldn't go through with the wedding to her fiancé, so she called everything off."

Noah's phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.

He stared at it, trembling as he tried to pick it up, but his hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Stella... you really... don't want me anymore?"

I'd canceled the wedding, and it seemed like he wasn't too happy about it.

But shouldn't he be relieved?

Actually, before Noah proposed to me, I had asked him to marry me first.

I had just found out I was pregnant, and I didn't want my child to be born without a name, without legitimacy.

But when I proposed, Noah had hesitated for a long time.

"Stella, can't we just stay like this? Marriage won't change our relationship. I'll always take care of you, protect you, and be with you."

He had... turned me down, hadn't he?

It was only because of Lily's condition that he later agreed to marry me.

And after our fight, it became painfully clear that he never intended to marry me.

So, I went and canceled the wedding.

I had wanted to surprise him with the news as a birthday gift.

Well, that wouldn't be happening.

14

Noah finally went to my studio.

But it was Ethan who greeted him.

"Is Stella still mad at you? The people at the studio said she hasn't shown up for work in seven days."

"What? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Why? Maybe because you've been too busy fawning over my sister, Lily. I figured you didn't care about Stella anymore.

"Anyway, she's an adult, Noah. Even if she's deaf and mute, she'll get over her tantrum and come back home..."

Noah's fist collided with Ethan's face, eyes bloodshot with rage. "You knew she's deaf and mute! What if she gets hurt out there? What then?"

"Hurt? Noah, aren't you the one who's hurt her the most?"

Ethan shoved him back, adjusting his rumpled shirt.

"Noah, if I were you, I wouldn't be juggling two women. If I were you, I'd call the police right now. Or... you could just sit here, wallow in self-pity, and wait for her to come back. Maybe, just maybe, she's been here with you all along."

15

Noah finally called the police.

They reviewed the surveillance footage and determined that the last place I was seen was near an abandoned factory.

Although it was an old, unused factory, the snow-covered grounds were a popular spot for couples to take romantic photos.

Noah drove to the snowy area, stumbling through the snow, calling out my name at the top of his lungs.

Then, as if a realization hit him, he froze, staring in disbelief at the factory in the distance.

Had he finally figured it out?

Had he finally realized how close this was to the place where he dissected that nameless corpse?

"Mr. Reed, the police dog found this in the snow."

It was a hearing aid, stained with blood.

Noah's face twisted into an expression that was hard to read—shock, disbelief.

He looked at the customized hearing aid he had ordered for me and knocked it out of the officer's hand.

"No... no way... This isn't hers. There are plenty of hearing aids in this world. It's not hers. She's waiting for me to come home for dinner. I... I don't have time for this. Stella's waiting for me. I have to go home."

He seemed to have lost his mind, pushing the officers aside and stumbling his way back to his car.

"Stella's just mad at me. Yeah, that's it. She always hides when she's angry. She'll come out soon enough."

Noah stopped on his way home to buy a bouquet of sunflowers—my favorite.

By the time he reached the house, he had regained a false sense of calm.

"Stella, I'm home," he called into the empty room.

"What are we having for dinner tonight? Pork, right? You make the best pork."

He looked around and found nothing, continuing,

"Stella, once I finish up this busy period at work, let's get married, okay? Where do you want to go for our honeymoon? Somewhere local or abroad? I'll calculate my vacation days—I've been working without breaks for years, so I think I can take a whole month off... yeah, a whole month would be enough for us to do so many things together, right? Do you like kids, Stella? How about we try for a baby?"

It was like we were back to our life before the fight.

Back when he would still talk to me.

Though, he wasn't usually this talkative—he'd often just respond coldly with a few words.

But now, he rambled on endlessly, even though there was no one responding on the other side.

It didn't seem to matter to him.

He smiled, laughing softly to himself, as if talking to someone invisible.

"Stella... you're always the sweetest."

16

In the days that followed, Noah stopped going to work.

He didn't answer anyone's calls.

Instead, he put on an apron and spent his days cleaning the house until it was spotless, cooking all the dishes I loved.

He even prepared my portion of food, carefully picking out the things I didn't like.

"You're so picky! Who spoiled you like that? Hurry up and eat, you're boney already!"

"Stella, you've got some nerves, huh? Finish your food—look at how skinny you are!"

"Fine, give me your leftovers. Next time, don't waste food. Wasting is shameful. You know that?"

And so I watched him, talking to the air, rambling on and on.

Then he'd sit down and eat everything I was supposed to eat, looking satisfied.

Afterward, he'd return to our bedroom, holding my pillow in his arms, stroking it gently like he used to do to me.

"Stella, I'm so tired. Just let me hold you... holding you makes everything better."

