Chapter 4

When Luciana woke up, the first thing she did was cremate Charles and scatter his ashes at the cemetery, leaving nothing behind for Josephine to exploit. The second thing she did was head straight to the nephrology department to check the donor records. She had been made aware of the donation cancellation, but at that time, Stephen had lied. He claimed it was a hospital error and that the donor wasn't a match. Luciana flipped through the files rapidly, her eyes landing on the compatibility report in the bottom right corner—99.99%. Three months ago, Stephen had canceled the donor match and had never bothered to find a replacement. Suppressing the tremor in her hands, she grabbed the case files and returned to the Cooper residence. Night had fallen, and the villa was alive with the clinking of glasses and laughter. The moment she arrived, all the chatter seemed to die down. The young scions of Northton whispered among themselves. "Isn't tonight supposed to be a celebration for Stephen's new woman? Why's his wife back?" "Josephine's clearly pregnant, but look at what Luciana is wearing. How inappropriate." Stephen frowned slightly, and his hand hung midair. The medical report hit his arm. "You'd better have an explanation! You told me it wasn't a match! Why did you lie?" Luciana demanded, her voice trembling with restrained fury. He froze, clearly not expecting her to find out so soon. Before he could answer, Josephine cut in. "Lucy, you know what a leech Jordan is. If he really donated his kidney, he'd hold it over me for the rest of my life! "Besides, Stephen saw me pregnant and didn't want me involved in all that… business, so he canceled it. If you're mad, blame me, not him!" Her eyes glistened with tears. The moment her hand brushed Luciana's, she yanked it away with such force that Josephine almost lost her balance. "My dad saved Jordan's life! And the money from the kidney could've been enough to cover his debt! You just wanted my dad to die—" "Enough!" Stephen coldly interrupted, his expression darkening. "It's just a kidney! We can always find another! Must you act like a lunatic? Josephine's pregnant now. Why are you being so cruel, hurting her family like this?" Luciana's breath caught sharply, and the tears she had been holding back finally spilled. Charles had passed. There was no point in arguing. He could've lived. Stephen mistook her silence for compliance, attempting to soothe her. "Alright, let's all just relax. There's a fireworks performance tonight, so cheer up. Don't make it hard for me." Luciana had no interest in any of it, but she couldn't exactly resist him when he took her hand and led her to the villa's backyard. A professional horse trainer, hired at a high cost, was performing elaborate tricks in the yard. The brim of his hat caught Luciana's eye, and she thought the trainer looked familiar. Before she could dwell on it, fireworks burst across the sky, spelling out Josephine's name. Luciana's gaze landed on the shameless couple. She had once stood beneath a summer sky just like this, fireworks blooming overhead. Back then, Stephen had knelt under the pyrotechnic glow, breathless, his shirt soaked with sweat. He confessed, "You're the only one for me, Luciana Dean." Now, the same scene played out with someone else in her place. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden cry. Josephine clutched her empty wrist, crying out, "Stephen, my grandmother's heirloom fell. It's right there…" The thunder of hooves exploded in Luciana's ears. Her heart skipped a beat as she spun around and saw a runaway stallion charging straight toward her. "Stephen!" The world spun violently before Luciana's eyes. She felt as if she had been struck by a heavy weight on her chest, pain lancing through her body. She crashed into the floor lamp, the glass shattering instantly, slicing her wrist. "No…" That was the hand she used for surgery. She couldn't afford even a scratch. Tears blurred her vision as she forced herself to look up. Stephen stood there, still in shock, clutching Josephine protectively. In his palm glinted the vintage pearl bracelet, the Reed family's heirloom. Their eyes met for a fleeting second, and he released his hold sharply. Nothing mattered anymore. She closed her eyes in desolation, consciousness slipping away completely.