Chapter 2

Aubrey woke up in a hospital bed, the sterile smell of antiseptic filling her nostrils. The first thing she saw was the doctor' s grim face.

"Ms. Johnson, your condition is deteriorating rapidly," he said, his voice gentle but firm. "The cold and the stress have done significant damage. We need to act now."

There was only one hope: a complex, high-risk surgery that only one person in the world could perform, a renowned surgeon named Dr. Delano Rios.

Aubrey knew she couldn' t afford him. But there was one person who could.

She called Eleanor Harris.

Her voice was a hoarse whisper. "I' ll disappear," she said, the words tasting like poison. "I' ll sign any papers you want. I' ll leave Connor' s life forever. Just get me the surgery. Get me Dr. Rios."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, then Eleanor' s cold, calculating voice. "Fine. But you will tell no one about this deal. You will leave quietly after the operation."

Aubrey agreed. As she hung up, a wave of bitter regret washed over her. Eleanor had known all along. She had known Aubrey was the kidney donor. A private investigator had uncovered the truth years ago. But a sick, crippled girl from the foster system, even one who had saved her son' s life, was still not good enough for the Harris family. The limp Aubrey had gotten while saving Connor from being hit by a car as a child was just another mark against her in Eleanor's eyes.

Eleanor had tried to buy her off before, offering her millions to leave Connor. Aubrey had always refused, believing their love was priceless. Now, she was begging for her life, trading that same love for a chance to survive. How foolish she had been.

The door to her room opened, and Connor walked in. He was holding a small jar of ointment.

He sat on the edge of her bed, his expression a mixture of guilt and annoyance. "Your knees must be sore," he said, avoiding her eyes. He began to rub the cream onto her bruised skin. His touch was gentle, a ghost of the care he used to show her.

"You pushed me too far, Aubrey," he murmured, as if that excused everything. "You shouldn't have gone after Kassie."

Her throat was raw. It hurt to speak. "Do you believe me?" she whispered. "That I didn't do it?"

His silence was her answer. It was a solid wall between them, built brick by brick with his misplaced trust in another woman.

He finally spoke, his voice low. "I' m with Kassie for us, Aubrey. For our future. She' s giving us a child. Don' t you see? Once the baby is born, I can finally acknowledge you. We can be a real family." He laid out his twisted plan: Kassie would give birth, and they would register the child under Aubrey' s name. He would then officially introduce Aubrey as his wife, the mother of his heir.

He saw the look on her face and scoffed. "What' s that look for? Be realistic. You' re a cripple from an orphanage. This is the only way my family will ever accept you."

Each word was a fresh wound. He saw her not as his partner, his soulmate of twenty years, but as a charity case he had to smuggle into his life.

"No," she said, her voice shaking with a strength she didn' t know she had. "I don' t want that future."

Connor' s face hardened. He was about to argue when a loud clap of thunder rattled the window. He immediately stood up.

"Kassie' s afraid of storms," he said, already moving toward the door. "I need to be with her."

He paused at the doorway, looking back at her. "Just wait a little longer, Aubrey. And stop being so difficult."

Then he was gone.

Aubrey stared at the empty doorway, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. She reached down and rubbed her ankle. The old injury, from the accident where she' d pushed him out of the path of a car, always throbbed in the rain. He used to remember that. He used to sit with her on stormy nights, gently massaging her ankle, whispering that he was sorry she was in pain because of him.

Now, he only remembered that Kassie was afraid of thunder. He had forgotten everything else. He had forgotten her.

The next day, she saw them in the hospital corridor. Connor was leaving the obstetrician' s office with Kassie, holding a file with the baby' s latest ultrasound. He was glowing, his face lit up with a joy Aubrey hadn' t seen in years. He leaned down and kissed Kassie' s forehead, his hand resting protectively on her stomach.

It was the same tender look he used to give her. The same gentle touch.

Aubrey' s heart clenched. She turned to leave, but Kassie saw her.

"Aubrey," she called out, her voice sweet as honey, her smile triumphant. She walked over, blocking Aubrey' s path. Connor followed, a slight frown on his face.

"You look terrible," Kassie said, her eyes scanning Aubrey' s pale face and hospital gown. "But I suppose that' s to be expected. People from your background don' t age well." She patted her own stomach. "Connor is so worried about me and the baby. He says I' m his whole world now."

Aubrey just stared at her, then down at her own feet. The limp. The constant reminder of a sacrifice he no longer valued.

"This limp," Aubrey said, her voice quiet but clear. "I got it saving his life. This body, the one you find so disgusting, gave him a kidney so he could live. What have you ever given him but lies?"

She looked past Kassie, directly at Connor. "I' m leaving. I hope you can keep him with just your pretty face and your lies."

Kassie' s face contorted in a flash of rage. She raised her hand to strike Aubrey.

But then, she saw Connor walking back towards them from the nurse's station. Her expression changed in an instant. The raised hand that was meant for Aubrey' s face came around and slapped her own cheek, hard.

With a dramatic cry, Kassie Whitney crumpled to the floor.