Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Ella
Ever since I married Lucas, he'd suggested getting Maya on a kidney transplant list early. Back then, Maya's condition wasn't as critical as it was now. She'd refused his offer. She'd brought up our father—how he shouldn't have died from kidney failure, but someone had stolen his place in line.
"I've hated the bastard who stole Dad's kidney for my entire life," Maya had said firmly. "Ella, promise me. Even if I fall into a coma someday, you won't steal someone else's chance at life. I don't want to die and go to Heaven without being able to face Dad."
And now Maya really was in a coma. I'd never imagined I'd actually have to decide whether she lived or died.
"A kidney donor? For Maya? But she's been transferred out of the regular ward..."
The director smiled and nodded. He was in his fifties, hair already graying, eyes behind his glasses full of warmth.
"I understand your excitement, but you should sign the consent form first, then ask questions. That's the proper order. The donor is a car accident victim who just passed. His family agreed to donate. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. There are many people watching this."
I hesitated.
According to the original plan, Maya still had two months to wait.
Ahead of her in line was a single father of three—without a transplant, he had less than two weeks left. And a nineteen-year-old college student whose family started every morning kneeling in the hospital's prayer room, begging God for mercy.
Every one of them needed that kidney more than Maya.
But...
The director looked puzzled at my silence. "What are you hesitating about?"
He pushed up his glasses and opened the folder on his desk.
"There are indeed patients in this hospital who need a kidney more urgently than your sister.
Organ allocation is a complex system. Match compatibility, urgency level, and wait time.
These are all factors we consider. And your sister's situation. .."
"Then my sister shouldn't be this high priority!" I said, confused.
The director looked at me with a mysterious smile. "Medical resource allocation has never been absolutely fair. Your sister has the chance to get this kidney. That's a good thing. You should understand better than I do why she's first in line."
I got his subtext immediately.
This wasn't an accident. This was a bribe.
Rage flooded through me.
There could only be one person behind this.
Only one person in my life had this kind of power.
Lucas had been in Rochester for half a month. He picked me up from the hospital every day like clockwork. If I refused, he'd pretend not to hear and follow me anyway. He'd walk those two kilometers with me, go with me to discount supermarkets.
Every night, he'd call me. Because he'd hired the overnight nurse for Maya, and even just to know if Maya's condition had changed, I had to take Lucas's number off my blocked list. When the phone rang, I always let it ring three times before answering, as if that proved I wasn't waiting for his call.
I'd never really been in love before. But what Lucas and I had now—maybe this counted as dating? Innocent as a high school romance. I'd gotten used to Lucas's company. If nothing else, having a gorgeous man walk with you felt romantic.
I knew Lucas would leave eventually. I was prepared for him to leave at any moment for work. I treated this companionship as a brief affair. A time-limited arrangement, destined to end.
But I'd noticed things getting weird lately.
The nurses looked at him differently. Initial curiosity had turned into something like awe. Doctors spoke to him more respectfully, more carefully.
Then Joe disappeared.
Just like that. One day he was doing rounds, the next he'd been transferred to the ER. The nurses said it was a normal rotation, part of his training. It should've been good for Joe—the ER would give him intense training instead of having him check in like a nurse several times a day.
Until I overheard nurses gossiping that Joe had been transferred because he'd offended someone he couldn't afford to offend. But when they noticed me, they panicked and looked away.
Now, this kidney.
Connecting all the dots, even I wasn't stupid enough to miss it.
"Mr. Rockefeller has made significant contributions to the hospital," the director said, looking at me the way my mother had when she left—with a "you're so naive" sort of mockery.
"Mr. Rockefeller's investment will help many patients.
But I assure you, this kidney allocation is completely legal. We haven't violated any regulations."
"If my sister knew, she'd refuse," I said flatly, rejecting the director's proposal.
I understood Maya.
Even though I desperately wanted her to recover and be healthy. But I couldn't act against her wishes. I couldn't steal someone else's kidney source. Besides, there were two months left in the waiting period. Maya had planned to wait. I respected her decision.
The director's expression grew complicated. After a long moment, he spoke.
