The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel 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."

But Sellers and Farris refused to budge.

The island's owner soon set up a private laboratory for the two of them, and it wasn't long before they managed to create a new kind of drug—exactly what he wanted.

Citrine, Una, and Hanson, on the other hand, refused to compromise—even if it meant death. As punishment, the island's owner locked them in a kennel with vicious dogs for three days and nights.

When the doors finally opened, the three of them were barely clinging to life.

After that, Sellers and Farris abandoned the last shreds of their conscience and plunged deeper into the abyss.

A savage hunger flickered in his eyes.

Among the five of them, Citrine was the weakest. If they sacrificed her, the rest would be spared.

The moment Sellers looked at her, Citrine understood his intent. A chill ran through her, leaving her blood cold.

She took a cautious step back, hand moving to her knife, ready to defend herself. But before she could act, Una stepped forward, arms spread wide to shield her. She glared at Sellers, fury burning in her voice. "She's our apprentice, Sellers! If you can't even spare your own apprentice, what kind of person are you?"

After three years together, Una had come to see Citrine as her own.

For just a heartbeat, something like guilt flickered in Sellers' eyes—but it was quickly swallowed by the twisted resolve on his face.