Chapter 7: A Moment of Trust

**Alexa**

I had never imagined that someone I barely knew would be willing to go through so much just to give me another chance at life. Even now, as I lay inside the Healing Chamber, I found it difficult to fully accept what Jack was about to do for me.

For the first time in what felt like forever, I had something real to look forward to. The operation was finally going to happen.

After everything my illness had taken from me, including the marriage I once thought would last a lifetime, I was finally this close to getting the treatment I desperately needed. After all the uncertainty, the endless search for a compatible donor and the moments when I had almost lost hope, the thought alone brought a happiness I couldn't quite contain. I wanted to believe that this would be the beginning of better days, that I would finally have the chance to live without constantly wondering how much time I had left.

But every time I looked at Jack, that happiness came with a pang of guilt.

He was getting ready to undergo the procedure because of me. He had willingly offered something so precious, even though we had only known each other for a short while. I couldn't understand how someone could be so generous to a person who was practically a stranger. What had I done to deserve this? How was I supposed to repay him for something so great?

I wished I could take away the burden of what he was about to do. What could I possibly offer him in return? All I could do was lie there and hope that everything went well for both of us.

Nora had stayed outside the Healing Chamber, waiting while the procedure was carried out. Although I knew she was only a few steps away, I couldn't help wishing she could be in there with us.

Across the chamber, Jack was helping the healer arrange the instruments needed for the transplant. I watched him as he moved about the room, following the healer's instructions without complaint. There was something about the sight that made my chest tighten. He was preparing for a procedure that would require him to give up a part of himself for my sake, yet he didn't seem to hesitate.

I had spent so long wishing for someone who could save me that I hadn't stopped to consider what it would mean for that person. Now that the moment was finally here, seeing Jack take part in the preparations made everything feel real. He wasn't just promising to help me anymore. He was actually going through with it.

I must have been more tense than I realised because Jack eventually turned his attention towards me. His eyes lingered on my face for a moment, as though he had noticed the worry I was trying so hard to hide. He excused himself from the healer and came over, squatting beside my bed before reaching for my hands.

His palms were warm against mine. He gently rubbed the backs of my hands, his gaze fixed on me as he offered a reassuring smile.

"Hey, don't look so worried. We're going to get through this, alright? Before you know it, you'll be back on your feet again."

His words sent a strange shiver through me. I wanted to believe him so badly that I found myself holding on to his hands a little tighter. For a moment, I couldn't bring myself to say anything. I only looked at him, wondering how someone could offer so much comfort when he was the one about to undergo the procedure for my sake.

The healer's voice soon drew our attention.

"We're ready to begin," the healer announced as he approached us.

He picked up a small container from the table and opened it, revealing two pills inside. Taking them out, he walked over to our beds and placed one in each of our hands.

"This will put both of you into a deep sleep while the transplant is being carried out," he explained. "Once you've taken them, you won't be aware of anything happening around you until you wake up."

I stared at the pill resting in my palm, turning it slightly between my fingers. Beside me, Jack examined his own before looking towards the healer.

"Go ahead and take them," the old man instructed.

I took a quiet breath before finally placing the pill in my mouth and swallowing it.

Jack did the same, then settled onto the bed beside mine. I turned my head towards him, finding his eyes already on me.

"Don't worry, Alexa. When we wake up, we'll have something to celebrate," he said, his voice gentle and reassuring.

I wanted to tell him how much his kindness meant to me, but the words seemed to get caught somewhere in my throat. Instead, I managed a small smile, keeping my eyes on him.

Gradually, my eyelids began to grow heavy. I fought to keep them open, not wanting to look away just yet, but the medication was taking effect. Jack's face became a little blurry, though I could still make out the reassuring look in his eyes.

His words were the last thing I heard before I slowly drifted into sleep.

And in the dark quiet of my dreams, I was eleven again.

It had been raining that day. Not a soft drizzle, but a wild storm that turned roads to rivers. I was walking home from school when I saw something, no, someone, lying in the ditch.

A boy. Soaking wet, scraped and bruised, his lips cracked. Barely breathing.

I ran to him, dropped my umbrella, shouted for help. He blinked once, and even then, I thought: he’s beautiful.

That was the first time I met Shaun.

He’d escaped from a kidnapping. I didn’t know that at the time. I just knew he needed help.

After he was safe, his parents arranged for my father to be given a high-ranking position in Silver Crest, one that allowed him to communicate directly with the royal family.

That appointment gave our family a place within their world.

And I fell in love with the boy in the ditch.

I used to look for every opportunity to spend time with Shaun after school. For a while, it felt like we were simply children enjoying each other's company. Azula, my stepsister, was part of our lives too, and I trusted her enough to eventually work up the courage to whisper the truth: I liked Shaun.

I never expected her to betray me like that. Instead of keeping my secret, Azula used it against me, moving in immediately and doing everything she could to make Shaun hers. That was the moment everything changed, turning what had once been a happy part of my childhood into something cold and painful.

I loved him for ten years before he even noticed me. And when he finally did, I thought: this is it. The dream. The reward for waiting.

But dreams end. And sometimes they end slowly, painfully, like glass cracking under your fingertips.

Now, all I could do was hold on to the hope that I would finally get another chance at life, and that Jack wouldn't have to pay too high a price for giving it to me.