Chapter 3

Holding Brooke and that black card, I rushed straight to the hospital.

After completing the admission procedures, I practically threw myself at the payment window and handed over the card. "I'm here to pay for Brooke Sullivan's surgery!"

The nurse checked her computer, and she suddenly appeared troubled. "You're his family, right? I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news… but the donor kidney that was allocated to him has already been reassigned to another patient."

My brain short-circuited.

Clutching the window bars in a vice grip, I fretted, "We've been on the waiting list for three whole years! It was clearly our turn today!"

The nurse looked at me, her eyes filled with sympathy. "Word is, a patient named Sam Graham was in critical condition. The hospital director personally approved the transfer."

Sam Graham was Selene's cousin who spent his days street-racing, brawling, and indulging in every vice imaginable. Yet, he was going to steal the lifesaving opportunity my son had waited three years for just because he had wrecked his kidneys?

The last thread holding my sanity together snapped at that moment. Like a madwoman, I rushed toward the hospital director's office. Yet, as I rounded the corridor, I suddenly stopped in my tracks.

Clifford was in the center of a crowd a short distance away, listening to the attending physician's report. "Rest assured, Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Graham's surgery was a complete success. The donor kidney is highly compatible with him, so the risk of rejection is extremely low."

All the blood in my body ran cold, and a deafening ringing filled my ears.

So, the hospital hadn't changed the list at the last minute. Clifford had personally given the kidney to the Grahams.

I glared at him, hatred blazing through me like fire rising from the depths of my soul. "Give Brooke his kidney back, Clifford Mitchell! That's his lifeline. How dare you give it to Sam?"

Clifford's eyes widened with disbelief. "Because my word is law here, and that little bastard was never meant to live. He should be thanking his lucky stars that kidney could save Selene's cousin."

My whole body trembled. "You'll pay for this, Clifford…"

His gaze turned ice-cold, and he kicked me in the shoulder. "Kyra, your father was a filthy sex offender, and you're a shameless slut. The fact that your whole family has ended up like this is the punishment you deserve!"

He leaned down, driving his words into my heart like knives. "Don't you love money? When that little bastard dies, I'll give you a million dollars. How does that sound?"

Looking into his eyes, I suddenly found it deeply ironic. It dawned on me that a person's heart could rot to such a degree.

Just then, my phone vibrated frantically. I answered with trembling hands. "Ms. Sullivan, you need to get over here right now! Your son has suddenly gone into acute kidney failure. The doctors are trying to save him!"