Chapter 3

When I woke up again, I was lying in a hospital bed.

I reached for my stomach and let out a quiet sigh of relief when I found my baby was still there.

"You're awake." Elliot's gentle, familiar voice suddenly sounded in my ear.

My eyes instantly welled up with tears. "Uncle Elliot."

"You silly girl. I'm sorry I got there so late," Elliot said.

I forced myself up and flung myself into Elliot's arms, his eyes glinting with tears just like mine.

"I promise, no one's ever going to mess with you again. Not even your own sister, and especially not your husband," he said.

I hid in Elliot's embrace, and after a long while, I managed to choke out a response.

With Elliot around, Bertram was much more subdued.

Elliot wouldn't let him into my room, so Bertram had the nurses bring in some yellow roses to say sorry.

The overwhelming smell of roses made me frown in annoyance, and I hid under the covers to get away from it.

Honestly, it was laughable. After four years of marriage, Bertram had absolutely no idea I was allergic to pollen. The one who really loved roses was Michelle.

In that oppressive hospital room, a cold clarity settled over me. If he could do this to me, then our marriage was shattered beyond repair.

As for the baby, I was ready to give it up. I wasn't going to force myself to accept things I hated just to please them. And I wasn't going to put myself through pain for their sake ever again.

After that, Bertram tried every trick in the book to win me over. He even went so far as to ask Sean for help, but every attempt crashed and burned.

Meanwhile, Michelle's condition was going downhill fast.

I knew it was time to do it.

"You want a divorce?" Bertram's shout was so loud that it practically shook the windows of the hospital room.

"Even the person I share my bed with wants me dead. Do you honestly think we should keep this marriage, Mr. Ford?" I shot back.

For once, Bertram was at a loss. He scrambled to explain. "When did I ever... It's just donating a kidney to Michelle, not that severe. If you want more kids, we can have as many as you want. Isn't that good enough?"

I let out a cold laugh, cutting off his little virtuous act. "Save it. No more pointless talk. Just sign the papers."

But Bertram just wouldn't take the divorce papers from me.

Sean tried to reason with me. "Cheryl, the three of us grew up together. I know better than anyone how much Bertram cares about you. Do you really have to take it this far over this?"

I nodded calmly. "Yeah, when I was a kid, I never imagined the two friends I grew up with would be so cold as to force me to end my pregnancy just to give Michelle a kidney."

"But she's your own sister," Sean objected, suddenly acting like he had the moral high ground.

I fired right back, "This is my own child I'm carrying. Do you even care what ending a six-month pregnancy would do to the mother?"

Bertram and Sean really had no clue. All they knew was that Michelle would die if she didn't get a kidney.

They didn't even stop to think about what forcing a six-month pregnant woman to end her pregnancy for a kidney transplant would actually do to her.

In their eyes, I was just a pathetic afterthought, never as precious as Michelle, who always played the helpless victim.

Just as things were at a standstill, the sound of a wheelchair rolling down the hallway broke the tension. "Cheryl, I heard you were in the hospital, so I came to see you," Michelle's delicate voice called out.

The moment Michelle spoke, Bertram and Sean both jumped like cats startled by a fire, instantly on edge.

"Michelle, didn't the doctor say you shouldn't be moving around?" Bertram said, his voice full of worry.

"It's fine. As Cheryl's little sister, I had to come check on her," Michelle replied softly.

While Bertram and Sean were all tense, Michelle remained perfectly composed and sweet, as if she was completely oblivious to the fact that I was refusing to give her a kidney.

"Cheryl, Bertram and Sean were just acting out of impulse before. Everyone has their own destiny, and honestly, I'm exhausted from fighting for so long. I just hope you and your baby can live a good life, even carrying my share with you," Michelle said softly.

"Michelle, don't talk like that. I will make sure you live a long life. That's a promise," Bertram jumped in, cutting her off before she could finish.

He drew a deep breath, his voice cold and resolute. "Cheryl, I'll agree to the divorce, but you have to terminate the pregnancy right now and donate your kidney to Michelle."

A faint smile curved on my lips. That was the moment I'd been waiting for.