Marrow Of Deceit, Reckoning Of All

Synopsis

For ten years, I loved Lucas Reed in silence. I willingly signed the bone marrow donation papers to save Vivian Shaw, his precious one, who was battling leukemia. On the day of the successful transplant, Vivian leaned into his arms and whispered with a smile, "Lucas, now I have her blood in me... does that mean you loved her, too, in a way?" He kissed her forehead. "Silly, you're the only one I love." I lay in the adjacent hospital room, their laughter drifting through the wall. Four weeks later, Vivian was declared fully healed. Not long after, their engagement made the society pages. When I found Lucas, pregnancy test in hand, his reaction was immediate and ice-cold. "Get rid of it. Vivian is finally well. I won't have her disturbed." I said, "The doctor said my health is special. If I go through with this, I might never be able to have kids." He scarcely seemed to hear. A check was swiftly written and pushed toward me. "Ten million dollars. Consider it settled." I accepted the slip of paper, a slow smile touching my lips. "Lucas, there's something you should know. "Vivian was never sick. Her leukemia... it was all a performance. "And the marrow you took from me was the last viable match in existence—the only real chance left to bring your mother out of her vegetative state."