Chapter 1

On the very eve of her debut at Carnegie Hall, Serafina Blackwood was cornered in the shadows of the theater's back entrance by a gang of masked thugs. By the time the police found her, her hands had been reduced to a mangled mess of flesh and bone by a sledgehammer.

The doctor's diagnosis read like a death sentence: comminuted fractures of both hands, complete necrosis of the digital nerves. For the rest of her life, even lifting a dinner fork would be a luxury.

Serafina would never play the violin again.

Ethan Blackwood, the older brother who had once cherished her above all else, stormed outside the hospital room in a thunderous rage, swearing to tear the perpetrators limb from limb. Liam Sterling, the fiancé who had promised to protect her for a lifetime, wept bitterly, mobilizing every resource of the Sterling family overnight to find her a miracle doctor.

However, on the third day, as Serafina endured the agonizing pain and attempted to step out of her ward for a breath of air, she heard their hushed whispers around the corridor corner.

"Are you insane? The plan was just to make Serafina miss the premiere, but now her hands are ruined! Completely ruined!" It was Liam’s suppressed roar.

Serafina’s mind went blank. Before she could process the meaning of the word "plan," Ethan’s cold voice cut through the pungent smell of disinfectant.

" The strike was a bit heavy, but isn't this exactly the result we wanted? This way, Mia has to take her place, and she will undoubtedly win the Golden Harp Award."

"But—"

Ethan cut him off. "No 'buts.' Serafina is the eldest daughter of the Blackwood family; she was born with everything. I am her brother, and you are her fiancé. Even if she can never play again, we can support her for the rest of her life, keeping her clothed and fed without a care."

"But Mia is different. She’s just a poor, adopted wretch, living like a shadow in this house."

"Mia dreams of standing on that stage, but Serafina’s talent is too blinding; it blocks Mia from seeing even a glimmer of light. Apart from us, Mia has nothing. I cannot let anyone stand in the way of her dream."

Ethan paused, then continued, "Liam, we have been brothers for years. Our alliance is unbreakable; it shouldn't be fractured over a woman."

"I know you love Serafina, and the engagement will proceed as planned. But you promised me that you wouldn't ruin Mia’s future because of romantic sentiment."

A long silence followed from Liam. Finally, a heavy sigh was heard—it sounded like compromise, or perhaps self-hypnosis.

"Fine. Serafina hasn't slept all night from the pain. Go tell the doctor to add some sedative to that shot of morphine."

The footsteps faded away, and Serafina’s world collapsed. All that remained in her ears was the deafening roar of her own breaking heart.

So, the attack that destroyed her hands was no accident, but a sacrificial offering made in the name of love.

The masterminds behind it all were the two men she trusted most in this world.

Serafina opened her mouth, wanting to scream, wanting to vomit, but in the depths of her despair, her throat could only produce the gasps of the dying.

Before this moment, even with her hands destroyed, she had consoled herself with one thought: at least she still had her brother and Liam—two men who treated her life as their own.

But now, the truth was naked and nauseating. These crippled hands, this shattered heart—it was all thanks to them.

She leaned against the cold wall, shivering uncontrollably as tears burst from her eyes in silence. She couldn't understand why it had come to this.

Serafina had once been the crown jewel of the Blackwood family.

Ethan had regarded her as the family's glory, allowing no one to disrespect her; Liam had been compliant to her every whim, swearing he would marry no one but her.

She was like the most delicate orchid in a greenhouse, naively believing that as long as they were there, the storms would never reach her.

However, everything changed the year she turned fifteen. That year, her parents brought home Mia Summers, the orphan of their late driver.

That girl, wearing an old T-shirt and looking like a frightened deer, had stood there timidly: "Hi, Miss Serafina."

Back then, Serafina had even personally given her most precious practice violin to Mia. She never imagined that this seemingly harmless little sister would become the viper that swallowed her life.

Everything began to rot from the smallest details.

Mia broke the limited-edition record left by their mother, yet cried and claimed Serafina had accidentally sat on it. She stole Serafina’s sheet music, then, with red-rimmed eyes, claimed Serafina had misplaced it herself.

Every time, Ethan would frown and tell Serafina not to be so calculating, while Liam would helplessly urge her to be more tolerant, citing Mia’s pitiful background.

Yet, the plunder only intensified.

The compositions Serafina stayed up all night to write were eventually signed with Mia’s name.

The solo opportunities Serafina practiced months for were ultimately given to Mia under the spotlight.

She could only watch helplessly as the halo that belonged to her was transferred, bit by bit, to Mia.

She had even foolishly thought that perhaps she simply wasn't perfect enough.

Until today, Serafina finally saw clearly. Everything she cherished had been handed to Mia on a silver platter by the two people she loved most.

Her talent was her original sin; her excellence was her error. The meaning of her existence seemed to be solely to burn herself to ash to light Mia’s way.

But Liam was her fiancé, and Ethan was her own brother, while Mia was nothing but an outsider.

After their parents died in a plane crash, they were her only reliance. But now, they were also the ones pushing her into the abyss.

With things as they were, Serafina didn't know if there was any point in living.

In a trance, she gazed at the high-rise buildings outside the window. Just as she was about to push open the window to end it all, the phone in her pocket vibrated. It was an encrypted number.

Serafina answered numbly. "Who is this?"

"Hello, Miss Blackwood." A processed electronic voice came from the other end. "This is the 'Aegis' Biotechnology Laboratory."

"What do you want?"

"We have been monitoring your medical data," the voice said without emotion. "Are you willing to become a test subject for our 'Project Lazarus'?"

Serafina laughed bleakly, a tear sliding from the corner of her eye. "Am I not miserable enough already?"

"No. Our nerve regeneration technology can give you a second life," the voice tempted.

"What?"

"Reconstruction of the hands, neural interfacing, and even—" the voice paused, "a chance to return to the pinnacle."

Serafina’s heart skipped a beat. "Why me?"

"Because..." the voice paused for a moment before speaking coldly, "only those who have been thoroughly destroyed possess the pure rage required for rebirth."

Serafina froze, her hand on the window frame slowly retracting. She looked at the gray sky outside, a flame of vengeance kindling in her eyes.

After a long silence, she gripped the phone tight and answered, word for word, "Fine. I accept!"