Chapter 2

Stella POV

Everyone in the city knew that the billionaire tycoon Adrian Frost had a delicate lover he'd pampered for ten years.

That was me.

Because I suffered from severe sun allergy, I could barely tolerate any ultraviolet exposure. At best, I'd break out in blistering burns all over my body. At worst, my throat would swell shut, and I'd suffocate.

For my sake, Adrian spent money like water. He not only built an ultraviolet-blocking glass dome over the estate, but even created a private shopping street under its own dome, just so I could enjoy daylight like a normal person.

Everyone thought Adrian would cherish me for life.

Until that psychologist, Dr. Claire Hayes, appeared.

She came from humble beginnings but was boldly radiant, like a wild rose blooming under the blazing sun. Even Adrian, cold as ice, melted for her.

Because of Claire's comment that "she's just being dramatic," I was forced to begin so-called desensitization therapy.

The first time, she took me to the beach for some "sunbathing." After just one hour, I suffered severe burns all over my body and was rushed to the ICU.

The second time, Claire took me hiking in the desert but took away my protective suit midway. That time, I nearly died on the scorching sand dunes from respiratory failure.

The third time... which was this time, Claire hung my parents' urns outside the 28th-floor window, forcing me to climb a ladder under the scorching noon sun to retrieve them.

I finally exploded. I slapped Claire hard across the face and made a scene in front of Adrian, firmly demanding he fire this crazy woman.

"Adrian, where did you find this quack!"

I pointed at him, my voice trembling. "This is a physiological condition, not a psychological one! Why are you letting a psychologist torture me? She threatened me with my parents' ashes. Is that what a doctor does?"

But Adrian completely ignored my anger. His gaze went straight past me to Claire behind me.

Claire's fair face bore five clear finger marks, already swelling. She pressed her red lips together, looking at Adrian with stubborn defiance, her eyes full of grievance yet strength.

"I know this shock therapy is painful," she spoke, her voice catching slightly.

"But I'm experienced, and this will definitely help Ms. Everhart successfully desensitize. As long as she actively cooperates with me, I believe it won't be long before she can walk normally in the sunlight."

I saw the ice in Adrian's eyes instantly melt, overflowing with distress. "I'm sorry, Dr. Hayes. Stella wasn't like this before. I'm sorry you had to suffer."

Claire showed an "I understand everything" smile. "It's okay. As a doctor, being misunderstood by patients is common. But I will never give up on any patient in my care."

Adrian looked at her with growing admiration.

Then he turned to look at me, his expression instantly becoming cold and disappointed. "Stella, how did you become like this? Dr. Hayes is doing this for your own good. How could you hit someone? Where did all that elite education you received go?"

I shouted hysterically, my eyes red. "She threatened me with my parents' ashes! Shouldn't I hit her? Adrian, can you really tolerate someone desecrating my parents' ashes like this, letting them have no peace even in death?"

"Silence!" Adrian cut me off sharply.

"Stella Everhart, it's because your parents spoiled you too much that you turned out so delicate! Who's responsible for your parents having no peace? If you could desensitize earlier and live freely, would they still need to worry about you?"

His words struck like lightning. Tears rolled down from my eyes one by one.

"So... you blame me?" My voice trembled. "You don't blame Claire for abusing me, but blame me instead?"

Adrian's eyes flickered for just a moment, seemingly with tenderness, but it was quickly replaced by determination.

"Stella, be good. Claire is doing this for you. Cooperate obediently and desensitize soon. Then I'll take you skiing in Switzerland, to see the Northern Lights in Iceland."

Claire chimed in from the side, like a victor. "That's right, Ms. Everhart. My treatment methods may be a bit intense, but they're very effective. Look, today is the third treatment, and you're already not as resistant to sunlight as before. That's huge progress. If you keep it up, you'll definitely succeed in desensitizing."

Adrian's firmness and unquestionable tone made my heart ache until I couldn't breathe.

Before, whatever I didn't want to do, Adrian never forced me. When had he ever yelled at me so severely?

I wiped away my tears and gave up struggling. No matter what, I couldn't let anything happen to my parents' ashes.

I obediently climbed up the ladder.

Claire stood to the side, smiling encouragingly. "Come on, Ms. Everhart."

Her magnanimity only made me seem more "tyrannical" and "unreasonable."

Yet clearly, I was always the one getting hurt.

My skin was already starting to burn. Today's sun was vicious, the light so bright I could barely open my eyes. Claire wouldn't let me wear sun protection clothing, claiming it was to let my skin "adapt" to sunlight as much as possible.

