Chapter 3

After Ms. Davies left, Liam stayed by my bedside. One moment, he was gently wiping my body, the next he was whispering stories of our past into my ear.

Every gesture was so tender. If I hadn’t just overheard the cruel truth, I would have believed he loved me so deeply.

A short while later, a male doctor, Dr. Alex Reed, whom I recognized as Liam’s close friend, walked in with two reports. Liam glanced at him coolly.

“Well? Are the results in?”

Dr. Reed handed one of the reports to Liam. He opened it, and his eyes instantly brightened. Even his voice suddenly became cheerful.

“I knew it would work! They’re half-sisters, so their kidneys must be a match.”

“Prepare for the surgery. The sooner, the better.”

Dr. Reed’s face darkened, and he tremblingly grabbed Liam’s hand.

“Liam, do you really have to do this? Look at Skylar, she’s already like this. And you still want to take her kidney? Besides, Blair’s kidney isn’t even that problematic. Last time you brought her in for a check-up, it was just a mild infection. A few medications would have fixed it.”

Liam pried his hand away, his gaze fixed on my pale face.

“You don’t understand. Blair has expended so much energy preparing for the heir position lately. She hasn’t eaten or slept well.”

“I saw online that stressing your body like this can cause kidney problems. I can’t gamble with Blair’s health. Only this way can I ensure absolute certainty.”

“No matter what, take advantage of this car accident to remove her kidney. When she wakes up, we’ll tell her the crash damaged her kidney and it had to be removed. She won’t suspect a thing.”

Dr. Reed tried to reason with him, grabbing his hand again.

“But Skylar’s current condition makes her completely unsuitable for this surgery. This car accident caused a blood clotting disorder. Forcibly removing one of her kidneys could lead to shock, even endangering her life.”

Liam, however, turned his gaze squarely on Dr. Reed.

“Alex, aren’t you the most professional doctor in your hospital? I’m sure you can handle this minor surgery.”

Dr. Reed bit his lip, remaining silent, only a series of sighs escaping him. And my tears streamed down my face like a broken string of pearls.

My legs had already been amputated, and now, unbelievably, my husband was going to take one of my kidneys for my half-sister. I wanted so badly to rise from the bed and fiercely demand to know why he was doing this to me. But my limbs felt as if they were encased in concrete, rooted to the spot.

Dr. Reed handed Liam the other report.

“Liam, your physical exam results from last week are also in. Your sperm count and quality are fine. You can try to have children now.”

Liam froze, staring at those words on the report for a long time. But the only words I heard from him were a cold, dismissive sentence.

“Help me schedule an appointment. I want a contraceptive injection.”

Dr. Reed was visibly surprised, his voice laced with confusion.

“Liam, you’ve been married for five years, and your family is pressuring you. Don’t you want children yet? Skylar is already like this; without children, she’ll truly lose all hope for living. And you’ve given her so many birth control pills already, her body is damaged. Now you’re getting a contraceptive injection yourself? Do you want to end your family’s legacy?”

Liam’s cold hand again gripped mine. With the proximity, his voice pierced me even more.

“I never intended to have children when I married her. You know I’ve always loved Blair. If there absolutely has to be a child, that child can only be born from Blair.”

He suddenly leaned down and placed a kiss on my forehead, his voice laced with a tremor.

“As for Skylar, I’ll compensate her in hundreds of ways.”

All the moments of our past flashed through my mind like a movie. For five years of marriage, I had desperately wanted a child, a symbol of our love, but it never came true. I thought there was something wrong with me, so I sought doctors everywhere, drinking countless bitter herbal remedies. Liam had once consoled me, “No rush, we’ll have children eventually.”

The truth was, he never wanted children at all.