Chapter 5

The smell of disinfectant pricked Angelina's foggy consciousness like needles. She struggled to open her eyes. The sterile white ceiling of a hospital room greeted her. "Awake?" A cold voice came from beside her. Angelina turned her head. Leo sat in the shadows by the bed, an unlit cigar between his fingers. "Let me go..." Angelina's voice was hoarse and dry. She tried to sit up, but her body froze in shock. She looked down in horror. Her wrists were tightly bound to the metal bed rails with cold leather straps. "The doctor says your kidney matches Samantha's. Surgery is scheduled immediately." His tone was flat, as if discussing swapping a minor possession. "Sammy needs it. You understand." "Why?" Her voice was raw, strained. She asked the absurd question again. Before Leo could answer, the hospital room door burst open. "Samantha's condition is critical! Acute kidney failure! Immediate dialysis and transplant preparation are essential!" "Mr. Hayes, Miss Crawford's records show her blood type and tissue compatibility are highly matched with Samantha's." Leo answered almost instantly: "Prepare for surgery immediately!" Terror flooded Angelina's face. She screamed, "I won't give her my kidney!" In the next instant, Leo's face loomed large before her. He leaned down, a hand cold as an iron vise clamped onto her jaw, the pressure threatening to crush bone. "Angelina, do you really think you have a choice?" "Have you forgotten your father? Lying in the ICU, kept alive by a ventilator and prohibitively expensive drugs?" Angelina's pupils dilated in disbelief. Her father had once saved Leo's entire family. And now, he was using their family's savior to threaten her! "Don’t you dare!" Angelina shrieked, her voice tearing. But Leo gave her no chance to resist. He immediately ordered the doctor to administer a sedative. "No! Leo! You can't...!" Angelina screamed, struggling wildly. The restraints tore the skin on her wrists instantly, blood staining the white sheets. The cold needle tip pierced her skin. An irresistible, icy numbness, like a black tide, swallowed her. Angelina fell unconscious again, lifeless. Sometime later, Angelina awoke under harsh lights. When she opened her eyes again, Leo was beside her, his eyes flowing with that familiar tenderness. "Angie, you're awake?" Hearing the gentle tone, Angelina felt disoriented. Had it all been a nightmare? She frantically touched her abdomen, almost tearing her clothes off. Finding no surgical scar on her lower belly, she sighed in relief. "Angie, you're pregnant." "I never thought we’d have a child." Leo seemed transformed. He held her hand, promising, "Once you're better, we'll get married, okay?" Angelina stiffened, her mind blank. Pregnant? She and Leo's... child??? She was carrying Leo's child. Before, hearing such a vow would have made her faint with happiness, making all the suffering worthwhile. Now, inexplicably, she felt only a deep, chilling dread. "Married?..." Angelina murmured, a bitter, involuntary smile touching her lips. At that moment, the hospital room door opened. Samantha, supported by a nurse, walked in. Her hospital gown hung loosely; her face was deathly pale, an IV drip still connected to the port in her wrist. Her frail appearance would evoke pity in anyone. Leo immediately stepped forward to support her. "Samantha, why are you out of bed? The doctor said you need rest." Leo carefully supported Samantha, their bodies close, intimate. As if they were the couple. Angelina felt her heart constrict. Sourness choked her, forcing her to swallow it down. "I'm fine." Samantha leaned against him, her fingers unconsciously brushing over her flat stomach. "Only... I couldn't wait to tell you... "I'm pregnant..."