Emmanuel shoved the nurse aside and barged into the operating room. The second he laid eyes on the scene before him, his heart dropped.
Elena was lying on the table, drenched in blood, her abdomen wide open. Blood was dripping steadily off the edge onto the floor. Her face was ghostly pale—like all the color had been drained from it.
It felt like Emmanuel's own blood was freezing in his veins. Pain like he'd never felt before clawed at his chest.
He moved stiffly to her side, hands trembling violently as he reached out to touch her. But he couldn't stop the shaking. Then he saw it—tears at the corner of her eyes. That was when his breath hitched in his throat, the ache almost unbearable.
She must've been scared out of her mind. Elena never cried in front of him—rarely ever. And now, she lay there like this. It was him. He was the one who'd pushed her down this path, step by step, until s

When Emmanuel came to, all he could see above his head was a blindingly white ceiling, and the strong scent of disinfectant filled his nostrils.
His mind slowly cleared—right, he was in a hospital.
Elena... she was really gone.
The moment that thought crossed his mind, he clutched his temples, as if something had stabbed straight into his head—it hurt like hell.
"Emmanuel? Emmanuel, what's wrong? Are you in pain? I'll get the doctor." Lilith rushed over the second she saw him awake, her tone brimming with concern.
Just then, the doctor walked in with a nurse.
"Doctor, please take a look at him! He doesn't seem well at all!" Lilith turned toward the doctor, eyes watery with emotion, her voice carrying that thick layer of heartache.
The doctor checked him over briefly and then said, "There's nothing seriously wrong. He's likely just experiencing a psychological shock. Let him rest and try 

Emmanuel gave her a long, unreadable look before he turned and walked away with quick, decisive steps.
Not long after he left, the doorbell rang. Elena stood up and opened the door, only to see several unfamiliar faces staring back at her.
"Who are you looking for?" she asked, wary.
"You," the man in front smirked. "Miss Wakefield, come with us."
"Go where?"
"To the hospital. For the kidney transplant. Don't tell me you forgot what you agreed to?"
So it was Emmanuel's people taking her to the hospital. Elena knew this day would eventually come. Though unwilling, she didn't resist and got into the car.
The drive was fast, and soon they arrived at the hospital. Elena was led into the operating room. As the nurse disinfected her skin, she spotted Lilith in sterile scrubs, gazing at her with a smug smile.
"Didn't you swear you'd never give me a kidney, even if you died? So what now, Elena?"
Elena scoffed at the sight of that disgusting smirk. "Lilith, let's get one thing straight. I'm not doing this for you. Don't get cocky. Even if you get my kidney, it's not guaranteed to work. There's always rejection risk. I've lived clean, nothing messed up on my record. You, on the other hand? You're cruel, rotten to the core. I doubt my kidney would want to stick around in your body."
Lilith laughed, mean and sharp. "Still acting tough, huh? Don't waste your breath. You're the one who needs to die, Elena. You stole my man, ripped away everything I ever wanted. How could I ever let you live?"
Elena's gut dropped. Alarmed, she pushed herself up, panic obvious. "What are you trying to do?"
But before she could move, the doctor slammed her back down, pinning her wrists.
Lilith leaned in, her smile pure malice. "Elena, you were always too naive. You really thought I needed your kidney? Please. I never had kidney disease. Never needed a transplant."
Elena froze, eyes wide. "What did you just say?"
"I said I'm perfectly healthy," Lilith said, voice soaked in cruelty. "This whole 'sick for three years' act? That was just to keep Emmanuel close, to make him pity me. It worked like a charm. Look at how much he cared for me these past few years. And now that I have his attention, there's no place for you. You? You're just in the way—you have to go."
"You're sick, Lilith! How could you be so heartless?" Elena shouted, her voice trembling."Evil? Oh honey, you haven't seen real evil yet." Lilith sneered, her lips curling into a cold smile. "Elena, in just a few hours, you'll bleed out on that table, and me? I'll walk away with your kidney, healthy and glowing. I'll marry Emmanuel, have his kids, live that perfect life—and you can rot in hell watching us be happy."
"You disgusting coward!" Elena screamed, struggling violently, only to be pinned down by the doctors. Lilith smirked, her voice icy. "Knock her out. Take her kidney—and make sure she doesn't make it off that table alive."
Meanwhile, Emmanuel had just picked up the transplant specialist from the airport when his phone rang. It was his assistant.
"Sir, we just got a call from the hospital. Miss Lilith collapsed out of nowhere—they've already rushed her into surgery. Also, Miss Elena's been brought in too."
Emmanuel froze. "Who told them to take Elena?"
"It was Lilith's father, sir. Wasn't it your order to use Miss Elena's kidney for the transplant?"
"Bullshit! When did I ever say that?" Emmanuel roared, voice full of rage. "Tell them to stop the surgery—NOW!"
"I'm sorry, sir—it's too late. Miss Elena's already inside the OR."
"What?!" Emmanuel's heart dropped. He shouted, "Get them to stop that surgery right this second!"
He hung up, slammed the accelerator, and the car shot forward like a rocket.
The hospital was a half-hour away on a normal day. He got there in under ten minutes.
He practically flew down the hallway to the operating room, barely able to breathe. Outside the OR stood a bunch of Lilith's relatives.
He stormed up. "What's going on? Where are they?!"
"They're still in surgery. Don't worry, Emmanuel, Lilith's going to be fine."
"I told you to stop the damn surgery! Why is it still happening?" Emmanuel's eyes were red with fury, his whole body tense like he might explode.
"We tried, but Lilith's condition...we couldn't wait…"
"Are you kidding me?!" Emmanuel snapped. Just then, the OR doors burst open and a frantic nurse ran out.
"It's bad. We've got an emergency!"
"What emergency?"
"The donor—she's lost too much blood. No pulse. No breathing!"

Emmanuel shoved the nurse aside and barged into the operating room. The second he laid eyes on the scene before him, his heart dropped.
Elena was lying on the table, drenched in blood, her abdomen wide open. Blood was dripping steadily off the edge onto the floor. Her face was ghostly pale—like all the color had been drained from it.
It felt like Emmanuel's own blood was freezing in his veins. Pain like he'd never felt before clawed at his chest.
He moved stiffly to her side, hands trembling violently as he reached out to touch her. But he couldn't stop the shaking. Then he saw it—tears at the corner of her eyes. That was when his breath hitched in his throat, the ache almost unbearable.
She must've been scared out of her mind. Elena never cried in front of him—rarely ever. And now, she lay there like this. It was him. He was the one who'd pushed her down this path, step by step, until she ended up on this table.
He used to think her life or death didn't matter to him. Turns out, he'd 

Chapter 13