Chapter 1

1.

"I've explained this a million times. Elara has less than a year to live. Her final wish is to leave an heir for her family. She saved my life, and now I have to grant her this wish."

I’d been hearing the same damn speech for a month.

The first time Isaiah Thorne suggested being a sperm donor for Elara, I shut it down immediately.

But he didn't give up. He brought it up almost every single day.

His tone shifted from a tentative question to an entitled demand.

It was like my refusal made me the most selfish person in the world.

But even for a life debt, this was an insane way to repay it.

A month of fighting had worn me down. I looked at the man I had loved for ten years, and been with for five, and my voice trembled.

"Isaiah, we're getting married next month. And you want to have a baby with another woman? What about me? What does that make me?"

Seeing me so distraught for the first time, his tone softened slightly.

"Sophia, I know this is hard to accept. But I'm the only one who can help Elara. Her family needs an heir, and she's running out of time. I can't let her die with this regret."

"Besides, it’s just a medical procedure. I’m only donating sperm; nothing will happen between us. It’s a legal agreement."

"If you love me, you'll understand, right?"

My heart sank into a black hole.

I finally got it―Isaiah had already made his decision. Whether I agreed or not, he was going to get Elara pregnant.

My opinion never mattered.

Isaiah was about to say more, but his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and walked out to the balcony to take the call.

Watching his back, a bitter smile crossed my lips.

Isaiah and I were practically childhood sweethearts. From the Dalton School in New York to Columbia University―we were always in the same orbit.

I always knew I loved him, quietly staying by his side, but he never saw me.

Not until the eve of our graduation, when he finally acknowledged my devotion and agreed to date me.

You would think that after knowing each other for over a decade, we would be closer than ever.

But in five years, I had never touched Isaiah's phone. He even took his calls in private.

I remember once he was in bed with a high fever, and his phone kept buzzing with notifications. I just wanted to put it on silent so he could rest.

The second my finger touched the screen, his eyes flew open. He saw what I was doing and demanded to know what the hell I thought I was doing.

No matter how I explained, he didn't believe me.

I spent that entire night curled up on the sofa.

I told myself it was just his personality, that one day I would break through his walls and truly reach his heart.

But five years had passed, and nothing had changed.

And now, he was about to have a child with another woman, completely disregarding the feelings of his own fiancée.

When Isaiah came back inside, his face was lit up with obvious joy. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

"I have to go out for a bit. You think about it."

Listening to his hurried footsteps fade away, my heart turned to ice.

The only person who could make him rush like that was Elara.

Sure enough, a few moments later, I received a photo from Elara.

When I zoomed in and saw what it was, my legs almost gave out.