Chapter 2

Lily's corneas, one kidney, and her heart were all eligible for transplant.

I steeled myself, approached the doctor, and told him what I wanted.

I didn't let James know about the funeral.

David Pierce, a family friend's son, was also on the rescue team.

But he was just a volunteer, doing it to blow off steam from his day job.

He was the second one to get to the scene.

He started to run toward James, but after passing me, he doubled back.

"Hurry, there's someone here," he shouted.

Anyone with eyes could tell that there was a wrecked car lying close by, and another one, perfectly fine, just a few dozen yards away.

Obviously, there was blood everywhere under the flipped car, while the person in the Audi had just been startled by a sudden boulder.

James didn't even spare a glance at the wreck nearby. He headed straight for the Audi in the distance.

After the funeral, I headed straight to the best maternity hospital in town.

James worked on the front lines. When it all happened that day, I'd brought Lily to celebrate Lily's birthday.

Once he got Emily out, he rushed her straight into the ambulance, but there wasn't a decent maternity hospital anywhere nearby.

And it was the team's only ambulance.

He said that because she was pregnant, she had to get to the hospital immediately.

So, he left me and Lily behind at the scene.

If he'd stayed as the team leader, maybe he could've given Lily a chance to survive.

After I got to the hospital, Emily had already had her baby.

James stood with his back to me, carefully holding the newborn, whispering gentle words to soothe her.

The little girl's innocent eyes cut right through me.

Lily used to look at me with the same innocence.

Back then, she'd look up at me and ask, ''Is Dad going to forget about us again?''

Before I knew it, I slapped him right across the face.

"James, don't you have your own daughter? Here you are, in the hospital, holding someone else's daughter," I yelled.

He looked panicked, quickly handed the baby back to Emily on the bed, and then grabbed me, trying to drag me outside. "Let's talk outside. Emily just had a baby. Don't make a scene."

I didn't have it. My anger was boiling over. With my free hand, I slapped him again.

Emily gasped. "Sarah, he did all this for me. I had an accident, and I needed someone to stay with me."

Emily's husband had died young, leaving her alone with their unborn child.

She just happened to live in the area James was in charge of.

At first, I didn't think much of it. James had always been the helpful type. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to work on the front lines.

At first, I didn't pay it any mind, but then suspicion crept in, and before I knew it, jealousy had taken root.

All because James and Emily were getting closer than ever.

But all James said was, "She's pregnant. Whether she's my ex or not, it doesn't matter. You've got a comfortable life, and Lily is always there to bring you joy. Why do you have to make things hard for a widow?"

Right then, just like he always did, James jumped in front of Emily, worried I'd turn my anger on her. "She just gave birth. She's still recovering. Don't start anything."

I let out a sharp, mocking laugh. "Did you even realize the accident happened on Lily's birthday?"

James frowned. "You're really coming at me just because I missed her birthday? Emily was literally about to give birth. You have a daughter, too. How can you be so cold?"

I dug my nails into my palm, just to keep myself together. "I don't have a daughter anymore."

For a split second, James froze, and then he suddenly realized something was off. "Where's Lily?"

"She's dead," I said, my voice flat and cold.