I was secretly married to Liam Ashford, Hollywood’s golden boy, for five years. Our son, Leo, was just diagnosed with leukemia. And Liam, the A-list actor beloved by millions, is the only bone marrow match. But to protect the newest starlet hanging from his arm, he kicked us away. “His life,” he said, his voice like ice, “isn’t worth a single strand of her hair.” I wiped my tears, my hand trembling as I dialed a number I hadn’t touched in five years. “Mr. Ashford,” I said into the phone. “Would you be interested in meeting your only grandson?” 1 I spent the entire night in the hard plastic chair of the emergency room hallway, holding a feverish Leo in my arms. My phone’s screen lit up and dimmed, over and over, but the call to Liam went straight to voicemail every time. Leo was burning up in my lap, his small face flushed, his lips chapped and dry. He tugged weakly at my sleeve. “Mommy, am I going to die?” he whispered. “Is that why Daddy doesn’t want me anymore? Because I’m sick?” My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a giant fist, the pain so sharp I could barely breathe. All I could do was kiss his forehead again and again, murmuring lies. “No, baby, of course not. Daddy loves you so much. He’s just busy with work.” The next morning, Liam’s name was trending everywhere. The headline, splashed across TMZ and every gossip blog, was: #LiamAshford’sFranticNight, Rushes AvaBrooksToER. In the photo, he was clutching the industry’s new ‘It Girl,’ Ava Brooks, shielding her from the paparazzi flashbulbs. His brow was furrowed, his eyes filled with a raw panic and tenderness I had never, not once, seen him direct at me. The background of the photo was unmistakable. It was the entrance to the very hospital where I had just spent the night on the floor. So, he wasn’t busy. He just didn’t have time for us. In that single moment, my world shattered. My phone buzzed. A text from Liam. How's Leo? Six short letters. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. I called him back. This time, he answered. Before I could speak, his voice cut through, sharp and impatient. “I’m in the middle of something. Make it quick.” In the background, I could hear Ava’s syrupy-sweet voice. “Liam, honey, the doctor said you need to rest. Let’s go home.” My fingers tightened around the phone, my knuckles turning white. “Liam,” I said, my voice flat. “Leo’s bone marrow results came back.” I paused, letting the silence hang in the air. “You’re the only match.” 2. A long, heavy silence stretched through the line. I could hear the slight hitch in his breathing. I swallowed my pride, my voice dropping to a near-beg. “Liam, I’m asking you, please. Save him. He’s your son.” A cold, humorless laugh. “Clara, what new trick is this? Using our son to chain me to you?” The blood in my veins turned to ice. “This isn’t a trick. The lab report is right here. I can send you a picture.” “Don’t bother,” he snapped, his voice dangerously low. “I don’t have time for this.” “Liam!” I cried out, my voice sharp enough to draw stares from the nurses down the hall. I lowered my voice, the tears I’d been holding back finally breaking free. “If you save Leo, I’ll give you anything you want. We can get a divorce immediately. I’ll walk away with nothing, I swear. You’ll never have to see me again.” “A divorce?” He scoffed. “You think I give a damn about that piece of paper? Have you forgotten how you crawled into my bed in the first place, Clara? How you used a pregnancy to force my hand?” That rainy night five years ago. He’d been blackout drunk. I was just his personal assistant, assigned to make sure he didn’t choke on his own vomit. Then came the positive test. The powerful Ashford family needed an heir. He needed a quiet, compliant wife to appease them. It was a transaction. We signed the papers, a secret agreement that benefited us both. I was naive enough to believe that five years could warm even the coldest stone. But I forgot. Liam Ashford’s heart wasn’t stone. It was an iceberg. “What’s wrong, Liam?” Ava’s voice drifted through the phone again, laced with the perfect amount of concern. “Is that Clara?” “It’s nothing,” Liam’s voice instantly softened, a gentle murmur reserved only for her. “Just an irrelevant person.” He hung up. I stood there, frozen, the dead phone clutched in my hand. In my arms, Leo stirred. “Mommy,” he whimpered. “I’m cold.” I snapped back to reality, pulling him tighter against my chest, trying to warm his small, trembling body with my own. 3. Liam showed up that afternoon. Trailing behind him was Ava Brooks, an expression of pure innocence painted on her face. He didn’t even glance at Leo, lying pale and small in the hospital bed. He walked straight to me and tossed a black credit card onto the thin blanket covering my lap. “There’s five million dollars on that,” he said, his voice devoid of any warmth. “It’s more than enough for you and the boy to live comfortably for the rest of your lives.” He looked at me, his eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. “Find another hospital. Wait for another donor.” “My marrow is not an option.” Ava stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his arm. “Clara, please don’t be angry with Liam,” she said softly. “He’s… he’s about to start shooting a new action film. It’s incredibly demanding, and his doctors said he can’t risk any kind of physical strain.” She paused, her eyes flicking towards Leo with a look of pity that made my skin crawl. “We feel terrible for Leo, truly. But Liam’s entire career is on the line…” I stared at them, this perfectly rehearsed duo. The absurdity of it all was suffocating. His career? Was his career more important than my son’s life? Liam took off his sunglasses, his eyes cold and hard. “Don’t push your luck, Clara.” “He’s my son, but he’s yours, too!” My voice was rising, cracking with disbelief. “I’ve done my part. I’m giving you the money. That’s more than fair.” “If money could save him, I would get on my knees and beg you to take it!” The dam inside me finally broke, and I was screaming. “But you’re the only one who can save him! Liam, do you even have a heart?” “My heart?” He took a step closer, backing me towards the wall. “I think a dog ate it five years ago, right around the time you so cleverly trapped me.” He leaned in, his voice a venomous whisper meant only for me. “Besides… Ava’s delicate. She can’t handle stress. Leo’s life isn’t worth a single strand of her hair.” He straightened up, leaving me trembling, my vision swimming with black spots. I reached out, a last, desperate plea, and grabbed the sleeve of his jacket. “Liam…” He kicked out, his foot connecting with my side. I lost my balance, stumbling backward and crashing hard against the wall. The tote bag I was holding fell, spilling Leo’s medical charts and billing statements all over the floor. He wrapped a protective arm around a startled Ava and walked away without a second glance. “Liam, honey, should we really just leave her like that…?” Ava’s voice faded down the hall. “She’s a lunatic. Just ignore her.”
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