Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Hayden POV:

Brooklyn lay on the floor, dramatically sobbing, her hand pressed to her cheek, but her eyes, wide and venomous, were fixed on me. "How dare you! You assaulted me! I'll have you arrested!" she shrieked, her voice echoing in the deserted corridor. "Just because your life is falling apart, you think you can lash out at innocent people?"

"Innocent?" I spat, trembling with a rage that shook my entire body. "You are anything but innocent! You condemned my sister to death for a 'business deal'!"

Before I could say another word, a heavy hand clamped down on my shoulder, spinning me around. It was Kingsley, his face contorted with fury, his eyes blazing. He shoved me hard, sending me stumbling backward, my head cracking against the cold, hard wall. A sharp, blinding pain exploded behind my eyes, and for a moment, the world dissolved into a kaleidoscope of flashing lights.

I gasped, clutching my head, a wave of nausea washing over me. Red. There was red on my hand when I pulled it away. Blood. My vision swam, and I felt dizzy, disoriented.

"Hayden, what the hell is wrong with you?" Kingsley roared, his voice laced with disgust. "Hitting Brooklyn? Have you completely lost your mind? She was trying to help you!"

"Help?" I croaked, the word a bitter joke. My head throbbed, a relentless drumbeat of pain. "She was gloating! She told me it was a business deal! She stole Julia's heart for a business deal!"

Brooklyn, still whimpering on the floor, managed to sit up, her gaze darting between Kingsley and me, a cunning glint in her eyes. "She's lying, Kingsley," she whispered, her voice trembling. "She's just trying to turn you against me. She's always been jealous."

Kingsley looked at me, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Jealous? Of what, Hayden? Of her concern for my business associates? Or are you just angry that you can't control everything anymore?"

"My sister is dying, Kingsley!" I screamed, the words tearing through my raw throat. "She needs that heart! My mother, our mother, arranged for it! It was a directed donation! A perfect match! How could you let them take it?"

He threw his hands up in exasperation. "Hayden, I already told you! It was a misunderstanding! Brooklyn's cousin was in critical condition, a last-minute emergency. What was I supposed to do? Let him die?"

"Her cousin?" I laughed, a harsh, broken sound that hurt my aching head. "She just admitted it wasn't for her cousin! It was a business deal, you fool! A power play!"

Brooklyn let out another small sob. "Kingsley, please, don't listen to her. She's unhinged. She's always hated me."

He ignored Brooklyn, his gaze fixed on me, cold and unforgiving. "You know what, Hayden? You've changed. You used to be so sweet, so understanding. Now you're just a bitter, vindictive shrew. No wonder your mother was always so worried about you."

His words pierced through the pain, cutting deeper than any physical blow. My mother. He dared to speak of her, of her worries, as if he knew anything about her love, about her sacrifices. I staggered forward, pushing past him, determined to reach Julia's room, to see her one last time before it was too late.

But Brooklyn, ever watchful, sprang to her feet and blocked my path. "Oh no, you don't. You're not going to cause any more trouble. The doctors have enough to deal with." She put her hands on my chest, pushing me back. "Think of Julia, Hayden. Do you want her last moments to be filled with your ugly accusations?"

"Don't you dare speak her name!" I shrieked, my voice barely a whisper, thick with tears and the bitter metallic taste of blood in my mouth. "You don't get to use Julia to manipulate me! That heart was her last chance! My mother arranged for it. My mother, who loved us more than anything, gave up her own chance at life to secure this for Julia!"

I stumbled again, my prosthetic leg giving way under the sudden tremor that ran through my body. I crashed to my knees, breathless, my side burning with an intense, agonizing pain. I clutched my stomach, a horrifying thought blossoming in my mind. No. Not this. Not now.

Kingsley, seeing my distress, paused, a flicker of concern crossing his face. But it was quickly replaced by annoyance. "Hayden, stop this charade. Get up. You're making a scene."

"I'm not leaving until I see Julia," I gasped, the words barely audible. "And you, you monster, will regret this. I swear, you will regret this for the rest of your life."

"Regret what?" he sneered, his patience clearly at an end. "Being loyal to my business partners? Saving a life that wasn't 'yours' to save? You're being dramatic, Hayden. Just like always."

"You want dramatic?" I hissed, forcing myself to look him in the eye, despite the pain blurring my vision. "You want dramatic? Fine. I hope you enjoy your new life, Kingsley. Because you and I are done. Truly done. I'm divorcing you. And I'm taking everything that's mine."

His face went white. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm serious," I whispered, a chilling resolve solidifying in my heart. "More serious than I've ever been. You took my sister's life. You took my mother's last gift. Now I'm taking back mine."

Before he could respond, the unbearable pain in my abdomen intensified, a sharp, searing cramp that doubled me over. I cried out, a raw, animal sound, clutching my stomach with both hands. My head spun, and my vision tunneled.

Kingsley, his face still pale from my declaration, recoiled slightly, a flicker of genuine alarm in his eyes. "Hayden, what is it?" he demanded, taking a tentative step forward.

But I was beyond speaking. My body was wracked with agony, a terrifying warmth spreading between my legs. The blood. There was more blood. An icy terror gripped me, colder than any hatred.

"What's wrong with her?" Brooklyn whined, her voice laced with thinly veiled impatience. "She's always so dramatic. Just ignore her, Kingsley. We have more important things to do."

Kingsley hesitated, glancing between me and Brooklyn. For a moment, a sliver of the old Kingsley, the one who occasionally showed concern, seemed to surface. But it was fleeting. His gaze hardened again.

"Hayden, if you're trying to manipulate me with some elaborate stunt, it won't work," he warned, his voice cold. "This is your last chance. Go home. Now. Or don't expect me to come looking for you when you realize you've made a terrible mistake."

My breath hitched. He thought I was faking it. He thought I was faking this excruciating pain, this terrifying, wet warmth spreading beneath me. He thought I would manipulate the death of my child.

"Mistake?" I choked out, a bitter laugh bubbling up through my pain. "The only mistake I ever made was loving you. And now, I'm paying for it. We all are."

I closed my eyes, the pain overwhelming everything. I could hear Kingsley's footsteps receding, Brooklyn's triumphant snicker, the distant hum of hospital machinery. A cold dread settled over me, a premonition of irreversible loss. It wasn't just Julia I was losing. It was everything.