Chapter 3

Josephine's lips curved into a smug, triumphant smile as she stared straight at Luciana. Luciana stayed silent for a moment before switching on the office's surveillance monitor. Josephine noticed it. She let out a light hum and smiled. "Don't worry. I'm only here for my test results today. Stephen said I'll be welcomed into the family once the baby's born. From now on, we'll be closer than ever." Luciana watched her coldly, saying nothing. She still remembered Josephine's first visit to the Cooper residence. "Lucy, you're so lucky, marrying a man this rich," she had remarked. "I hope I can be as lucky as you someday." Back then, Luciana hadn't minded and even introduced Stephen to her. Josephine had worn a simple white T-shirt. She was weighed down by debt from her gambling brother and struggling to finish her master's degree with part-time jobs. Luciana had pitied her and innocently let Stephen support her. To her surprise, the two of them ended up in the same bed. "You won't hate me, right, Lucy? I had to escape that parasitic family, and the baby's my only hope." Josephine's eyes flickered briefly. Without waiting for an answer, she dropped the test results on the desk and strutted out of the office. Luciana's tense body sagged all at once. In just a few days, she had lost her best friend, her husband—everything. She sank into her chair, letting out a bitter laugh. Suddenly, the alert on her desk screamed shrilly. She rushed out, sprinting to her father's room. Inside, Josephine was playing with Charles Dean's oxygen mask, even tying the IV tube into a bow. His face was turning bluish-purple, his trembling hand reaching out, silently begging for help. "Get away from him!" Luciana screamed. Other nurses and doctors rushed in, quickly wheeling him into the operating room. The heart monitor displayed a thin, flat line. Luciana bent over helplessly, tears streaming through her fingers, her whole body shaking. Charles had been on dialysis for two years. The doctors had said that once a matching kidney was found, he could get the transplant. He was so close, yet fate had other plans. Her gaze darkened, veins throbbing on her forehead. Without a second thought, she swung at Josephine's smug face. "Luciana, are you crazy? How dare you hit me?" Josephine shrieked. The words barely left her mouth when Stephen strode forward, holding a bouquet. He shoved it into Luciana's face, causing the thorns to scrape across her skin. He grabbed her chin, his knuckles and veins standing out. "She's your friend, Lucy. Don't go too far," he warned. What kind of friend would play with her father's life support, knowing full well how sick he had been? A sharp pain tightened in Luciana's chest. Every word she spoke rang with steel. "She yanked Dad's oxygen mask. Should I have thanked her instead?" Stephen's frown eased, but his eyes darkened with disgust. "Apologize." Josephine froze. "I told you to apologize! Can you not understand, or are you deaf?" he roared, feet tapping impatiently against the floor. "I got you pregnant to fulfill Lucy's wish, not so you can throw your weight around! If you upset her again, I won't hesitate to kill that baby." Luciana clenched her fists, refusing to look at him, and turned to leave. "Sorry. I only wanted to hear what Mr. Dean said. I didn't mean to pull off his oxygen mask," she sobbed. "I'll leave the villa." With that, she ran out, crying her eyes out. "Lucy, don't be sad, alright? You'll always come first for me. Everyone else is just… passing distractions." Stephen didn't even look at her as he claimed her neck possessively, leaving a harsh hickey. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but he subtly turned and silenced it. "Something came up at work. I've got to go," he said, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'll visit Charles in a couple of days, alright? I promise." The words stuck in Luciana's throat like a bone she couldn't swallow. Her throat was dry and tight. When the operating room door swung open, the surgeon sighed heavily. "Luciana, we did everything we could. Mr. Dean's catheter was pulled out, and his oxygen mask was removed. He died from suffocation." The world seemed to tilt. Luciana's knees gave out, almost sending her crashing to the floor. Her colleagues rushed to steady her. She collapsed beside Charles' bed, tears soaking the sheets. Two long years of holding on… and just when there was hope, he was gone. "We'd found a matching kidney donor, but Mr. Cooper told us to find another one…" Luciana stiffened as if struck by lightning, her eyes snapping up. "Come again?" The surgeon trembled under her stare, stammering, "Well… Mr. Cooper said Ms. Reed's brother was a suitable donor. But then, for some reason, he suddenly changed his mind…" Josephine's brother? Luciana's mind went blank. Pain exploded behind her eyes. The world spun and faded into darkness as she collapsed.