I realized then that something wasn't right with Noah.

I had once wondered what he would be like if he ever found out the truth.

I wanted him to regret everything, to never forget me.

But I never wanted him to live in such denial.

Three days passed before a package arrived at the house.

It was a sculpture I had been working on, one I had planned to give him as a birthday gift.

A beautiful doll—large and heavy.

He placed the sculpture in the living room, smiled at it, and chuckled to himself.

"The doll looks just like you, Stella. I really like it. All those times I said you weren't good enough or that you had no talent for sculpting, I was lying. You're the best, Stella. The sculptures you make are the most beautiful."

He smiled so gently.

And yet, I couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Noah, if you had said those words to me while I was still alive, how different things might have been.

But now... it was all too late.

After that day, Noah seemed to return to some semblance of normalcy.

At least, on the surface.

He started going back to work, cooperating with the police investigation into my disappearance.

But he no longer spoke to Lily.

"Noah, listen to me. We all feel sorry about what happened to Stella, but we have to move on..."

"Move on? What do you mean by 'move on'? Stella is still waiting for me to come home for dinner. Stop saying nonsense!"

"Noah! Get a grip! The police found a lot of blood at the scene—she's... she's already dead!"

"You're talking nonsense!" Noah shouted, pushing Lily aside. "Lily, let me make this clear to you once and for all! All these years, I've only taken care of you because you once saved my life! But Stella—Stella is my wife! Don't you dare speak ill of her again!"

"Your wife?" Lily scoffed, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"Now you realize that she's your wife? You treated her like a servant, made her run in circles around you like a dog, you never really treated her as your wife. You pretended to care about me, but deep inside, you were just stringing me along...

"Noah, you're a piece of trash! You didn't deserve my love, and you certainly didn't deserve Stella's! And you know what? Out of pity for that poor mute girl, I'll tell you one last thing."

She paused, her eyes burning with anger.

"You've always thought I was the one who saved your life? Well, you're wrong. It wasn't me.

"The one who carried you up from the bottom of that cliff was Stella, the poor mute girl. Do you know how awful she looked back then? Her knees were shredded from falling over so many times, her fingers were broken, and her face was bruised and swollen. But she still begged me not to tell you the truth."

She sneered. "Noah, do you remember what you did? You blamed her for not visiting you while you were sick. You called her an ungrateful leech. You idiot, she was in the hospital room right next to yours."

17

"No, you're lying!"

Noah's eyes were bloodshot as he grabbed Lily by the throat.

"She was so fragile! She could barely walk without stumbling—there's no way she could've carried me up from the bottom of that cliff!"

"You're insane! Let go of me!"

With one hard shove, she managed to free herself from his grip.

"So now you can't handle the truth? I've got one more thing to tell ya. The kidney you got for your transplant years ago? It was hers!

"I overheard her begging Oliver to keep it from you. She didn't want you feeling guilty for the rest of your life, so she chose to keep it a secret!"

Lily laughed hysterically, her voice bitter and full of venom. "That foolish woman—she gave everything for you! She deserved to die! She deserved it!"

"Shut up! I said shut up!"

Noah went wild that night.

The police had to pull him off of Lily.

But in the end, at the station, he finally faced the reality of my death.

"Although we haven't found Ms. Frost's body, the evidence suggests... dismemberment."

"Dismemberment?"

"Yes. We found a severed hand in the snow, but we haven't located the torso or head."

"No... no, it can't be her. You must have it wrong."

"Mr. Reed, I need you to accept the truths. It's heartbreaking, and we're sorry for what happened to Ms. Frost. Right now, the priority is finding the criminal. Can you remember the last time you contacted her? Was there anything unusual?"

"Unusual?"

Noah's hands shook as he scrolled through his phone.

He didn't look at the messages.

Instead, he opened the call log.

And that was when his face went pale.

"Stella, I'm busy with school and work, I can't always answer your calls."

"But... what if I miss you?"

"How about this—we make a promise. One call means you miss me. Two calls mean you want me to come home for dinner."

"And three?"

"Three calls mean something's wrong. It's a danger signal, notifying me you're in trouble. But don't worry, Stella. I'll always protect you. No matter where you are, I'll come for you."

18

I had been so scared.

So I'd called three times.

When Noah'd answered, I had been so happy.

No matter how much pain I'd been in, no matter how terrifying the people behind me had been, I'd truly believed Noah would come to save me.

But he never showed up.

Instead, he told me, "Stella Frost, enough with this nonsense. I told you that Lily's condition is critical. If you can't help, then stop bothering me!"

He abandoned me.

To be honest, the pain of being stabbed was unbearable at first.

But after hearing Noah's words, I suddenly stopped feeling anything.

