Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
Summary & Review: Treatment
Raised voices dragged the protagonist from the depths of unconsciousness. Harsh fluorescent lights glared above her as she awoke in what seemed to be a school nurse’s office. Confusion gripped her—she had no idea how she had ended up there. A furious woman with overdone makeup—Linda Morgan—was shouting at a weary nurse, accusing the school of negligence after her daughter collapsed during gym class. The nurse calmly explained that the girl, Jade Morgan, had suffered from low blood sugar and hadn’t eaten all day.
Before she could stop herself, the protagonist snapped, ordering both women to “shut up.” The command silenced them instantly, but what stunned her most was the unfamiliar voice that came out of her mouth. Looking down, she saw thick arms and hands that weren’t hers. Panic and disbelief coursed through her. Her attention shifted to a television in the room reporting a breaking news story: a private island in the Caribbean had been obliterated by a massive explosion, leaving no survivors.
The words hit her like lightning. She remembered that island—the secret facility, the chaos, the detonation, and her own death. Yet here she was, alive and breathing, but in someone else’s body. Then the memories came flooding in—alien yet vivid. School hallways. Cruel laughter. A frail boy with a limp. The name Jade Morgan surfaced like a bubble rising to the surface of a dark ocean. Two sets of memories—her past life as the world’s deadliest assassin known as Shadow, and Jade’s meek, bullied teenage existence—collided in her mind, sending pain shooting through her skull.
The nurse tried to speak, but Jade—now Shadow in Jade’s body—ordered everyone out of the room. Alone, she stumbled into the bathroom and stared at her reflection. Gone was the cold, lethal face she knew. In its place was a round-cheeked, overweight teenage girl with dull brown hair. Only the sharp, calculating eyes staring back reminded her of who she truly was. Testing the name on her tongue, she muttered, “Jade Morgan… better than Shadow, I suppose.”
Trying to regain her composure, she pieced things together logically: somehow, after her death on the island, her consciousness had transferred into this girl’s body. When the nurse returned, she dismissed her concern, saying she felt fine.
Outside, Linda Morgan—the girl’s mother—was still fuming. She thrust a few crumpled dollar bills and candies at Jade, telling her to take the bus home and to eat if she felt faint again. There was no warmth or care in her tone, only frustration. Watching the woman drive away, Shadow silently evaluated her: a bitter, resentful woman taking out her life’s disappointments on her children.
Rather than waste the little money given, Jade decided to walk home—two miles through a rundown neighborhood. The walk gave her time to think. Near her destination, she saw a thin boy with a limp stepping off the bus. Recognition sparked instantly—Max Morgan, Jade’s younger brother. Quiet and kind, yet ridiculed for his disability. He handed her an energy drink without a word. Their fingers brushed—a silent act of care that spoke volumes.
The Morgan family’s apartment was small and shabby. Inside her cramped bedroom, Jade collapsed from exhaustion. Her assassin mind was sharp, but Jade’s weak, untrained body was barely functional. Sleep came quickly.
Hours later, loud pounding and a shrill voice dragged her awake. “Hey, fatass! Mom says you have to make dinner!” It was Emily Morgan, the fifteen-year-old sister—pretty, cruel, and endlessly spiteful toward Jade. Shadow’s instincts flared. She opened the door abruptly, glaring down at the startled girl. “Problem?” she asked coldly. Emily froze, unnerved by the unfamiliar authority in Jade’s voice.
Just as Shadow was about to teach her a lesson, a soft male voice intervened—Frank Morgan, Jade’s father. He told her to rest, saying he would handle dinner. She backed down, though Emily clearly felt the change in her.
At dinner, Linda continued her tirades, complaining about everything—from Frank’s cooking to Jade’s supposed laziness. Shadow watched silently, studying the dynamics of this dysfunctional family. Linda insulted her husband relentlessly, blaming him for their poverty and even for Max’s disability. Frank endured it quietly, his worn face reflecting years of resignation.
When Linda mocked Jade for her poor grades and lack of ambition, Shadow simply replied, “I have plans.” Her calm defiance only infuriated Linda further. But what struck Shadow most was Max’s quiet kindness; he even placed a piece of chicken from his own plate onto hers when he noticed she hadn’t eaten much.
As dinner ended, Linda ordered Jade to do the dishes. Frank tried to defend her, saying she needed rest after collapsing at school, but Linda refused to relent. Shadow’s assassin instincts itched to snap back violently, to show Linda the consequences of disrespect. Yet before she could act, Max began quietly clearing the table himself. Linda scolded him, but Shadow’s cold, murderous stare silenced the entire room. Even Linda froze, sensing something different—something dangerous—in her daughter.
Later that night, Shadow stepped outside, surveying the small backyard and assessing her new body. Years of training and peak physical conditioning had been reduced to a sluggish, overweight teenage form. “First priority: physical conditioning,” she muttered, beginning a few stretches. This body was a prison—but one she intended to rebuild from the ground up.
Heading back inside, she noticed light from under Max’s door and entered. He was working through complex physics problems far beyond his grade level, struggling slightly. Glancing at his notes, Shadow instantly calculated the answer and wrote it down, explaining each step in detail. Max was stunned.
“That’s college-level physics,” he said. “You’re failing basic math.”
“They’re too boring,” she replied simply.
Max stared at her, bewildered. “Your report card says you’re failing almost everything. You’ve been pretending to be stupid?”
Shadow smirked faintly. “Those classes are beneath me.”
The boy gaped. “Why would anyone do that?”
But she didn’t answer. Shadow—the assassin reborn—was already planning her next move.
Inside this weak, ridiculed teenage body lay the mind of the world’s most efficient killer. Jade Morgan’s life of humiliation was over. Her bullies, her cruel mother, and the pathetic circumstances surrounding her new existence—none of them knew it yet, but a storm was coming. Shadow had died once on that island, but she had been reborn in this world with a new face, a new family, and unfinished business.
Now, with the instincts of an assassin and the anonymity of a teenage girl, she would carve out her next chapter—one where every insult, every humiliation, and every enemy would be repaid in full.