"You and your sister are good people," he sighed. "In this business for so many years, I rarely see good people like you. But sometimes, Mrs. Rockefeller, kindness is a luxury."
I didn't acknowledge his hint. I turned and walked out of the director's office.
The top floor of the hospital's administrative building was deserted. I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. My hands were shaking. I didn't know if it was anger or fear. Maybe both.
"Ella."
I opened my eyes. Lucas stood at the end of the hallway, backlit. I couldn't see his expression. But I knew his appearance here and now wasn't a coincidence.
"Why didn't you discuss this with me first?" My voice was calm—so calm it surprised even me. But that calm was only surface-level. Underneath, rage churned.
He walked closer. Light fell on his face. "Ella, this was supposed to be a surprise."
"This way?"
"Ella," Lucas looked confused, "isn't it good for Maya to recover quickly?"
That sentence ignited me.
"What gives you the right to decide for me?" My voice rose. "What gives you the right to bribe the hospital? To use your 'I can buy anything' logic to turn me into an executioner?"
"Ella..." Lucas's voice wavered, panicked.
"Don't say my name," my body shook, throat so tight I almost gagged. "You know why we always fight? Because you keep forcing what you want onto me. You've never actually asked what I want! You always decide on your own, then force me to accept it!"
When I finished, Lucas froze.
His hand hung at his side, clenching into a fist then releasing. His Adam's apple bobbed.
"I wanted to get you out of here faster," he said quietly. "I didn't want you running around like this every day. We could go back to Manhattan, you could..."
"I don't want to see you again!" I cut him off, turned, and walked quickly toward the elevators.
I could feel Lucas watching me, that gaze pressing on my back, heavy as stone.
But this time, he didn't follow.
Over the next few days, Lucas still came to pick me up every day. But I meant what I said. I kept my distance. When he called my name, I pretended not to hear.
I couldn't figure it out. Lucas's work had always been so busy he couldn't even take my calls. But suddenly he had time. Time to come to the hospital every day, time to go to the supermarket with me, time to call me every night.
Either his work had suddenly gotten less busy. Or he'd never wanted to spend time on me before.
The second possibility stabbed into my chest like a knife. It made everything I'd sacrificed for our marriage two years ago seem even more worthless. Those nights waiting for him at the manor, those calls he didn't answer, those moments I told myself "he's busy, he's working."
Turned out he just didn't want to spend time on me.
This belated devotion made me hate him more than his harassment ever had.
That evening, I left the hospital early on purpose. I didn't want Lucas cornering me at Maya's room again. I needed time to cool down.
When I left the hospital, it was still early. With the cold weather, there weren't many people on the street. I walked fast, hands in my pockets, breath turning to white fog in the cold air.
Then I heard footsteps.
At first, I thought it was an echo. But then I realized it wasn't. The rhythm was different. Not an echo. Someone else's footsteps.
I stopped. The footsteps stopped too.
My heart started racing. I told myself not to panic. According to Lucas's previous arrangements, this should be the security he'd assigned to watch me.
To shake off surveillance, I deliberately took a shortcut—an alley between buildings, complex and winding. Once inside, it would be hard to follow.
But when I entered the alley, the footsteps behind me suddenly ran.
I spun around in horror and saw two men charging toward me.
My first instinct was to run. My heart pounded like it would burst from my chest. But the alley was filled with dumpsters and cardboard boxes. My foot caught on something and I nearly fell.
"Don't run," a voice called behind me. "We just want to chat."
I heard more footsteps. I turned and saw another person emerge from the other end of the alley.
Three men.
I was trapped.
The three men blocked my way forward and back. They wore dirty jackets and ripped jeans, hair greasy and unkempt. One wore a crooked baseball cap, revealing half a stubbled face. Another held a beer bottle, spinning it between his fingers.
These weren't Lucas's surveillance people. Those people always dressed neatly, clearly had legitimate jobs as cover. But these men were real thugs.
"Hey, miss," the guy in the cap spoke, voice raspy with an uncomfortable laugh. "Where you running to? We know these streets better than you."
My hand went into my canvas bag, found my phone. I watched them warily while my fingers fumbled to unlock it, but my hands were shaking. I entered the password wrong twice.