Chapter 1
In the fifth year of our marriage, my husband Justin Madden's old flame was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure.
He secretly took a sample from me for compatibility testing.
Once the match came back positive, he tried to convince me.
"Losing one kidney won't affect you at all. But without it, Rebecca will die."
What he didn't know was that without that kidney, our child would die—and so would I.
Because I was born with only one kidney.
On the cold operating table, the icy scalpel sliced across my abdomen, but I felt no pain whatsoever.
The doctor stared at my kidney, his eyes wide with shock and pity.
He told his assistant to step out of the operating room and get Justin's input.
Justin—the man I'd secretly crushed on for seven years, my husband for the last five.
"Mr. Madden, should we continue with the surgeries for Ms. Mcneil and Ms. Schneider? Ms. Mcneil's kidney is only..."
She didn't get to finish before Justin's icy voice cut her off.
"I've brought her here, so of course we're proceeding. I'll handle any fallout.
"Just focus on your job and use the best meds available."
His words hit me like a gut punch, leaving my heart feeling utterly empty.
Tears welled up and spilled down my cheeks, beyond my control.
A sharp, sour ache burned in my nose, lingering without mercy.
I tried to open my mouth, desperate to beg for help.
But no matter how hard I screamed or thrashed, nothing happened.
Then, suddenly, I could move.
I lunged forward to stop them, but my wrist passed straight through their bodies.
I froze, staring in disbelief at my translucent hands.
That was when it dawned on me—I was dead.
All I could do was watch helplessly as they removed my kidney and transplanted it into Rebecca's body.
No... please, don't...
This will kill me—my child will die...
"Quick, massive hemorrhage in the patient's lower body. Prep the backup blood!"
I watched the chief surgeon frantically trying to staunch the bleeding.
I laughed through my sobs, hovering on the brink of hysteria.
That wasn't just bleeding.
That was my child—my unborn baby.
I stared at the pool of blood beneath me.
I collapsed to my knees, my body trembling uncontrollably.
I couldn't accept this—I wouldn't!
What did I even do wrong?
How did things end up like this?
All I did was love the wrong man.
Did that really deserve such a brutal price?
I shook my head, completely baffled.
That child was the one I'd longed for with all my heart.
"Baby, will you blame Mommy? Blame me for not keeping you safe?
"In the next life—if there is one—find a better mom, okay?"
I buried my face in my hands and wailed.
Tears seeped through my fingers, dissolving into thin air.
I slumped there like an empty husk, dazed beside my own lifeless body.
Justin probably didn't even know I was pregnant, did he?
Of course not—his people had kidnapped me and brought me here.
How would he?
And even if he did know, he'd just make me abort it anyway to save Rebecca.
The operating room doors slid open slowly, and Rebecca was wheeled out.
Justin rushed over right away.
"Rebecca, how are you feeling? Anything hurt?"
His voice dripped with worry.
"Justin, I'm okay—just a little weak. Do I look awful like this?" Rebecca pouted playfully.
"Not at all. Our little princess is gorgeous no matter what."
Justin ruffled her hair affectionately.
I stood off to the side, my chest so tight it felt like I couldn't breathe.
Not once in all that did he even mention me.
Looking back to our early marriage days, he was so tender and thoughtful.
When I was on my period, he'd have water ready for me ahead of time.
If I twisted my ankle, he'd apply the ointment himself and gently massage it in.
When he found out my favorite cake wasn't being made anymore—the old baker had retired—he'd drive hundreds of kilometers without a second thought to learn the recipe.
He'd bake it for me again and again until I finally got sick of it.
I'd tease him back then. "Why's a big-shot CEO doing grunt work when we have help?"
He'd just smile and say he'd married me to spoil me rotten, like a true princess—to make me the happiest woman alive, the one everyone envied.
Recalling those sweet moments, I couldn't help but let out a bitter smile.
But everything changed the instant Rebecca came back from abroad.
His little princess? Now it was her.
He stopped caring about me altogether, didn't give a damn anymore.
He could even toss me aside—and the baby growing inside me—without batting an eye.