Chapter 1
"Mr. Kelsen, Ms. Kent's body is already at its limit. If we force the kidney removal, she might not survive the surgery..." the doctor said.
"Just sign it." A man's voice interrupted, icy and merciless, leaving no room for argument.
His words were like a rusty, blunt knife, slowly and ruthlessly stripping away Serena Kent's last glimmer of hope.
Serena lay on the freezing operating table, the blinding surgical lights so harsh she could barely keep her eyes open. Struggling, she turned her head to catch a glimpse of the man standing tall and composed outside the glass window.
That was her husband, Adrian Kelsen, the wealthiest man in all of Cloudmere City.
He was also the man she had devoted her heart to for ten long years.
Yet at this very moment, he was the one pushing her into the abyss.
"Adrian..." Serena's lips were dry and cracked, her voice barely a whisper. "There's a baby... yours... three months now... Please, I'm begging you, save our child..."
Adrian's hand holding the pen paused for a moment, a faint ripple flickering in his cold, narrow eyes. But it quickly vanished, quelled by a low whisper from his assistant.
"Mr. Kelsen, Ms. Bella Wallis is running out of time. The doctors say if she doesn't get a kidney transplant soon, she won't make it through the night," the assistant murmured.
At the mention of Bella, the air around Adrian seemed to freeze. He stared through the glass at Serena's face, pale as paper, his gaze cold and filled with disdain.
"Serena, you're still lying. You really think I'd believe such a ridiculous excuse just to avoid the surgery? Bella ruined her health saving me. That kidney is what you owe her," he said.
Serena managed a bitter, self-mocking smile, tears slipping down her cheeks and chilling her to the bone.
The words 'Owe her‘ stung bitterly in Serena's mind.
Four years ago, Serena had risked everything to save Adrian from that kidnapping. She carried him down the mountain, her fingernails torn and bleeding, and ever since, she'd been left with a lifelong chill she could never shake. All Bella did was pick up the pearl pendent Serena had dropped, and she took all the credit.
And Adrian bought every bit of it.
"Adrian, if I die... will you regret it?" Serena whispered.
She watched as he signed the consent form, and in that moment, her heart went completely cold.
Adrian let out a cold, mocking laugh and turned away, not even sparing her a final glance. "Die? Serena, drop the act. Women like you are too stubborn to die."
The doors to the operating room slammed shut.
"No anesthesia... or as little as possible," the lead surgeon said, his eyes filled with a cold, helpless pity as he looked at Serena. "This is Mr. Kelsen's orders. To keep the kidney viable, we'll use as little anesthesia as possible."
Serena closed her eyes in utter despair.
The chilling sound of the scalpel slicing through her skin echoed in the silent room, so clear it threatened to shatter her sanity.
Agonizing pain came.
It was as if a swarm of ants were devouring her marrow. Serena convulsed, her fingers clawing desperately at the edge of the operating table until her nails broke and her fingertips bled profusely.
She felt her life draining away, carried off with her kidney.
That was her life, and the life of the unborn child inside her.
"Ms. Kent, stay with us! She's hemorrhaging!"
"She's gone into cardiac arrest! Defibrillator, now!"
Serena's consciousness began to fade, her mind drifting back to that snowy night four years ago. She was carrying Adrian, unconscious, her footsteps uneven as she trudged through the snow, leaving a trail behind.
Back then, she thought, 'As long as he survived, I would have done anything, no matter the cost,' Serena remembered.
But now, he was thriving, and all he wanted was for her to disappear forever.
Serena muttered, "Adrian... in this life, I guess I was just blind.
"If there's a next life... I swear, I'll make you pay for everything. Blood for blood."
Serena glanced at the door one last time; it was empty. Her husband was at the bedside of his precious Bella, waiting for the trophy he'd ripped from her body.
Beep...
The monitor's line went flat, stretching into a cold, endless straight line.
*****
Outside the operating room, Adrian sat in the hallway, a cigarette dangling unlit between his fingers.
Out of nowhere, a fierce ache shot through his chest, like someone had just torn out a piece of his soul, leaving him hollow inside.
"Mr. Kelsen, congratulations! Ms. Wallis's surgery went perfectly." The assistant rushed over, practically beaming with excitement.
Adrian remained still, his gaze fixed on the tightly shut doors of the operating room. "What about Serena?"
"Ms. Kent, she..." The assistant began, but his words trailed off.
The doors to the operating room were slammed open, crashing against the walls.
The lead surgeon rushed out, his scrubs soaked in blood, clutching a death certificate, his voice shaking so badly he could barely speak.