Chapter 1
The day my husband, Justin Sterling, found out I was pregnant, he forced me to terminate the pregnancy and sent me into surgery to remove my kidney.
With the last bit of hatred left in me, I called him 107 times straight, but he rejected every single call.
On the 108th try, he finally picked up. The moment he answered, his voice was cold and resolute.
He said, "Grace, will you ever stop?
"It's just a kidney. Don't forget, you owe all this to Lily."
Just a kidney?
He didn't know that five years ago, I'd given him one of my kidneys to save his life.
Now, I had none left.
What he would never know was that from that moment on, we were worlds apart—never to cross paths again.
*****
After being married to Justin for five years, I was finally pregnant.
I was just about to share the good news with him when I got home and overheard him on the phone with my doctor.
"Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling's condition isn't looking good. This isn't the right time for a kidney donation," the doctor said.
"But Lily can't wait any longer. You need to schedule it immediately," Justin replied.
The pregnancy test report in my hand crumpled. On hearing the door open, I threw it into the trash.
At that moment, the door opened. Justin paused when he saw me standing there.
He asked gently, "Grace, why didn't you call me when you got back? I would've come to pick you up."
His once gentle concern now felt so fake to my ears.
He pulled me inside and wrapped his arm around my waist. "Grace, I had the maid prepare some minestrone soup for you. It's good for your health. Make sure you have some later."
I looked down at my belly and said, feeling a bit tired, "I'm a little exhausted. I'll have it later."
"But it's better to drink it hot." He urged firmly.
Was it really about the soup being better hot, or was he just afraid I wouldn't eat well and that would mess up my health, making me unable to donate my kidney to Lily?
Justin was still holding the soup, about to continue persuading me, when his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at the screen, then hurried to the balcony to answer it.
Through my blurry, tear-filled eyes, I could faintly hear his voice.
"Lily, don't worry. I'll definitely convince Grace to donate her kidney to you," he said.
Justin spoke as if comforting a child—gentle and attentive.
My stomach twisted in knots at the sight, and I hurried to the bathroom to vomit.
While vomiting, a wave of dizziness hit me, and I fainted.
When I came to, I was already in the hospital.
I saw Justin and Lily Warren standing by my bed the moment I opened my eyes.
Lily feigned concern and said, "Grace, you're finally awake. You really scared us."
Justin, on the other hand, stared at me with a cold, harsh look.
"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" he asked coldly.
"Grace, don't you know the transplant is in just three days? How can you be so selfish? Without your kidney, Lily will die!" he snapped.
Lily tugged at Justin's sleeve, putting on a facade of understanding.
She said softly, "Justin, don't be so hard on Grace.
"You two are finally going to have a baby. That's a blessing."
"I can wait a little longer," she murmured, then suddenly clutched her stomach and collapsed weakly into Justin's arms.
Her brows knitted tightly, her delicate features contorted with pain.
Seeing her like that, Justin didn't hesitate. He scooped her up in his arms, his expression filled with concern, and rushed out of the room.
"Doctor. We need a doctor in here!" he shouted.
As Justin carried Lily out of the room, she glanced back and gave me a smug, triumphant smile.
She was faking it.
But Justin only cared about her, completely forgetting that I, his wife, was still lying there in the hospital bed.
Shortly after Justin left, a nurse came in.
"Mrs. Sterling, I'm here to give you a shot," she said.
I stared at the syringe in her hand, a chill running down my spine.
"I'm pregnant. You can't give me that. What are you trying to do?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"It's... It's okay. This is just anesthesia. Because you're pregnant, we have to give you anesthesia to... to terminate the pregnancy," the nurse stammered.