In the fifth year of my marriage to Julian, after eight failed rounds of IVF, I finally conceived twins. But four months into the pregnancy, the woman he’d always loved, his high school sweetheart, came back to the country. She had kidney failure and needed a transplant. From that day on, my husband stopped coming home after work. Instead, he went to the hospital. The parenting books on our nightstand were replaced with medical journals. One day, Julian, whom I hadn't seen in ages, came home and wrapped his arms around me, his voice ecstatic. "Scarlett, you're my lucky star! Tens of thousands of people were tested, but you're the only one who's a match for Thea." "If you give her one of your kidneys, she'll be saved." For a moment, I thought I was hearing things. "You mean," I asked, my voice barely a whisper, "you want me to terminate our pregnancy… to donate a kidney to Thea?" Julian, lost in his joy, didn't seem to notice my shock. "We can always have more children, Scarlett. Thea's health is what's most important right now." I stared at him, at the cruel excitement in his eyes, and wondered if he had any idea what he was saying. 1. He didn't seem to register the horror on my face. "With your kidney," he continued, beaming, "Thea will make a full recovery." My head was spinning. I looked him straight in the eye, needing to hear it again. "You want me to donate my kidney to Thea?" He tapped my nose playfully, a gesture that once felt endearing. "My wife is so smart. And so kind. Thea was worried you wouldn't agree because of the babies." When had I ever said I would agree? My voice trembled with rage. "You want me to get rid of the babies I fought so hard to conceive… to give a kidney to Thea?!" A flicker of impatience crossed Julian's face. "Don't be so dramatic, Scarlett. We haven't even seen what these babies look like. But Thea… she's been a part of my life for over twenty years. You expect me to just stand by and watch her die?" Horror, disappointment, helplessness—a tidal wave of emotions washed over me, and my legs gave out. I collapsed onto the sofa. But there was no concern in his eyes, only a frantic urgency as he yanked me back to my feet. "Don't just sit there. We need to get to the hospital. There are a lot of tests to run." He pulled me up so abruptly I stumbled, my thin nightgown offering no protection from the sudden chill in the room. As we reached the door, I grabbed the frame, my knuckles white. "You're going to make me go out in my pajamas?" "Oh," he said, as if just noticing. He quickly grabbed a coat from the rack and threw it over my shoulders. "You're four months along, Scarlett. You're huge. It doesn't matter what you wear." He flashed the smile that had once captivated me. "Besides, it's not like I'm embarrassed by you." But I saw the flicker of disdain in his eyes. How could he say that? On the wall, our wedding photo seemed to mock me. I was once a beautiful, slender bride, full of hope. It was the years of fertility drugs that had stolen my figure. 2. The car sped through the city streets. Soon, we arrived at Thea's hospital. Nurses, doctors, even other patients, greeted Julian by name. He was, after all, the hospital's biggest benefactor. They knew me, too—as the woman who had undergone more failed IVF cycles than anyone else. We went to Dr. Mason's office. He was a good friend. Julian didn't waste any time. "Scarlett is a match for Thea," he announced. "Schedule the surgery as soon as possible." Mason, who had just taken a sip of water, choked, spraying it across his desk. "Julian, do you have any idea what you're saying?" A look of disgust crossed Julian's handsome face. "Are you deaf as well as stupid?" he sneered. "I said, schedule an abortion for Scarlett. She's donating a kidney to Thea." Mason's jaw dropped. I knew why he was so shocked. He had been with me through all eight rounds of IVF, through the endless, agonizing egg retrievals. He knew what this pregnancy meant to me. "Does Scarlett even agree to this?" Mason pressed, his voice strained. "She doesn't have a choice," Julian replied coldly. His words sent my heart plummeting back into the abyss. Five years of my understanding, my unconditional support, had led him to believe my opinion didn't matter. I stumbled out of the office and sank onto a bench in the hallway, leaning against the cold wall. A pair of elegant heels appeared in front of me. I knew, without looking up, that it was Thea. Even in the hospital, she was dressed in a beautiful designer dress, her makeup flawless. Julian had arranged a VIP suite for her, of course. I thought back to my own hospital stays during the IVF treatments. I had once asked if I could wear my own pajamas instead of the scratchy hospital gown. Julian had accused me of being an attention-seeker. The signs were always there, weren't they? I had just been lying to myself. I looked up. Thea was staring at me, her lip curled in a sneer. "Scarlett, you look pathetic. You're embarrassing Julian, showing up here like this. He owns this hospital, for God's sake. Have some respect." She flicked her hair back. "But I have to admit, you're smarter than I gave you credit for. You know what matters to him. Donating your kidney is the only way you're going to keep him." Just then, I felt a flutter. A tiny kick. For the first time, I felt my babies move. My hands flew to my belly, a protective instinct surging through me. Seeing my silence, Thea shoved me. "Are you deaf? Who do you think you are, clutching your stomach like that? You should be grateful for the opportunity to save me." "Besides," she hissed, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper, "those two little bastards should never have been born in the first place. Julian promised me…" I shot to my feet and slapped her, hard. "I don't want your charity, and I will not harm my children for a viper like you. You want my kidney? Dream on." The color drained from her already pale face. She stared at me, stunned. Then, she let out a piercing shriek. "Scarlett, how dare you hit me! You stole five years of my life with Julian! You owe me this!" She raised her hand to strike me, but I was ready. I shoved her, and she went sprawling to the floor. "I don't owe you anything," I said, my voice shaking with a lifetime of suppressed rage. "I've known women like you my whole life. The homewreckers who play the victim. You don't deserve to live." When I was a child, my father had an affair. His mistress, pregnant and triumphant, moved into our home. I watched my parents fight, listened to the screams that shattered our once-happy family. My mother, heartbroken, wasted away and died. That's why I married Julian. He had sworn he would only ever love me. That's why I had endured so much to have our children, to build the perfect, unbreakable family I'd always craved. Thea's cries brought Julian running. He saw her on the floor and, without a second thought, shoved me aside, rushing to her aid. "Thea, what happened? Are you okay?" He glared at me, his eyes blazing. Thea clutched his arm, her face streaked with tears. "Julian, what am I going to do? I made Scarlett angry. She won't give me her kidney. I don't want to die, Julian. I don't want to leave you." Then, to my astonishment, she knelt before me. "Scarlett, I'm begging you. Please, save my life." Julian immediately pulled her into his arms. "Shh, Thea, it's okay. