The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 173

Each day on Mirage Cay was a monotonous grind, a kind of suffering that gnawed at the soul. When Citrine arrived, she brought a flicker of light to the dull, joyless lives of the others. She wasn't just a distraction, though her extraordinary gift for medicine quickly caught the attention of Sellers, Una, and Farris. Before long, all three had taken her under their wing as an apprentice.

They poured everything they knew into teaching Citrine, and she proved more than worthy-soon, she surpassed her mentors, her talent shining even brighter than theirs ever had.

But after a year, the first rift split open between Citrine and her teachers, Sellers and Farris.

The reason? In order to stay alive, the two had agreed to help the island's owner develop new drugs.

When Citrine found out, she confronted them head-on. "How could you agree to this? You're doctors-you're supposed to save people, not betray your principles!" Sellers didn't see it her way. "What choice do we have?" he shot back, his voice cold. "If we refuse, they'll kill us." He clung to the desperate hope that if he just did as he was told, maybe, someday, they'd let him go free.

"We were forced into it," Farris echoed, aligning himself with Sellers' logic.

Citrine laughed bitterly. "And you really believe that doing what they ask will keep you alive? These people are monsters. No one who comes here gets out alive."

and Farris

it

on the other hand, refused to compromise-even if it meant death. As punishment, the

the three of them were barely clinging to

that, Sellers and Farris abandoned the last shreds of

island. At the same time, a client's order for hearts was still ten short. To fill the quota, the island's

whoever didn't make it out alive would supply the missing

person was handed

slammed shut, everyone drew their blades. In an instant,

slaughterhouse, blood pooling

and Hanson shielded Citrine behind them, fending off the chaos. When the fighting finally died down, only the five of them were left standing. The room, thick with the stench of blood and fear, fell into an eerie

one more had

suddenly turned, his gaze landing on Citrine behind Una, eyes