d, his voice gentle. "Inducing labor at seven month

dney, Doctor. The tests confirm I'm the only match. Without it..." I couldn' t finish

by is stable before we proceed with y

ara. Our life. I love you so much." His voice was w

t." This was for him, for our future. A small sac

inally born, they whisked him away before I could even hold him. Exha

sness. The room was dim. Voices.

's fighting. Should we transfer him to the NICU?" I

the warmth I cherished, cut th

ized. No, I must have misheard. The drug

t friend, his shadow. "Damn, Ethan, you' re a cold bastard. One

who had killed herself? What did

oe killed herself because Elara stole that art scholarship.

I had won that scholarship

king accident'? Or the 'car crash'? Masterful, my friend. Pure evil genius. Even tha

ckies. The blizzard. My f

hielding Ethan. Los

e thugs in that dark alley after my first solo a

all..

Knight, since you're not actually ill, about Mrs. Knigh

a full hysterectomy. Ethan's got that big engagement gala coming up. Can' t have her thinking she c

as calm, chillin

. Every loving word, every tender touch, every

haven; it was a cage built on vengeance for a crime I never committ

ern, his gentle care. It was all designed to make me dependent, to make me love him,

lculated strike in his twisted game of revenge. The grief that had hollo

his betrayal. The man I loved, the man I was willing to die for,

nto the room later, his face a mask of

y settled over me. I had to survive this. I had to know... about my son

. "He didn't make it, Elara. I'm so sorry."

ordered my son to be discar

the hospital grounds a day later, a place he s

thick with false emotion. I wept, genuine tears of grief for the children

t a little longer. I needed to get out. I needed to live. And then, I would make him pa