Even when they cut off my head, even when they dismembered my body, there wasn't much pain left to feel.

I didn't even shed a single tear.

Meanwhile, Noah cried.

And he didn't even realize it.

Tears streamed down his face the entire time.

"Why am I crying? This can't be real. Why would I cry?"

Wiping his face, he answered a call from the hospital.

"Is this the family of Ms. Stella Frost? Today was her prenatal check-up. Both she and the baby are quite weak, so please come to the hospital at your earliest convenience."

It seemed like Noah smiled, but more tears quietly fell.

He cradled his head in his hands, whispering,

"Stella, did you hear that? I'm going to be a father."

Yes, Noah.

You really were going to be a father.

19

A police officer rushed over.

"Mr. Reed, we've identified the person who took Ms. Frost from your home seven days ago. Do you know someone named Ethan Shade?"

When they caught Ethan, he was unusually calm.

"Yeah, it was me. I tricked her into coming with me, and then I had her killed."

"Why? No reason. I just couldn't stand Noah, and that's all."

Ethan grinned at Noah, almost like they were still friends.

"Where is she?" Noah's voice cracked.

"What?"

"I said, where is she?"

Ethan kept smiling.

"Didn't I already tell you? She's been with you this whole time. You're too smart to believe in coincidences, Noah.

"Do you really think it was a coincidence that a random female corpse appeared on the underground market? That her kidney happened to be a match for Lily's? And that this same corpse had already donated one kidney before? And, oh right, that she was pregnant too..."

"You... you bastard! She was your friend—your junior!"

Ethan's grin didn't falter. "Yeah, it's tragic, isn't it? A pregnant woman, dismembered. I even asked if you wanted to report it, remember? You said no—just dispose of the body in acid."

He chuckled. "You didn't even bother to make a phone call, Noah. You left her out there, wandering alone. If you'd called her that night, you would've realized her phone was in your car trunk. You see, Noah, the corpse you transported yourself... that was Stella."

"Son of a bitch! I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you!" Noah screamed, struggling against the police holding him back.

Ethan just laughed, though the smile never reached his eyes. "Noah, do you know why she agreed to go with me to that snowy field? Because I told her you'd propose to her there. She was so happy, her eyes sparkling.

Even when I was killing her, she begged me to spare her—said she had a baby and would leave quietly, that she wouldn't compete with Lily anymore. She even told me not to tell you about the baby.

She didn't want to make you sad."

"That's not true... Stella, you weren't a burden..." Noah collapsed to the ground, utterly defeated. His eyes were hollow.

"Where... where did you put her?"

"Oh? Do you really want to know?" Ethan taunted, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Beg me for it, Noah. Beg me, and maybe I'll tell you where I tossed her head."

Enough.

It was enough.

From the void, I leaned down, trying to embrace Noah.

I never hated him.

All I ever wanted was for him to live a better life.

Most of all, I didn't want him to beg for my sake.

Those days when he carried me through the freezing night, knocking on doors to beg for medicine money—I never wanted Noah to go through that again.

But Noah did.

No matter how hard the police pressed, Ethan refused to reveal where he had hidden my head.

In the end, Noah fell to his knees in front of Ethan.

"Please, Ethan. It was all my fault. None of this was her fault. Please, tell me where she is."

"Ha! Noah Reed is begging me! Can you believe this? The great Noah Reed, on his knees! You've always been so high and mighty, Noah. Sure, your childhood was rough, but you've had a charmed life since then. How does it feel now? How does it feel to lose everything, to be trampled into the dirt? But no, I'm still not going to tell you where she is."

Ethan's voice dripped with malice. "However, I'll give you a hint. That mute girl has always been by your side."

20

With a loud crash, Noah returned home and smashed the enormous, heavy sculpture.

When it broke apart, a perfectly preserved head, treated with chemicals, rolled out.

Her face was calm, eyes wide open, as if she didn't feel any pain at all.

She looked like she was simply asleep.

But Noah... he gazed at her like she was a treasure. Gently, he brushed away the hair from her face, tenderly nuzzling her.

"Stella, don't be scared. I'll protect you. I'll protect my Stella, always and forever."

21

From the moment Noah found my head, I could feel myself weakening.

I knew my lingering attachment to this world was fading.

I was fading too.

Ethan was sentenced to death.

Although he claimed to hate Noah, everyone knew the truth.

It was for Lily.

He was an adopted boy who cared deeply for his sister.

To save her life, he was willing to sacrifice everything—even me, the girl he once cherished.

After that day, Noah never returned to work.

He stayed at home, clutching my head.

Just like before, he kept the house spotless, cooked meals he knew I'd love, and even picked out the vegetables I never liked.

