Chapter 3
The room went dead silent.
I stared at the document lying on the floor. Those bold letters looked like sinister grins, mocking me from the page.
It was a "Voluntary Living Kidney Donation Form."
And in the recipient section, there it was, clear as day: Emily Carter.
I snapped my head up and looked at Helen on the hospital bed.
She was still crying.
But her eyes no longer held that fake motherly love or regret she'd put on.
At that moment, all I saw was an urgent, greedy, almost manic desire.
"Lottie," Helen whispered, her voice trembling.
Even as she shook, she uttered the most heartless words. "Emily's got uremia.
"The doctors said your kidney is the only one that matches.
"I'm not going to make it. I'm dying.
"Can you... Can you take care of Emily for me?
"Give her one of your kidneys.
"Fulfill my last wish, okay?"
It felt like my mind exploded.
So that was it.
The truth hit me like a punch to the gut.
All those deathbed confessions, waiting in the snow, and begging to see me one last time were all an act.
All of it was fake.
It was all a setup for what they really wanted.
They didn't want me back out of love.
They only wanted my kidney.
What was I to them?
Was I the Grant family's backup blood bank? Emily's walking organ donor?
Five years ago, when Emily needed a transfusion, I gave her 400cc of my blood, even though I was barely hanging on myself.
And what did she do? She immediately accused me of pushing her down the stairs.
Five years later, they were trying to trick me onto the operating table for Emily.
I turned to William, my gaze cold and unflinching.
This was the same man who spent three hours waiting in the snow, begging over and over to see him.
He kept his head down, eyes locked on his shoes, too ashamed to even look at me.
"So you knew all along, didn't you?" I asked him.
My words were barely more than a whisper, so faint that they almost vanished in the air.
William shuddered. After a long moment, he finally looked up.
His eyes were red, his tone dripping with entitled self-pity.
William pleaded, "Lottie, Emily's so young.
"Her life can't be ruined like this.
"You're her sister. You're healthy. Losing one kidney won't kill you. It's not a big deal.
"And if you agree, I'll give you half of the Grant family's shares.
"Mom and Dad will forgive everything that happened before, and they'll welcome you back into the family."
I laughed so hard that I nearly cried.
Back in the family? Like I'd ever want to be part of that rotten, stinking family.
"William." I walked toward him, step by step.
With every step I took, whatever was left of that so-called family tie inside me snapped a little more.
I went on, "When you were standing out there in the snow, did you think that once you tricked me into coming, I'd be stuck here for good?
"The moment I let my guard down and opened the door, were you thinking how dumb I was?"
William's face went ghostly pale, and he instinctively stepped back.
"No, Lottie, I really wanted you to come home," he said.
"Come home?" I shot back, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
I grabbed the document off the floor and smacked him in the face with it.
The sharp edge caught his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.
I sneered, "So this is your idea of a welcome-home gift?
"You want to cut out my kidney, so your precious sister can keep breathing?
"William, you make me sick."
Suddenly, Helen started coughing violently.
The monitor let out a piercing alarm.
Emily screamed and rushed to the bedside.
"Mom! Mom, please, don't get worked up," Emily cried out.
She spun around, her face streaked with tears, and started screaming at me.
She snapped, "Lottie, is breaking Mom's heart the only thing that'll make you happy?
"It's just a kidney. How can you be so heartless?
"Mom's dying. This is all she wants. Can't you fulfill her wish?"
Richard was shaking with rage and came at me with his hand raised.
He shouted, "You worthless daughter, I'll kill you myself.
"If you won't sign, don't blame me for being ruthless.
"Tie her down on the operating table."
At Richard's command, the atmosphere shifted. He barked the order, and chaos followed.
Four hulking men suddenly barged into the ward, ready to do whatever it took.
It was obvious that this was a trap, set up from the very beginning.
Since sweet-talking didn't work, they were switching to brute force.
William stood off to the side, eyes squeezed shut, silently condoning the violence about to unfold.
"Lottie, don't blame me," he whispered. "Emily can't afford to wait any longer."
The four bodyguards closed in on me.
I stood my ground, not even flinching.
I knew I had no reason to hide.
Edward's long, steady hand caught Richard's slap mid-air, stopping it.
Edward stood in front of me, like an unbreakable wall.
He was like an unshakable mountain. No one could get past him.
With a little pressure, Richard howled in pain, stumbling back, humiliated.
"You dare lay a hand on my wife?" Edward's voice was no longer gentle.
It was icy, with a dangerous edge that made everyone freeze.
He swept his gaze around the room, and the four bodyguards didn't dare to move an inch.
Edward said, his voice dripping with mockery. "Business must be pretty lousy for you these days, Mr. Grant.
"But you've got the gangster routine down pat."
Richard clutched his wrist, staring at Edward in shock and disbelief.
"Who the hell do you think you are, meddling in the Grant family's business?" Richard snapped.
"Who am I?" Edward repeated.
He let out a low, chilling laugh.
He slowly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the hand that had touched Richard, as if Richard's touch were something filthy.
Then he tossed the handkerchief straight into the trash.
"Let me introduce myself," Edward said. "I'm Edward Lane, the biggest shareholder of this hospital.
"And I'm the mysterious buyer who's been taking over Grant Group."