Chapter 2

Markus blocked the doorway.

"You're being ridiculous." He grabbed my wrist, hard. "I was here all night. Didn't sleep a single minute. I watched them try to save her. And you went home, got some rest, and now you come back throwing a tantrum? Can you please get a grip?"

All night. Right.

I almost laughed.

It took me until my last life to piece it all together — he wasn't watching over Lily that night. He was with Sarah. They needed the whole night to drug Lily and fake the reports. And my dear mother-in-law Donna played her part perfectly, calling me home with a fake heart scare so I'd be out of the way.

"You're telling a mother to get a grip when her kid might be dying?" I stared at him. "And why wasn't I here last night? Because your mom called saying her heart was acting up. I leave for one night and Lily goes from a regular room to the ICU. Just a coincidence?"

Something flickered across his face. Gone in a second.

"Stop blaming my mom. Stop blaming me. It's Lily's bad luck. You agreed to sign earlier and now you're backing out — don't you think you're being a little too emotional?"

I didn't waste another breath on him. There was only one thing that mattered right now: getting Lily out of this place.

I pushed past him, pulled out my phone, and dialed a number I hadn't called in six years.

When I married Markus, my parents were dead set against it. My dad said the guy was no good. My mom said I'd regret giving up painting for him. I didn't listen. I moved to this city, cut off all contact, and started over.

Markus said he didn't want to rely on anyone else. He said we'd build our life together, just the two of us. I believed him. I sold my jewelry piece by piece to keep us afloat. I handed him my paintings one by one to publish under his name, turning him from a nobody into a "rising star."

But right now, the only people who could save Lily were the family I'd walked away from.

The phone barely rang twice before my mom picked up.

"Mom —" That was all I got out before I broke down.

Two seconds of silence. Then her voice, sharp and urgent: "What happened? What's wrong?"

"Lily — please, save my daughter — she needs to be transferred, the best hospital you can find —"

She didn't ask why I was calling after six years. She didn't ask a single extra question. She said "Hold on" and hung up.

Five minutes later my dad called back. A top medical team was being assembled. Two hours, and they'd be here.

I hung up and looked at the clock on the wall.

Two hours. I just had to hold on for two hours.

Markus caught up with me outside the ICU.

"What are you doing standing here? Stop making a scene. Go sign the form — the whole team is waiting."

I didn't look at him.

"Elena!" His voice went up. "What do you want? You won't sign, so Lily just lies there? Is that your plan?"

I turned around. "Lily is in there fighting for her life, and the only thing in your head is getting her organs out. You're her father. Doesn't that make you sick?"

He flinched. But he recovered fast, putting on his concerned-dad face.

"That's a horrible thing to say. She's my flesh and blood — of course it hurts. But she's already —"

"Three months ago," I cut him off. "Whose idea was it to watch that organ donation documentary? The whole family, together, like a movie night?"

His mouth shut.

I remembered that evening. Lily sat on the couch crying into her sleeve. "Mommy, those kids are so sad. When I grow up I want to help people too." She was five. She barely understood what death meant. But her heart was real.

Markus patted her head and said "Good girl."

Now I knew that wasn't praise. It was confirmation. The groundwork was laid.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. He'd been planning this for months.

I slapped him across the face.

It echoed down the hallway. Markus stumbled sideways, hand flying to his cheek. He stared at me like he was seeing a stranger — and he was. In six years of marriage, I had never once raised my hand or my voice.

Before he could say a word, he snatched my phone and locked both hands around my arm.

"You're coming with me. Now!"

Then Donna's voice came barreling down the corridor.

"What's going on?" She rushed over, saw Markus's swollen face, and exploded. "Elena! You hit him? Have you lost your mind? Lily being sick isn't anyone's fault! Just sign the damn form and be done with it! The girl's gone — what's the point of dragging this out?"

This woman. Last night she was the one who called me home with a fake emergency. She was the one who cleared the way.

"Let go of me! I'm not going anywhere!"

The two of them grabbed me, one on each side, and started dragging me toward the exit.

I couldn't break free. Not against both of them.

So I screamed.

"Help! Someone's hurting me!"

Nurses came running. But the second they recognized Markus, they slowed down.

He put on a smile. "It's nothing. My wife is a little emotional. We're fine."

"If you don't stop them, I'll scream all the way down this hallway until every single family on this floor comes to see what's happening!"

The nurses looked at each other, and reluctantly stepped in to pull us apart.

Markus was white with anger. But he couldn't make a scene in front of people, so he let go.

I caught my breath and checked the clock.

An hour and a half to go