Chapter 2
"Home?" Franklin let out a cold, sarcastic laugh. "Sherry, you really think you still have a home to go back to? The day you refused to save Dana, that was the end of us. Today, you have to sign the papers, or else..."
"Or else what?" Sherry cut him off, her gaze razor-sharp. "You're going to drag me onto the operating table? Franklin, that's illegal organ trafficking. It's a crime. Do you really want to see if Lloyd Group is bigger than the law?"
Franklin's face darkened, his breath coming fast. He stared at Sherry like he was seeing her for the first time. For three years, she'd always been the obedient, sensible one, never once defying him. Even when he knew she was hurting, she'd never fought back like this.
"Sherry," Franklin's voice softened, almost pleading. "I'm begging you. Dana really can't wait any longer. She passed out yesterday, and the doctors say she might not make it past a week.
"Just save her, and I'll give you anything you want. The divorce, the shares, and even if you want, I'll walk away from Lloyd Group. We can leave, go abroad, start over together. Is that okay? Please, Sherry."
Sherry laughed, but tears slipped out before she even realized it.
"Franklin, you're still lying to me," she said, her voice shaking. "You want my kidney to save Dana, then go live your perfect life with her. And me? Am I supposed to go abroad just to be the third wheel? Watch you two all over each other while I just grow old alone?"
She wiped away her tears and straightened her back.
"Let me make this clear: I'm not donating. In fact, I'm going to sue you for coercion and threats. Franklin, see you in court."
With that, she turned and strode toward the taxi she'd just hailed. She got in and slammed the door, all in one swift motion.
Franklin stood there, watching the taxi vanish into the night, his fists clenched so tight his knuckles cracked. His phone rang; it was the hospital.
"Mr. Lloyd, Ms. Morgan's condition has taken a turn for the worse. She needs to be moved to the ICU right away. You... you should come as soon as you can."
Franklin hung up and slammed his fist into the car roof. The sound of metal caving in echoed sharply through the quiet night.
Franklin was disappointed by Sherry's coldness and cursed inwardly.
Three days later, in the Head of Cardiac Surgery's office at Cloudire Central Hospital.
Sherry sat at her desk, staring at the email that had just popped up on her screen. It was from the Mayo Clinic in Amellica.
The message was simple: she'd passed the review and been offered a visiting professor position in their cardiac surgery department, with an annual salary of two million dollars, a lab, and a team, and she could choose her own research direction.
At the end of the email, there was a note: [Sherry, we're looking forward to having you on board. Mayo needs a genius like you.]
Sherry stared at the word 'genius, feeling a bit out of it. She remembered how, three years ago, right after finishing her PhD, Mayo Clinic had offered her a position. But she'd just married Franklin, and he didn't want her moving so far away, so she turned it down.
After that, she started as a resident at Cloudire Central Hospital, and in three years, she rose through the ranks to senior surgeon, performing hundreds of complex heart surgeries and saving countless lives.
But now, she couldn't even protect her own kidney.
Her phone rang again; it was Franklin's lawyer calling. "Ms. Pater, Mr. Lloyd asked me to let you know: if you don't show up at the registry office tomorrow at nine to get the divorce done, we'll file for divorce in court, citing irreconcilable differences.
"Also, Mr. Lloyd wants you to know Ms. Morgan's condition can't wait any longer. If you refuse to donate your kidney and she dies, Lloyd Group will hold you legally responsible."
Sherry couldn't help but laugh. Franklin was really losing it, saying stuff like that.
"Tell Franklin," she said calmly, "I'll be there at nine tomorrow. Make sure he has the divorce papers ready. As for the kidney, he can forget it. Even if I gave it to a stranger, I'd never give it to Dana."
After hanging up, Sherry leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. Memories flashed through her mind: Franklin's eyes when he first said he loved her, the nervous way he proposed, the pride in his voice when he introduced her to his family.
Back then, she really thought she was the luckiest girl alive.
But now, she realized all that happiness was built on lies. Maybe he married her right from the start just because her blood type matched Dana's, and her kidney was the lifeline Dana was clinging to.
Her phone buzzed; it was a voice message from her mom. "Sherry, your dad's test results are back. He's got a heart problem and needs a stent.
"The doctor says it's best to get it done in Bellgin, but it's going to cost at least 150 thousand dollars. I know things are tough for you, but..."
Sherry opened her eyes and replied, "Mom, don't worry about the money. You and Dad come to Cloudire first, I'll arrange for his admission. I'll do the surgery myself. I'm the best heart surgeon around, so you have nothing to worry about."