Chapter 2
The doctor pulled off his mask, his face troubled. "Mr. Reed, the child went into cardiac arrest during the procedure. We did everything possible, but..."
"But what?" Michael frowned.
"The child did not survive."
Michael's frown deepened. He stayed quiet for a few seconds, then asked a question I will never forget. "Is the bone marrow still usable?"
I must be dreaming. I had to be dreaming.
How could anyone hear that their daughter died and ask if her bone marrow could still be used? I couldn't make sense of it.
The doctor paused, stunned, before answering. "The marrow has been extracted and tested. It's a match and can go straight to the OR next door."
"What are you waiting for?" Michael pressed. "Ethan needs it to live! The longer it sits, the less effective it is. Move it. Now."
A nurse carried out the tube of bone marrow, still warm from Anna's body, and rushed down the hall.
From start to finish, Michael never once looked at Anna. Not a single glance.
I hovered there, staring at his handsome face. In five years of marriage, I had kissed that face more times than I could count, always believing it belonged to someone I could count on forever.
Now I understood how cold and empty it really was beneath the surface.
Anna's body was wheeled out and taken to the morgue.
I didn't follow because I noticed a woman in a white dress standing beside Michael.
It was Lily Evans. His first love. The one he held above everyone else, the woman he had never been able to let go of.
Lily's eyes were red as she tugged at Michael's sleeve, her voice trembling. "Michael, I'm so sorry. It's all my fault. My body was so weak after having Ethan, and I wasn't a match.
"Ethan suffered so much because of me. And now Anna... It's all because of me."
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she spoke.
Michael pulled her close, his voice soft. "It's not your fault. Anna is my daughter. It was her place to help her brother. Don't blame yourself. Ethan still needs you."
"Her place." What a convenient way to put it.
Was Anna's life worth so little to him?
Lily leaned into his chest and whispered, "What should we do about Anna? Should we make arrangements?"
"I'll have someone handle it," Michael cut her off. "Focus on getting your strength back. Ethan will need you when he wakes up."
Lily nodded, quiet and gentle as a lamb.
But as her head dipped, I caught a tiny, sly curl at the corner of her lips.
It vanished in an instant, so fast I nearly convinced myself I had imagined it. But I know what I saw.
I stared hard at her, at the woman Michael had been obsessed with for years. She was actually smiling.
She was smiling right after hearing that Anna was gone.
That was when I understood. This was no tragic accident. It was a plan, set in motion long before today.
Anna was dead because of both of them.
I lunged at her, wanting to tear that smile off her face, to grab her hair and slam her against the wall. But my spirit passed through her like mist through a window screen.
That helplessness was worse than dying.
"Let's go," Michael said, wrapping an arm around Lily. "Let's check on Ethan."
The two of them walked away, their steps echoing down the hallway, growing softer and softer.
The lights in the OR went dark. The door clicked shut. All around me, there was nothing but black silence.
My thoughts began to blur, scattering like fog in the wind. I could feel myself fading. But I wasn't ready to go.
Anna was so small, so sweet, always laughing. She had never seen the ocean. She had never tasted birthday cake. She had never worn that little red dress covered in flowers I had picked out for her.
She was five. Only five.
"Anna!" I called her name with the last piece of strength I had. The darkness closed over me and pulled me under.