Chapter 2

Hailey froze for a second, totally shocked that I hit her. After a stunned pause, she shrieked, "Nola, how dare you. You stole Saul for six years, and you owe it to me to donate your bone marrow."

She raised her hand to strike me back, but I caught it and shoved her to the floor. "I don't owe you a damn thing. If anything, you and your mom owe me. She destroyed my parents' marriage. You two killed Mom."

Back when I was little, my father had an affair with Hailey's mom.

When Hailey's mom got pregnant with her, she moved into our house.

The blow was too much for my mom. She wasted away and died.

Just then, hearing Hailey's cries, Saul rushed in.

He saw Hailey on the floor and, without even asking what happened, he shoved me aside and scooped her up tenderly. "Hailey, are you okay?"

Hailey wiped away her tears and clung to his arm. "Saul, I'm sorry. I upset Nola. She doesn't want to donate her bone marrow anymore. I'm scared. I don't want to leave you."

Then, Hailey suddenly turned to me and begged, "Nola, please, I don't want to die. Please save me."

Hailey started bowing to me. Saul didn't hesitate. He pulled her straight into his arms. "Hailey, don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, nothing will ever happen to you."

I couldn't stand watching them act out their melodramatic scene any longer, so I turned to leave. But Saul grabbed my hand. "Nola, did I say you could go? Apologize to Hailey right now."

I raised an eyebrow and let out a cold laugh. "My husband is holding another woman right in front of me, and I'm supposed to apologize? Saul, have you no shame?"

Saul's fists clenched so tightly the veins on his forehead popped. But before he could explode, Hailey stood up shakily and tugged at him weakly.

She said, "Saul, it's alright. As long as Nola's willing to donate her bone marrow to me, I don't care if she humiliates me."

Normally, when Saul flew off the handle, nothing could pull him back. But the moment Hailey said that, all the rage drained from his face.

Without so much as glancing my way, he scooped Hailey into his arms and walked straight back toward her hospital room.

I turned away, numb and hollow, and dragged myself home.

I figured with Hailey getting hurt today, Saul would be at the hospital all night.

But just as I was getting into bed, he came home.

He slipped quietly into our bedroom and, like countless tender nights before, wrapped his arms around me.

His voice was soft, gentle. It was like the fight at the hospital had never even happened. "Why were you acting up today? Getting so jealous, like a kid. I only think of Hailey as my sister.

"Moreover, she's the only family you've got left now. Of course I want to help you keep her."

But Hailey wasn't my family. The baby inside me was my family. The baby was all I wanted to keep.

Saul leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead. I forced down my disgust, took his hand, and placed it over my belly, watching his reaction carefully.

I started, "Honey, the baby moved today. He's already..."

"That's enough," he snapped.

He yanked his hand away, his expression kept shifting—I couldn't tell what was running through his mind.

Then, he said impatiently, "I know you don't want to lose the baby, but are you really going to just stand by and watch Hailey die?"

How could he say that?

I was a mother. My child was everything to me.

I'd waited six long years for this little life.

So I compromised again. "I'll donate bone marrow to Hailey but after the baby's born."

Saul fixed his icy stare on me. He was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "Hailey doesn't have time. She's in agony every day. The surgery needs to happen as soon as possible.

"Get some rest. We can always have another baby later."

After that, he stormed out.

As soon as the door slammed shut, I just lost it, my tears rolling down my cheeks.

I remembered how ecstatic he'd been when he first found out I was pregnant, how he'd held me close, tossing baby names around, dragging me to baby stores, his face glowing with excitement.

But somewhere along the line, he became like a different person. Suddenly, he didn't care about the baby at all.

Now, he didn't even want our child anymore.

Wiping my tears, I dragged myself up and started packing.

After years of fertility treatments, I barely owned any new clothes, so it didn't take long.

I took the bare necessities first, then started searching all over the house, looking for anything valuable I could bring along.

I was leaving with my baby, and the future ahead was long and full of uncertainty—I'd need every bit of money I could get.

Bank cards, cash, jewelry—anything I could carry, I carefully packed it all up.

I finally got on the plane, leaving everything behind, and touched down in a city where I didn't know a single soul.

I thought I could finally start over, leave everything behind and build a new life for myself and my baby.

But I was still way too naive. On the third day after I left, Saul found me again.

I had just opened the hotel room door when I found him standing there, face twisted in rage.

"Nola, you've really grown some guts, huh? Running off with my money," he snapped.

He pulled the cash and cards I'd taken from his jacket and flung them in my face. "You like money so much? Fine. Take it. Is this enough to buy your bone marrow?"

Tears instantly blurred my vision.

This man I'd loved for six years—he wasn't sad I'd left, not even a little. All he cared about was my bone marrow.

Before I could react, Saul stormed forward, yanking me off my feet. "Nola, no matter where you run, I'll always find you. So quit playing games and give Hailey your bone marrow."

So just like that, Saul forced me onto the plane.

When we got to the hospital, I was locked in a ward. He even stationed four bodyguards outside the door to watch over me.

I was drowning in despair.

My baby seemed to pick up on my fear and misery too, growing restless inside me.