Chapter 2

"Stella!" For the first time, Charles lost control of his temper. He always knew this woman had a mean streak, but he didn't expect her to go this far. "That's your own daughter! Are you seriously cursing your own kid? Are you out of your mind?" He didn't even want to argue anymore, too tired to drag this mess out in front of their child. With a cold look, he turned and headed upstairs. Just as he passed by Stella, his phone buzzed in his pocket. The moment he answered, the harshness in his expression melted away. "Isabelle, what's wrong?" A gentle female voice came through the phone, soft with nervousness and guilt. "Charles, did you make it back to Riviera Court? I'm really sorry... Olivia woke up and started crying when she didn't see you..." "Daddy, I want your scrambled eggs—you said you'd make them for me" The little girl's sweet, clingy voice flowed through the air, warm and happy like syrup, dragging the already cold and silent house into deeper stillness. Every word was like a blade across Stella's heart. "Olivia, be good. Daddy promised to stay with Sophie today. Mommy will make you pancakes, okay?" Isabelle coaxed gently. The girl stopped pleading, quietly muttering an "okay," her voice full of disappointment. Charles tossed a look—cold and distant—at Stella's grim face, but his voice on the phone was soft enough to melt. "If Olivia wants it, she's getting it. I'm on my way." He didn't even glance back as he hung up and strode downstairs. Soon, a car horn blared from the yard. He'd left in such a rush, he didn't even grab his coat. All that... just to make scrambled eggs for Olivia. Stella clutched her chest, pain surging so sharply she could barely breathe. This kind of fatherly warmth? Her daughter had never gotten even a taste of it. Ever since Isabelle came back with Olivia, Charles barely even spoke to Sophie. But Sophie was his daughter too. His real daughter. She staggered toward the kitchen, shaky but determined. She still had too much to do—she couldn't collapse. She made herself some honey water. Just as she finished drinking it, a knock came from the door. A staff member was standing there, holding a few medical reports. "Ma'am, Mr. Hart left these in his coat. Please keep them safe." Stella wasn't planning to take them—until she caught a glimpse of the bolded words on the paper. "...Not suitable for bone marrow donation..." She snatched the papers, flipping through them fast. Seconds later, with the staff still staring in confusion, she bolted out of the room like someone possessed. ... Transplant Department, Heartland Hospital. Charles carried Olivia, fresh out of her check-up, into the VIP ward. "The date's set. Don't worry. The international specialists will be here right on time. Everything will be fine." Once Olivia was settled, Isabelle clutched his wrist, her face full of worry. "Charles, the surgery will hurt you too. If there was any other way, Olivia and I... we wouldn't have pushed for this..." Her voice trembled, tears slipping down her face, her fragile look tugging at his heart. Charles handed her a tissue. "Olivia's my kid. Giving up just a small piece of liver? That's nothing. If sacrificing the whole thing could save her, I'd do it in a heartbeat." Olivia threw her arms around him. "Daddy, the doctor said after the surgery, we'll be connected forever, right? We'll always be together?" "Yes, sweetheart. We'll never be apart," Charles said, ruffling her hair with a doting smile. "You two rest now. I'll head to the pharmacy and be right back to take you home." Isabelle followed him to the door. Once it closed, she lowered her voice. "Charles... you've been taking all those anti-rejection meds for Olivia's transplant. Will it mess with your ability to donate bone marrow to Sophie? Stella might get mad, right?" Just thinking about Stella's cold face and snark back at Riviera Court made Charles scowl. Throwing a tantrum over a piano class? Clearly, Sophie's health isn't nearly as bad as Stella makes it out to be. Probably just another one of her tricks to get him to care again."She can wait. Olivia can't. I'll handle the rest after the surgery." Barely had he left when Stella stormed out from the stairs, pushing straight into the attending doctor's office like a gust of wind. "Who are you? You can't just barge in here." Slamming the test report on the desk, Stella stared at him, eyes bloodshot, voice trembling with anger. "Is Olivia's condition really that urgent?" The doctor blinked, a little thrown off. He had just examined the child—no signs of the liver damage spreading, everything well under control. Brows furrowing, he picked up the report from the desk, flipping through it. "Who are you to the patient? How do you have Mr. Hart's medical test results?" Holding back the storm raging inside her, Stella tried to keep her cool. "Old Mrs. Hart sent me to ask." Ah. That made sense. The doctor didn't press further. "Tell her not to worry. Mr. Hart is only donating a small portion of his liver—won't cause him any lasting harm. As for Miss Olivia, the damage is stable, has been for a while. He just can't stand seeing her on meds and getting poked with needles, that's why he wants the surgery done fast. He even flew in a top specialist from overseas—the procedure's practically guaranteed." Stella's body started shaking. She could barely stay upright, fingers digging into the desk for balance. "So... you're saying Olivia won't die even if the surgery gets delayed?" "Of course not." The doctor's words crushed whatever hope was left in her. That man—he chose easing Olivia's discomfort over saving Sophie's life. When she first saw the test report, she assumed Olivia was dying too. Two children's lives on the line. A beloved ex and a wife he could barely stand. She thought maybe it was because of how unloved she was, that he gave up on Sophie. But reality hit even harder. Charles never planned to save their daughter. Stella wandered dazed through the hospital corridor, a ghost drifting in daylight. She turned a corner and collided with someone. "Sorry." She apologized instinctively, reaching out to help, but her legs gave in, and she stumbled, accidentally brushing the woman's neck. "Stella! What are you doing?!" The startled, shrieking voice snapped Stella back to reality. She blinked, and there they were—Isabelle pulling up Olivia protectively, glaring at her like she was some kind of threat. They looked so alive... so vivid. But all Stella could think of was her little girl lying cold under that sterile, white sheet in the operating room. Rage. Hate. Despair. It all came flooding in. Her nerves had been stretched so damn thin, they were about to snap. Suddenly, Olivia burst out crying. "Mommy, Auntie Stella tried to choke me! She's scary! She tried to hurt me!" A strange gleam flickered in Isabelle's eyes as she shoved Olivia behind her, dropping to her knees with a dramatic thud. "Stella, we had no choice coming back. I don't want my daughter to die. Please, I'd never dream of interfering with you and Charles. I beg you—just let us be, okay?" "Stella!" The angry shout from behind slammed into her like a brick. Her thoughts, all muddled and out of focus, cleared up in an instant. She watched him storm past her without a second glance—straight to Isabelle. Charles lifted her up with care, rocking the crying Olivia in his arms, gently patting her back like she was the most precious thing. It was the same damn scene all over again. To him, Stella and Sophie had never belonged in his world. No matter how obvious the scheme, how badly acted the pitiful stunts, Charles always chose to trust and protect Isabelle and her daughter. "Daddy, Aunt Stella tried to kill me. Is it 'cause I took you away from Sophie today?" The girl draped herself around Charles's neck, whimpering her complaint. Isabelle, of course, was sobbing quietly beside them. "Stella, if you're angry, be mad at me. Just... don't hurt my child. Please." Stella's eyes turned icy. "Fine. Then let's trade—my daughter's life for yours."