Claire was a medical miracle, but miracles are expensive. Within two weeks, the "recovery" was overshadowed by a mountain of bills. Collectors called at all hours. The hospital was threatening legal action for the "unauthorized" removal of equipment.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsT5u1HBB3v
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Julian sat in the kitchen, wearing three layers of wool sweaters and gloves. Even with the oven turned to 200°C, he was shivering. To him, the air felt like a liquid nitrogen bath.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPx6rVMPHp
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Claire walked in, vibrant and glowing. She reached out to touch his shoulder, and Julian flinched.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugTXzn51WC
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"Julian, you're scaring me," she whispered. "You haven't touched me since I woke up. You’re acting like I’m a ghost."137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzChQg2TrDU
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"I'm just... sick, Claire. I can't get warm," he lied.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIsEjiNSPH9
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He felt the weight of the Obsidian Heart in his pocket. It was the only thing in the world that felt warm to him—a sickening, organic heat that pulsed against his thigh. He was drowning in debt, and he was losing his wife all over again because he couldn't stand to be near her "frozen" body.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuDmctDpnh
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The Second Wish137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbeWDUsdCz
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"I wish we didn't have to worry," Julian muttered, his teeth chattering. He gripped the Heart through the fabric of his pants. "I wish we had enough money to fix everything. To live the life we were supposed to have."137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBH8WAR8vdr
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The Heart kicked like a dying fish.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRmpK2ydib
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A sudden, sharp pain lanced through Julian’s temples. It felt like a needle being threaded through his brain, stitching and un-stitching his thoughts. He gasped, falling to his knees.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA5SZJOJjQs
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Flash.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqMXIf2L1Ys
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The Golden Cage137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9kEXGfXAD
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The kitchen changed. The rotted floorboards were gone, replaced by Italian marble. The smell of dampness was replaced by the scent of lilies and expensive wax. Julian was wearing a tailored suit.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡna7P7yyfMz
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He looked at the table. A legal document sat there—a settlement from the trucking company. Ten million dollars. "We did it, Jules!" Claire laughed, spinning around the opulent room. She looked like a queen. "We finally made it. Remember when we talked about this? Back when things were hard?"137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXDiwEd0IW
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Julian looked at her. He looked at the beautiful woman in the silk dress. He felt the cold air hitting his skin—still freezing, still biting—but that wasn't the problem.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBRsH7XF6xT
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He didn't know who she was.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKcKZr27axN
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He knew her name was Claire. He knew she was his wife. But the "Data" was disconnected from the "Feeling." He looked at her and felt the same thing you feel when you look at a stranger on a bus.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjluTubG0tt
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The Identity Debt137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi5pcssgXVG
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The Heart had taken the Emotional Anchors.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHvFm2zJml
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He couldn't remember their wedding day.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp72WPOIsga
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He couldn't remember the car accident.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrZi28I1Uh9
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He couldn't remember why he had been so desperate to wake her up in the first place.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQO2hvUM1NZ
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He was a rich man living in a palace with a beautiful stranger. The money was there to "fix everything," but the "everything" it was supposed to fix had been erased from his heart.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbP7CJLu7n
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"Julian? What's wrong?" Claire asked, her smile faltering.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjLXK0wZQA
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"I... I don't remember," he whispered. He looked down at his gloved hands. He had the money, but he had lost the reason for the greed. He was a ghost haunting a life he no longer owned.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJMP6XDfH5
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He pulled the Heart from his pocket. It was larger now. More swollen. The silver wires were almost buried under the expanding, blackened flesh. It was no longer a "recursive debt"—it was a host.137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUmnbziVds
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1234 copyright protection133ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OcvkxYIgT 尼137Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhbJcxsBZy