Chapter 2

2

Lily was finally taken into the emergency room.

Five minutes later, the doctors were suddenly called away by the hospital director. I blocked one of them, demanding to know why they weren't saving my daughter.

"Our biggest donor just arrived," he said, looking panicked. "We have to treat her friend immediately, or this hospital will be shut down by tomorrow."

I followed them and saw Seraphina holding a ten-million-dollar check, shouting at the staff.

"Save Alaric! He has a scratch on his hand. I want it treated so there isn't even a faint scar!"

"If he's fine, I'll donate ten million right now! If not, I'll burn this place to the ground!"

My daughter was dying in the next room, and she was throwing millions at a scratch on Alaric's hand.

A doctor pushed a gurney out of the operating room. I ran over. Lily's face was as white as marble.

I collapsed, clutching her cold body. "Seraphina! Your daughter is dead! And you're worried about that man's scratch!"

"Shut up! If you offend her, we're all finished!" a doctor hissed, trying to pull me away.

"Let go of me! That's my wife! That's her daughter!" Before I could finish, I felt a sharp prick in my arm. My body went limp.

I heard the doctors muttering as I faded out. "He's insane. Wife? Daughter? That couple over there are the real power duo. He almost ruined our deal."

Everything went black.

When I woke up, I was strapped to a hospital bed. They must have pumped me full of sedatives.

I struggled out, desperate to tell Seraphina that Lily was gone.

As I reached the hallway, I saw Lily's body being wheeled back toward an operating room. A file fell from a nurse's hand. The header read: "Organ Donation Consent."

I tried to stop them, but Alaric appeared by my side. He had a sickening smirk on his face.

"Step aside, Linus. I need to provide psychological counseling to a grieving family."

I shoved him. "Liar! That's my daughter's body! You're going to butcher her!"

Seraphina rushed over. Seeing me shove Alaric, she kicked me squarely in the chest.

"Haven't you done enough? You already took away his ability to have children. Now you want to kill him too?"

Alaric grabbed her hand, looking like a martyr. "Seraphina, don't. He's your husband. Don't let me come between you."

"I just want to help a grieving family, but he's blocking me. I feel so helpless... like a failure."

She pulled him into her arms. "Alaric, you're too good for this world. I won't let anyone hurt you again."

Seraphina ordered the guards to tie me up. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere near Alaric.

"Don't let his trauma affect you too much," she told him softly. "You're still recovering yourself."

Watching Alaric walk into that operating room with a spring in his step, my heart turned to ice.

I thrashed against my restraints, screaming at her. "Don't let him in there! That's your daughter's body! He's going to harvest her organs!"