3 When I woke up , my eyes met Adrian's . They were red - rimmed and bloodshot . The next thing I knew , he threw a blood pack , and it splattered across my face . His voice was like ice . " Quite the performance , Rosalie . Too bad Penny found the blood pack you had prepared . Faking a collapse in front of all those peo- ple just to frame me ... your little schemes have gotten much more clever . " I stared at him , stunned , for a long second . Then i grabbed the vase from the nightstand and hurled it at him . A satisfying line of red bloomed on his forehead , and only then did the inferno in my chest die down to a simmer . My voice was a raw rasp . " You idiot . Get out . I don't want to see your face . " Adrian let out a sound that was half - laugh , half - scoff , his tone dripping with sarcasm . " Penny and I are moving out tomorrow . From now on , you can throw your tantrums all you want . There will be no one left to stop you ." 1 turned my head away , my voice flat and cold . " Good . Out of sight , out of mind . " But the moment the door slammed shut , tears streamed down my face like broken strings of pearls . That bastard . I muttered curses under my breath as I got up and pulled a worn , yellowed photograph from a drawer . It was a picture of our family of four . My trembling fingers traced the smiling faces of our parents . Mom , Dad ... your precious daughter is dying tomorrow , and there's no one left to even claim her body . Just as I regained a sliver of strength , Penny showed up at my door with a food container . She wore the same smug , triumphant smile I had come to despise . She laid out the food - a spread of rich , greasy dishes . Chapter 1 14:43 The cancer had spread everywhere , even to my stomach . I could barely handle liquids , let alone something so heavy with oil and salt . I looked at her , my eyes cold , and pointed to the door . " You have sixty seconds to get out . When time's up , I'm throwing this food , and you , out the window . " Penny gasped , covering her mouth in mock surprise . She looked me up and down , her voice dripping with exaggerated pity . " You really are sick . " " Is this what they call karma , Rosalie ? " The words had barely left her mouth before I snatched a bowl of hot , red soup and flung its contents directly at her face . The scalding liquid made her shriek in agony . The sound was music to my ears , and a slow , satisfied smile spread across my face . But at that exact moment , the door opened . Standing in the doorway was Adrian , his face as black as thunder . Behind him stood a dozen doctors and nurses , their mouths slightly agape in shock at the scene before them . One of the doctors couldn't help but ask , " Mr. Sterling , who exactly is the patient ? " Adrian pulled the weeping , red - faced Penny into his arms . He remained surprisingly calm as he instructed the butler to see the medical team out . " We don't need doctors . Call the morgue . They can wait to collect her corpse . " His voice was devoid of all emotion . " She'll kill herself with one of her fits eventually . " He glanced at the food spilled on the floor . " And don't bother bringing her any more of this . " I laughed , a raw , broken sound , and shouted at his retreating back . " Hey , you bastard ! On the day of my funeral , don't forget to burn the house down for me too ! " In all the years of fighting with Adrian , going hungry was nothing new . But this time was different . I couldn't bear it . The searing pain in my head and the gnawing ache in my stomach sent me into waves of dizziness . I'd pass out at my computer , wake up , and pass out again . I was racing against the clock , knowing that every second was precious . After all this time , my investigation into our parents ' death was finally bearing fruit - and all signs pointed to Penny's family . After another sleepless night , fueled by nothing but adrenaline , the chain of evidence was complete . I backed up one copy and sent another to the police . With that done , I dragged my exhausted body back to my room . I wanted to close my eyes for the last time in this room , a place that still held the warmth of our family . But when I opened the drawer , the spot where our family portrait should have been was empty .