He ate the leftovers from my untouched plate, as if I were still sitting across from him.

He even bought a wedding dress for me.

But all I had was a head, so I only wore the veil.

He told me I looked beautiful, the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

He told me he'd turned down my proposal because it should've been him asking.

And finally, he said we would be together forever.

As my head continued to rot, the smell in the room grew unbearable.

I couldn't take it anymore.

"That was enough, Noah. Please, that's enough. Bury me. Let me rest. And let yourself go too. Move on."

In the darkness, it seemed like he heard me.

He whispered softly, "Okay."

22

The last time I saw Noah was at the edge of the acid pool.

He gently placed my head down and carefully arranged the beautiful veil over it.

Next to him were Lily and Ethan, tied up.

"Noah! If you want revenge, come at me! This has nothing to do with Lily!"

"Ethan, I didn't think you were capable of being scared."

Noah gently wiped imaginary dust from my face and kissed my decaying forehead, smiling.

"Stella, be good. I'll deal with the people who hurt you, and then we'll go home."

"No, Noah, don't! You've lost your mind! This is a crime!" I screamed, but nobody could hear me.

"You've gone mad! You broke into a prison and kidnapped us! The police will find out! You'll ruin yourself!"

"Who cares?" Noah smiled, his voice calm but hollow.

"Do you know why I became a doctor? When Stella was twelve, she nearly died of a fever. I carried her, knocking on doors, begging for help, but no one came. That night, I swore I'd become a doctor, so I'd never have to beg anyone again.

"I didn't want my star to fade in the darkness. Do you know why I stayed here when I had the chance to study abroad? Because Stella was still in school. I was waiting for the right time to take her with me. Everything I've done in this life has been for her, so she could have a better one. But..."

Noah's smile wavered, tears shining in his eyes.

"I worked hard all these years, trying to keep her safe in a world I thought was perfect. I never realized she was already shattered. But that's okay. It's almost over now. I owe Stella so much, and I'll make it up to her. And for what you two owe her... you'll pay for those too."

Without hesitation, Noah shoved Ethan into the acid pool.

There was no remorse in his eyes as he watched his former friend writhe and scream until he fell silent.

Lily, trembling, cried out, "No... Noah, this isn't my fault. I didn't know Ethan killed her! I swear, I didn't know!"

"I know," Noah said softly. "But if you stay here, Stella won't be happy. Relax. I only need one thing from you."

Then, with chilling gentleness, Noah picked up a scalpel and opened Lily's chest.

"Stella, I'm getting your kidney back for you. And soon, I'll get the other one too."

23

"Noah, I don't want this."

All I ever wanted was for you to live freely, to be happy.

Not to see you destroy your life like this.

Not to see you become this monster.

"Stella, you've never been a burden to me. You're my family—the only family I have in this world. I failed you. I couldn't protect you. But don't worry, Stella. I'll be with you soon. I promised, didn't I? I said I'd stay with you forever, that I'd protect you."

When the scalpel cut into his chest, I screamed.

I tried to stop him, but I couldn't touch anything.

All I could do was watch as Noah carved into his own flesh.

The pain made him pause, gasping, but he kept going, cutting deeper and deeper.

"I feel your pain now, star."

He injected himself with anesthesia to numb the agony and then continued.

Over and over, he pushed past his body's limits, slicing through his own skin and muscle.

I watched, my eyes wide, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

"Noah, please! Please stop! I know now, I understand everything. I'm not angry with you anymore. Please, stop this!"

The ghostly tears fell onto Noah's face, and for a moment, a glimmer of joy crossed his expression.

"Stella... is it an illusion? Am I imagining you? Do I look ugly now? Stella, do you think I look bad like this? Have you stopped loving me?"

I shook my head, frantically signing to him.

"No, I only have you. I will always love you. In every life, I'll only ever love you."

"I love you too," Noah whispered, his hand reaching out to stroke my head, but touching only the air.

He sighed, looking back at my decayed face.

"Stella, I'm so sorry."

"Please, live. It's not too late to stop."

"Silly, it's far too late," Noah said, cradling my head as he sat by the acid pool.

He tossed Lily's kidney into the acid and then turned to me, pressing a gentle kiss to my decaying cheek.

"I can't go back. I had my star. And I lost her. But it's alright. I'll find her again."

With those words, Noah hugged me tightly and jumped into the acid pool.

As the acid burned away my senses, all I could feel was the excruciating pain that had long disappeared.

My heart ached, torn apart, but soon the pain dulled.

In the darkness, Noah's voice echoed, soft and steady.

"Stella, does it hurt? It's okay. I'll kiss it better, and it won't hurt anymore."