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you." I couldn't watch this pathetic melodrama a second longer. I turned to leave, but Julian grabbed my arm. "Where do you think you're going? You're not leaving until you apologize to Thea." 3. I raised an eyebrow, a cold smile playing on my lips. "My husband is holding another woman in his arms, and I'm the one who has to apologize? Have you no shame, Julian?" His jaw tightened, a vein throbbing in his temple. Five years together had taught me to recognize this look. He was furious. Thea struggled to her feet, clinging to him. "Julian, it's okay. As long as Scarlett agrees to the donation, a little humiliation is nothing." And just like that, with a single word from her, the rage vanished from his face. He didn't even glance at me as he scooped her into his arms and carried her back to her room. My own legs felt like they were made of cotton as I somehow managed to walk out of the hospital. I assumed Julian would stay with Thea that night. But just as I was about to fall asleep, he came home. He tiptoed into the room, his cold hand slipping under my nightgown, his fingers tracing my waist as if nothing had happened. "Why were you so childish at the hospital today?" he murmured, his voice soft and familiar. "Getting jealous like a little girl. Thea and I are just friends." I no longer cared what they were. All that mattered was protecting my babies. He leaned in to kiss my forehead. I fought back a wave of nausea and took his hand, placing it on my belly. "Julian," I whispered, "the babies moved today. They kicked me. They're already…" "Enough!" He snatched his hand back as if he'd been burned. "I know you're attached to them, Scarlett. But are you really going to watch Thea die?" As a mother, my children would always come first. They had been inside me for four months. I had waited for them for five years. I decided to try one last time. "Julian, I'll do it," I said, my voice pleading. "I'll give Thea my kidney. But please, let's wait until after the babies are born. Then I'll do whatever you want." He stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then his voice turned to ice. "Thea can't wait. This disease is destroying her, body and soul. She lives in constant fear. Get some rest. We'll have other children." He left the room, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed the shattering of my heart, and the tears I'd been holding back finally fell. 4. Hours later, my tears finally ran dry. I picked up my phone and saw something that plunged me even deeper into despair. Julian had canceled all the orders for the baby supplies we'd picked out together. The crib, the stroller, the tiny clothes. The reason for return on every single item was the same: "Pregnancy terminated. No longer needed." He had even returned the pair of tiny pink socks he'd been so excited about. I remembered the way his eyes had lit up when he saw them. "My daughter has to have these," he'd said. Now, he didn't care. I wiped my eyes and got out of bed. I started to pack. I didn't have much. In my single-minded pursuit of pregnancy, I hadn't bought new clothes in years. I gathered the essentials, then started searching the house for anything of value. If I was going to do this alone, I would need money. Bank cards, cash, jewelry—I took everything I could find. I looked around the home I had shared with Julian for five years. There was a pang of sadness, but it was overshadowed by a gnawing anxiety for the future. But I would not let anyone hurt my children. I boarded a plane and flew to a city where no one knew me. I thought I had bought myself some time. I was wrong. On the third day, he found me. I was fast asleep. The babies had been particularly active the past few nights, and I was exhausted. A sharp, insistent knocking woke me. Thinking it was room service with my breakfast, I stumbled to the door. When I opened it, the face I never wanted to see again was staring back at me. Julian. His eyes were blazing with fury. "You've got some nerve, Scarlett. Running away with my money." He pulled a wad of cash and a credit card from his pocket and threw them in my face. "You love money so much? Here. Is this enough to buy your kidney? If not, I can add more." Tears blurred my vision. The man I had loved for five years felt no sadness, no regret at my absence. All he saw was a walking organ donation. Before I could react, he grabbed me. "It doesn't matter where you run, Scarlett. I will always find you. Donating your kidney to Thea is your only way out." He dragged me onto a plane and back to the hospital. He threw me into a private room and posted four guards at my door. Despair was a physical weight, crushing the air from my lungs. The babies, sensing my terror, kicked and tumbled inside me. Suddenly, I felt a warm gush between my legs. I looked down and saw blood. I curled into a ball on the bed, crying out his name. I didn't want to die. I didn't want my babies to die. Julian, fresh from Thea's room, stormed in and berated me in front of the guards. "She's a pathological liar. She'll do anything to get out of this. Just watch her. Make sure she doesn't leave. The rest doesn't matter. The babies will be gone soon enough anyway." His words were a physical blow. I started to tremble uncontrollably as I felt my life, and the lives of my children, draining away with the warm blood. Just as my eyes fluttered shut, a figure burst into the room.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394214", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel