Seeing him beaten and bloodied like that twisted something inside me.
Very few people even knew I had died. But the drunk—he was the only one who never left me, even after death.
He was just a homeless guy who once got caught stealing and was beaten half to death for it. I paid for his treatment and gave him a few warm meals. That was all.
After that, he saw me as his savior—refused to leave, insisted on staying near the villa to “watch over” me.
Even that day, when Eric came to the villa in secret and pushed me off the balcony, the drunk was right outside the door.
He saw me fall with his own eyes, helpless to stop it.
Falling from the fifth floor should’ve killed me instantly. But it didn’t. I survived—barely.
The drunk panicked. He ran for help like a madman. But while he was gone, Eric came back—furious that I was still alive. He hired a few thugs and they finished the job.
They dismembered me—while I was still alive.
“As long as you’re breathing, you’ll always be a threat between me and Nadia,”
“But if you're dead, I’ll be the only man in her life.”
“Don’t blame me when you reach the underworld, Patrick. Blame your luck for becoming an obstacle in my way.”
That wicked smile of his—that image still burns in my memory. Maybe my resentment ran too deep—so deep, even death couldn’t release me.
I never moved on, never reincarnated. I remained here, bound to this place.
It wasn’t like I’d done something so monstrous that I deserved this—being tortured, torn apart and left to rot like garbage.
Even when I was lying in that narrow hole, as dirt filled my eyes and flooded my lungs, I wasn’t thinking about revenge. I just wanted to see my son one last time.
I married into the Verne Family. My son took Nadia’s surname. But she never loved me—and worse, she never loved our child. Even though he was her own flesh and blood, she treated him with cold indifference.
And who’s to say what Eric might do to Leo now that I’m gone?
Three days passed. And as she promised… she came back.
Nadia showed up at the villa again, this time dragging Eric along. And beside them walked a little boy in a suit—Leo.
My little boy!
I rushed toward him without thinking, desperate to reach him—even if I couldn’t touch him anymore.
But before I could get close, Nadia clamped a hand around his neck.
“Patrick!” she screamed into the air, “This is your last chance! Your three days deadline’s up. If you don’t come out now, don’t blame me for what happens next. I’ll strangle your son with my own hands!”
She really would’ve done it. That’s how much she adored Eric. She’d rather kill her own child than let me keep hiding from her demands.
She even brought an entire medical team—ready to cut out my kidney on the spot.
“Patrick, you can survive with one kidney. But Eric’s dying. His time’s almost up.”
“I’m giving you five seconds. Five… four… three…”
Leo’s face turned purple, gasping under her grip. He struggled, but he was just a kid. No match for her strength. Still, his eyes never wavered. They looked right toward the villa.
And then—he spoke.
“Dad… don’t come out. Don’t worry about me.”
“You already gave Mom one of your kidneys. If you give another… you’ll die.”
He yelled it between breaths, tears in his eyes, but not fear.
Conviction.
Nadia’s hand froze mid-squeeze. She stared down at him, stunned. “What did you just say?”
Leo glared at her. “You’ve been fooled, Mom.”
“It wasn’t him who gave you a kidney when you were sick,” he pointed to Eric, “It was Dad.”
Her face twisted in disbelief.
“He lied to you. He wanted to take Dad’s place, so he made up that story about being your donor. He made you believe he was your savior.”
“And he didn’t fell. He threw himself down the stairs just to frame Dad. Dad didn’t push him. He was innocent!”
