Chapter 5
“If you die, what am I supposed to do? Have you ever thought that without you, I wouldn’t be able to live either?” “No matter what, you can’t die. I can lose a child, but I can’t lose you!” Zevian’s voice thundered, his words raw and desperate, the pain in his heart spilling out, completely oblivious to the fact that the fruit knife had already sliced into his palm. At his words, Aveline’s tears fell without warning, warm drops that traced down her cheeks. With a sob, she threw herself into his arms, her voice a mixture of joy and sorrow. “I understand now, Brother Zevian. I won’t do it again. Your hand it’s hurt; we should get a doctor to bandage it.” Zevian shut his eyes for a moment, letting the weight of his words settle in. He sighed, his breath heavy with resignation. His gaze softened as he looked at her tear-streaked face, her eyes wide and fearful like a lost rabbit, and he relented. “Alright. I’ll forgive you this time. Just rest and wait for the surgery. Once it’s done, everything will get better.” Alaric and Amanda exchanged a quiet, knowing look before they slipped out of the ward, leaving the two alone. As they passed the hallway, they went to summon a doctor to tend to Zevian’s wound. While the room fell into a calm, Aveline stepped outside the hospital, hailing a cab with determination in her step. Barely a minute after stepping into the car, Amaris caught a strange, unfamiliar scent that made her head spin. Before she could react, darkness took over, and she lost consciousness. When she awoke, she had no idea how much time had passed. Her body felt weak, her hands and feet bound tight, the coarse ropes digging into her skin. She was lying on a cold, grimy hospital bed. Panic surged as the truth dawned: she had been kidnapped. The memories of her past abduction came crashing back like a tidal wave, and she trembled uncontrollably, the fear seeping deep into her bones. The door creaked open, and Amaris’s gaze flickered to the sound. To her shock, the person who entered was Aveline. With her confidence shining, Aveline stepped in, dressed in a sleek tweed cardigan and a brown leather skirt, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor. Amaris’s heart sank at the sight of her. Seeing her in such a helpless state, Aveline chuckled coldly, her eyes gleaming with malice. “Amaris, you’ve enjoyed my life long enough, haven’t you? Stolen my identity for years, basking in the life that was supposed to be mine.” “Zevian even married you, pampered you like you were precious to him.” “You know, I had to lie with him in secret, pretending to be the one he cared about, all so you wouldn’t find out. I hated you more with every passing day.” She took a step closer, her lips curling into a cruel smile. “Tell me, Amaris, if I were to ruin that pretty face of yours, make you deaf and blind, so you could never hear his voice or see his face again, wouldn’t that be the perfect punishment for you?” A chill seeped into Amaris’s heart as she heard Aveline’s words, making her body shudder violently. “Aveline, you can’t do this… you’ll regret it…” A man in a white coat, who had followed Aveline into the room, spoke up, his voice calm but firm. “Miss Aveline, perhaps we should wait until after the kidney transplant before we do anything rash. If we harm her now, it might jeopardize the operation, and all of this effort would be wasted.” Aveline opened her mouth to respond, but before she could speak, a familiar voice echoed through the room. “Aveline, why would you come to such a filthy place?” Zevian entered his presence like a jolt of electricity. The moment his eyes landed on Amaris, his expression froze. Hope flickered within Amaris, small but fierce. Even if it was just a spark, she held onto the hope that he would spare her, for their child, for the love they once shared. “Zevian…” Her voice cracked, filled with sorrow and a desperation that bled through her every word. But Zevian looked away, his gaze hardening. He reached out, taking Aveline’s hand in his. “You shouldn’t be here. Once the kidney’s prepped, we’ll need you ready for surgery,” he said, his words cold. In that instant, Amaris’s heart sank, and everything she had feared became painfully clear. Her heart, already wounded, was now torn open once more, this time with a cruelty that left her gasping for breath. A bitter laugh escaped her lips, a hollow sound that reflected the foolishness of her hopes. She had honestly believed that Zevian would remember their love, that he would come to save her. But now, it was painfully clear he had probably never loved her at all. His heart had always belonged to Aveline. Zevian avoided her gaze as if her eyes didn’t exist, as though her pleas were nothing more than the wind. Without a second glance, he walked out with Aveline, leaving her to her fate. Moments later, the surgery began. Amaris was carried into the operating room, her limbs still bound, her body weak, but her mind racing. “I don’t want this… I won’t give up my kidney…” She fought with everything she had, squirming against the restraints, her body jerking as she tried to avoid the needle. But in the end, they overwhelmed her, the anesthetic taking hold of her before she could resist any longer. Tears fell from the corners of her eyes, mixed with the sweat from her struggle, and wet her hair. Before she completely lost consciousness, she seemed to see a figure running towards her. Who was that?