So I could only wear a tank top and shorts with no coverage.

I endured my fear of heights and climbed up step by step. As the height increased and I spent more time exposed to sunlight, the burning sensation on my skin intensified.

I looked down at my arm. Large patches of red rashes had already appeared, with transparent blisters forming.

I felt like butter thrown into an oven, ready to melt at any moment. The excruciating pain slowed my movements.

Just then, Claire's voice came from below. "Ms. Everhart, you need to hurry. To control exposure time and reduce damage, I've set a countdown. One more minute and the mechanical claw will automatically release."

My heart jumped in shock.

How dare Claire do this?

I couldn't care about the pain anymore and desperately grabbed the ladder, climbing upward with all my might. But I was just a patient who'd lived indoors for years-how could I possibly have the skills of a professional stunt performer?

One minute wasn't enough time for me to climb the remaining distance.

When I used every ounce of strength and my fingertips finally touched the endpoint, the mechanical claw released.

I reached out desperately trying to grab them, but could only watch helplessly as my parents' urns slipped from my fingertips.

They fell from the 28th floor and smashed hard on the concrete, shattering into pieces.

"No!"

I screamed in anguish. In desperation, I jumped directly from the ladder.

Fortunately, I still had a safety rope attached.

When I landed in a daze, Adrian didn't first check my injuries. Instead, he rushed over and slapped me across the face.

"Stella! Have I been too lenient with you?"

He roared angrily. "You have such a temper that you don't even care about your own life when resisting? How can you face your deceased parents? Claire already said those were just prop boxes filled with flour. How could she be insane enough to actually threaten you with real ashes!"

I froze, my cheek burning with pain.

Claire rushed over in a panic, standing in front of me like a saint. "Adrian, don't blame Ms. Everhart. It's all my fault. Perhaps this aggressive therapy is still too soon for Ms. Everhart!"

Before she could finish, I shoved her hard from behind.

"I don't want your fake concern!"

Claire fell down on cue, her forehead hitting the steps, immediately drawing a trickle of blood.

"Stella Everhart, you've gone too far!"

Adrian scooped Claire up, his eyes stabbing at me coldly. Then without another glance at me, he turned and strode away.

I knelt on the ground, tears falling one by one onto the scorching concrete.

In that moment, a thought hazily emerged in my mind: Adrian no longer belonged to me.

I cried as I tried to collect the fragments on the ground, attempting to scoop up those gray-white powder. As their daughter, wouldn't I know whether my parents' urns were real or fake? There were marks I'd deliberately carved on them to distinguish them.

Flour... all lies.

Before I could gather them all, a gust of wind swept through, scattering the ashes into the air. Gone. Never to be recovered.

I had also stayed under the sun too long, and the severe allergic reaction finally caused me to go into shock.

I couldn't breathe. My vision went black, and I passed out completely.

When I woke up, the hospital room was empty, with only the ticking sound of machines.

My entire body was wrapped in thick bandages like a mummy. My throat was parched. I struggled to sit up to pour water, but faintly heard Adrian on the phone on the balcony outside the door.

"I know Claire's methods are somewhat extreme, but without doing this, Stella will never be able to walk in sunlight for the rest of her life."

His voice carried exhaustion. "Keeping her like this, raising her for ten years-I'm really tired."

"I know what my adoptive parents had in mind, but in my heart, Stella will forever only be my sister."

"I can't spend my life being a 'vampire' with her. I just want to experience a normal man's life, marry a normal wife who can walk with me during the day, vacation at the beach... am I wrong?"

My heart suddenly tore open a huge hole, cold wind rushing in.

Adrian was our Everhart family's adopted son. Though nominally my brother, everyone in our circle knew what my parents had in mind when they adopted him.

I couldn't live like a normal person, so Adrian was the future husband the Everhart family had chosen for me, and also my guardian.

I had always known. I'd long harbored feelings for this gentle, patient man. I thought we would naturally get married and spend our lives together.

Only now did I realize Adrian never thought that way. He only saw me as a burden he couldn't shake off.

I laughed bitterly, tears sliding down silently.

If he never planned to spend his life with me, there was no need to find such high-sounding reasons, or even bring in a doctor to torture me.

I didn't blame him for wanting to pursue a normal life. I only hated why he had to use this method to crush my dignity.

I took out my phone and pulled up that cross-border email that had been sitting in my drafts for ages.

After thinking for a moment, I finally pressed reply. "Mr. Holt, about that Northern European treatment immigration plan you mentioned before-I accept."