Shattered Vows: A Billionaire’s Redemption
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“Faking death?”
The voice on the other end of the line was filled with shock and hesitation.
“Miss Jane, are you sure about this? Our team is professional, no doubt, but once you go through with this paperwork, it’s as if you’ve vanished from society. You’ll never be able to show your face to your family and friends again..”
“I’m sure, Jane Faulkner’s voice was soft yet resolute. “Let’s set the date for seven days from now.”
Seven days later was her sister Summer Faulkner’s final surgery.
At this very moment, Jane’s blood was steadily flowing into a specialized container, waiting to be sent to Summer’s hospital room.
The nurse, seeing Jane’s pale complexion, couldn’t help but interject with concern. “Doesn’t your family have anyone else with this rare blood type? You can’t keep doing this alone! You nearly fainted earlier!”
Before Jane could respond, the door swung open, and a visibly anxious William Grant rushed in.
“Is it done yet? Summer can’t hold on much longer.”
The nurse quickly explained, “Mr. Grant, Miss Faulkner doesn’t seem to be feeling well-”
William frowned impatiently, cutting her off. “What now?”
The word “now” hit Jane like a needle, small and sharp, pricking deep into her heart.
William grasped her wrist and let out a sigh.
“Jane, stop making a scene. We’re at a critical point after the second surgery. Who else can help Summer if not you?”
“I know this isn’t fair to you, but… I owe Summer too much. Please, think of this as helping me repay my debt to her, okay?”
“You’ve gotten through it all these years, haven’t you? Just bear it a little longer. It’ll all be over soon.”
Jane stared at him calmly. Yes, she had endured it all for so many years.
It didn’t make sense for her to stop now.
But… she couldn’t bear it any longer.
From the very beginning, Jane Faulkner’s life had been marked by “expectations.”
Summer Faulkner had been born with severe anemia, her blood type so rare that even hospitals often ran out of stock. She was the beloved darling of the family, raised like a delicate treasure, but growing up, she couldn’t escape bouts of fainting spells and emergency hospital visits.
Jane Faulkner was born to fill that gap.
She was healthy, which was fortunate. But she shared the same rare blood type, which was unfortunate.
Put bluntly, she was Summer’s “walking blood bag.”
Jane’s existence was for one purpose: to keep Summer alive.
She thought her life was destined to stay that way–until she met William Grant in college.
William was the one who taught her to fight back, the one who showed her that there was another way to live. That she didn’t have to belong to anyone but herself.
<
At the time, Summer had a crush on William, so Jane and William’s relationship was kept in secret.
For the first time in her twenty–something years of life, Jane had “taken” something from her sister.
When the truth came out, the family’s fury was like a tidal wave. Jane became the ungrateful villain in everyone’s eyes.
The day she was kicked out of the house, she called William, who was away on a business trip. She couldn’t even say a word–just let out a sob.
William immediately booked the next flight back, showing up by her side that very night.
He held her close and said, “Jane, you can always count on me.”
With William’s support, Jane cut ties with her family and thought she could finally live a life of her own.
But then William’s family business ran into trouble.
To protect Jane, William kept everything from her.
It wasn’t until Summer went to prison to take the fall for William that Jane learned the truth–that William was supposed to be the one behind bars.
By the time William managed to get Summer out on bail, it was too late. Summer had suffered greatly in prison. Her pelvis had been fractured, leaving her nearly paralyzed.
That day, William carried Summer into the emergency room, his eyes bloodshot, and hoarsely pleaded with Jane:
“Jane, only you can save her.”
It was like the first twenty years of her life all over again.
She was back to being her sister’s supplement.
But having glimpsed a better life, Jane couldn’t go back.
She didn’t want to be a blood bag anymore.
And she didn’t want William anymore, either.
After the transfusion, Summer’s face regained some color.
She smiled weakly and asked Jane, “Jane, are you okay? What do you feel like eating? I’ll have William get it for you…”
Her words carried a subtle claim of ownership, as if she and William shared a deeper intimacy.
Jane replied coolly, “Don’t bother. You should rest. I’m heading out.”
But Summer grabbed her wrist.
“Jane… are you mad at me?”
Her lips quivered, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
“Jane, I know this has been hard on you. I promise, once this surgery is done, I’ll never come between you and William again.”
“How could it be a bother?” William walked in with two thermoses in hand, frowning as he overheard the conversation. “Jane, what did you say to your sister?”
“Summer, if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have suffered so much. Don’t worry, I’ll take full responsibility.”
Summer’s eyes reddened with gratitude. “William, it’s okay. I chose this myself.”
D
9:16 AM
<
Jane couldn’t listen to another word of their heart–wrenching “sacrifice and devotion.” She turned and walked out of the room.
William followed her, shoving one of the thermoses into her hands. “I got you red date and goji berry soup–it’s good for replenishing blood. You’ve just had a transfusion. Drink up.”
Jane didn’t take it.
She stared at the steaming thermos, her brow furrowing slightly.
“William, I’m allergic to red dates.”
William froze.
The one who loved red dates was Summer.
She’d been anemic since childhood, and their mother had always made sure there were endless supplies of red dates for her. Summer had
tried every variety under the sun and never got tired of them.
“I forgot…” William retracted the thermos, pressing his fingers to his temple. “Jane, it’ll all be fine once your sister gets through the surgery.”
“Go take care of her,” Jane replied flatly.
She didn’t bother arguing. Ever since she’d seen a property deed at home a few days ago, she hadn’t felt like wasting energy talking to William.
It was for the luxury apartment next door. Only now, the owner’s name had been changed to Summer Faulkner.
That day, Jane ran into the neighbor who was moving out and struck up a conversation.
The neighbor smiled and said, “Miss Jane, you’ve got yourself a great boyfriend.”
Jane smiled politely and asked, “Why do you say that?”
The neighbor replied, “Well, he said your sister’s been sick and needs someone to take care of her, so he bought this apartment from me–for double the market price! I mean, if he’s this thoughtful about your sister, he must treat you even better.”
In that moment, Jane’s smile froze on her face.
She held the property deed in her hand, her curiosity about the details suddenly vanishing.
William had made his decision, all without consulting her.
Maybe he didn’t think he needed to. Maybe he believed Jane wouldn’t object to her sister living next door.
William’s hand on her arm brought her back to reality.
“There’s something I haven’t had a chance to discuss with you yet,” he said hesitantly.
“What is it?”
“After Summer’s final surgery, I was thinking we could bring her home for a while. Just until she’s fully recovered,” William said, carefully. “It’ll be more convenient that way.”
“Sure,” Jane replied without hesitation, her quick agreement catching William off guard.
“You’re not against it?” he asked, surprised.
Jane merely said, “It’s your house. Do whatever you want.”
She brushed his hand off her arm, leaving William with his outstretched arm hanging in midair.
9:16 AM dd.
<
And just like that, she walked away. William watched her go, suddenly unsure of himself.
The day after she received her fake medical records, Jane followed the agency’s instructions and signed a body donation agreement.
The agreement was real, but the person who would “die” was an actor hired by the agency to stage her death.
To make the arrangement more convincing, the agency recommended getting a family member to co–sign.
So Jane called Mrs. Faulkner.
Mrs. Faulkner’s voice was as cold as ever. “The one who’s dying is Summer. What nonsense are you up to now? A body donation? Do you think if you die, we won’t find someone else with the same rare blood type?”
“You’ve really grown wings, haven’t you? Forgotten your place completely.”
