Chapter 1 Five years ago , Celia Fairborne was in a devastating car accident while trying to save her family , leaving her in a coma . Five years later , when she finally woke up , her world had been turned upside down . Her parents and brother had taken in an adopted daughter - Mireya Quinn . They showered Mireya with affection , and even Aurelian Graves , Celia's childhood sweetheart and fiancé , seemed completely captivated by her . " We brought Mireya home because she reminded us so much of you , " they explained . " Having her around … it kinda made us feel like we hadn't lost all of you . " But Celia couldn't take it anymore - she flat - out demanded they get Mireya out of the house . Then tragedy struck . On the way to take Mireya to her new placement , their car crashed . Her parents and Mireya were killed instantly . From that moment on , her brother Silas Fairborne and Aurelian's love for Celia turned to bitter hatred . " Three people are dead because of you ! " they snapped . " All because of your stupid , jealous pride ! They'd still be here if you hadn't pushed them away ! " They tormented her , made her pay for what they saw as her cruelty . And she accepted it all , believing she deserved their punishment . Three years of their abuse left her broken in every way imaginable . Then came the final blow - stage four cancer . Dr. Morrow delivered the verdict : she had less than a month to live . But as she wandered through Manhattan in a daze , she passed by the windows of an upscale hotel restaurant and froze . There , gathered around a table , were her supposedly dead parents , Silas , and Aurelian - celebrating Mireya's birthday . Mireya sat there wearing a tiara , glowing like a princess . Celia stood outside , thunderstruck . Before she could process what she was seeing , she heard Aurelian's voice : " She's had it rough enough already . Like , are we seriously still doing this ? " Silas chuckled , cutting into his steak . " Let's give it till her birthday next month . A bit more misery might finally get her head straight - maybe then she won't be so quick to shove Mireya out . " Her mother Millicent sighed , though she didn't sound particularly sympathetic . " She's just too stubborn . Sometimes , tough love's the only thing that gets through to people . " His father Conrad raised his wine glass with satisfaction . " Well , looks like our little act did the trick . No way she'll go after Mireya again after this . " Celia stood frozen in the shadows , her whole body going numb the second she heard those words . It was all a lie . They weren't dead . They had orchestrated an elaborate hoax - faking their own deaths just to break her spirit and force her to accept Mireya . The bitter irony wasn't lost on her . Her own parents , her brother , and Aurelian - the man who had promised to love her forever - had played the cruelest game imaginable , all for the sake of their precious adopted daughter . But they didn't know the truth . They planned to " resurrect " themselves in a month , expecting a tearful reunion and her grateful acceptance of Mireya . 23:57 Killed Me for Your Precious Angel ? Now Pray She Can Save You from Hell 0.0 % Chapter 1 She'd be dead long before they could end their twisted charade . The scene inside was warm and joyful , but Celia couldn't stomach another second of it . She stumbled away from the hotel , her mind flooded with three years of nightmares . Every single day for three years , she'd lived with crushing guilt . She'd wake up screaming from dreams of that burning car , of her parents crying for help in the flames , of Mireya's terror - filled eyes staring back at her . So she'd never said no to their punishments . She took everything Aurelian and Silas threw at her , believing she deserved it all . She let Aurelian wrap his hands around her throat night after night , hissing " You killed them " as she gasped for air . She endured Silas forcing her to kneel in the memorial hall for three straight days and nights . She wrote " I'm sorry " thousands of times until her fingers bled raw - because they demanded it . And it was all a lie . Every last bit of it . She barely made it home before collapsing , blood spattering across the entryway . In the bathroom , she hunched over the toilet as blood and tears poured out of her . Her hands shook as she dry - swallowed painkillers , and she'd barely managed to clean up the mess when the door slammed open . " I called you a hundred times . What is this ? Playing dead to get sympathy ? " Silas stood in the doorway , his face cold as stone . " Trying to skip out on today's penance ? " Aurelian appeared behind him , frowning . " What the hell are you doing on the floor ? " Celia didn't answer . She just looked up at them with hollow eyes . " What do you want me to atone for today ? " The two men exchanged a look . " Head over to the north side , " Aurelian said with casual indifference . " Pick up some osmanthus cakes for Raya . " Celia let out a bitter laugh . Raya … Raya Quinn . The woman Aurelian and Silas had brought home a month after " Mireya's death " was the spitting image of Mireya . Back then , Celia had been naive enough to think they'd found some look - alike to help with their grief . Now she understood . What replacement ? It was Mireya all along - they didn't even bother hiding it . Just slapped a new name on her and called it a day . " Fine . I'll go . " Celia was too drained to fight anymore . She was dying anyway - what was the point ? The osmanthus cake shop on the north side meant a two - hour wait . She stood there swaying in the blazing sun , black spots dancing across her vision . First trip back : " These are stone cold . " Second trip : " Way too sweet . " Third trip : " The shape looks awful . " By the seventh trip , she finally got the " perfect " cakes , only to get sideswiped by a scooter on the way home . The rider took off , leaving her to drag her bleeding legs back to the house . " Your osmanthus cakes . " Celia held out the bag to Raya . " Blood ! " Raya opened the box and let out a piercing scream . " There's blood all over them ! " Aurelian and Silas came running . The second they appeared , Raya threw herself into their arms , tears streaming . " Aurelian ! Silas ! If she didn't want to 23:57 Killed Me for Your Precious Angel ? Now Pray She Can Save You from Hell 1.6 % Chapter 1 get them for me , she could've just said so ! Why did she have to ruin them with blood to mess with me ? " Both men's expressions turned murderous after seeing the bloodstained cakes , " Did you do this on purpose ? " Aurelian's voice was deadly quiet . Celia slumped against the wall , her legs still throbbing from the hit - and - run . " No … I got hit by a scooter on the way back . The blood just got on them . " " Hit by a scooter ? " Silas let out a cold laugh and strode over . " Do I look stupid to you ? If you'd actually been in an accident , you wouldn't be standing here talking . " He grabbed her wrist roughly . " Since you love making up stories , let's make this one real . James , Cole - get her outside . Now . " The two bodyguards seized Celia by the arms and dragged her out like dead weight . Her knees scraped raw against the stone path , but no one gave a damn . On the back lawn , Aurelian and Silas were already in their black Maybach , engine growling like a beast ready to pounce . " Aurelian … Silas … " she struggled to stand . " I'm not lying- " The car was already speeding toward her . BANG ! Pain exploded through every bone in her body . Celia went flying like a ragdoll , hitting the grass yards away . Blood poured from her mouth as consciousness slipped away . When she finally came to , the sharp smell of antiseptic filled her nose . She cracked her eyes open , the harsh hospital lights making her head pound . " How is there so much blood ? " Aurelian's voice carried from the hallway , tight with something that might have been panic . " We barely touched her ! " " I know , " Silas sounded shaken . " We pulled back at the last second . " Dr. Morrow's weary voice cut through their confusion . " The patient is in end - stage cancer . The disease has metastasized throughout her body . An impact like that … you've essentially fast - tracked her death . " ♡ ( 0 )