Chapter 1

"Please wait here, you'll be called when it's your turn," a woman in light blue said to Elena Wilson after work.

"Thank you." Elena lifted her lips. She sat in a waiting chair in front of the room where she would conduct the interview.

Elena considered the interview a miracle amid the tragedy that had befallen her family. Her father was depressed and committed suicide after his company went bankrupt. Her family was criticized and ostracized by the people they used to help. Elena and her mother hit rock bottom and had to fight from the bottom up to start a new life.

After being turned down by dozens of companies, Elena finally got an interview call from a major company. Elena hoped it would be the beginning of a renaissance for her family. She wanted to prove that she could restore Wilson's good name so that people wouldn't underestimate her.

"Miss Wilson!" A call caught Elena's attention.

"Yes, I am," Elena answered the call with a friendly smile.

"Come in! Mr. Harris is expecting you."

Elena got up and walked out of the waiting room. However, the cell phone in her pocket rang after only a few steps. A glance at the screen showed an unknown number calling.

"Sorry," Elena said to the woman waiting for her.

Elena declined the call. She deactivated the phone and put it back in her pocket. She didn't want to waste her golden opportunity to answer a call from a stranger.

The thirty-minute interview went smoothly. Elena got through every session perfectly. She was optimistic that the company would hire her.

"I'm pleased with all your answers." Mr. Harris nodded. "Come back tomorrow morning for another session."

"Okay. And thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Harris." Elena nodded respectfully with a graceful smile.

"Don't be late! Opportunity doesn't come twice, Miss Wilson," Mr. Harris advised.

"I understand," Elena agreed.

When she left the room, Elena couldn't wait to tell her mother the good news. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket to call her mother. Instead, she found many unanswered calls from unknown numbers. Curiosity filled her mind. She quickly dialed the number and received the bad news that shattered her soul. Elena's mother had been in a car accident. She was in critical condition in the hospital.

Elena drove her car to the hospital at high speed. She was so frantic that she didn't care about her safety. She just wanted to get to the hospital and see her mother's condition.

When she arrived at the hospital, Elena ran to the information desk. But she was not paying attention, so she bumped into a man and almost fell over. Fortunately, the man quickly caught her.

"You okay?" The man asked.

The man's handsome face spellbound Elena. A face that looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it before.

"Miss, are you okay?" The man repeated his question.

Elena blinked quickly and pulled away from his embrace as soon as she realized where they were.

"Sorry, I'm in a hurry," Elena said.

The man before Elena was about to speak when a voice called out.

"Elena!" A young doctor approached with quick steps.

"Doctor Evans!" Elena turned away and went straight to the doctor.

"I need to talk to you," Doctor Evans said under his breath. "I've tried calling you a few times, but..."

"How's my mom?" urged Elena, tears in her eyes.

Doctor Evans replied, "Your mom has severe kidney damage."

"Oh my God!" Elena covered her mouth with her palm.

"She could have lived with one kidney. But her other kidney was also failing," the doctor explained.

"What?" The joints all over Elena's body felt weak, and evil thoughts instantly swirled in her head.

"I'm sorry. I did my best," the doctor said, touching Elena's hand. "The only option is a transplant. Your mom needs a new kidney to survive."

The more information the doctor gave her, the more Elena's mind became frantic. Elena was ready to give her mother one of her kidneys if her mother's kidneys matched hers. Unfortunately, their blood types were not the same. How would the kidney match?

"Where can I get this kidney?" Tears fell from her eyes.

Elena was desperate. She didn't know where to find a kidney match for her mother. She couldn't go to the family who had insulted her pride. Elena cried in the hospital hallway, feeling that she had no hope that her mother would survive.

Not only because of the difficulty in finding a donor, but also because of the amount she had to prepare to get the kidney.

"Josh." Her boyfriend's name suddenly flashed through her mind.

Elena stood up quickly, as if on cue, and wiped away the tears. With shaking hands, she picked up her cell phone and dialed her boyfriend's number.

Josh's family is very wealthy. Josh would soon be running the family business. Therefore, Elena hoped that Josh would be willing to lend money to her mother's medical expenses.

"Come on, Josh, pick up the phone." Elena paced and bit her lip.

Elena called several times, but Josh didn't answer. Elena decided to go to the man's apartment. It took about thirty minutes to get there. Elena took the elevator to the 10th floor, then walked down the quiet hallway. Her destination was apartment number 1014, at the end of the corridor on the left. With great hope, Elena took a big step.

At the door of unit 1014, Elena stopped. A sudden doubt filled her mind. But her mother's condition forced her to suppress those doubts.

"You're my only hope, Josh." Elena took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

Elena's birthday was the passcode to Josh's apartment. She punched in the numbers on the keypad and pushed the door open. She walked in and heard the faint sound of someone talking.

"Josh? Is he home yet?" Elena muttered, furrowing her brow.

She sharpened her ears and slowly walked towards the source of the sound: Josh's room. She could hear two different voices, a male and a female. Elena's heart raced. Her brain strongly denied that she recognized the owner of the voices. Her footsteps continued unbidden.

"So, when are you going to stop dating Elena? I get jealous every time I see you with her."

Elena was very familiar with the woman's voice.

"Soon, honey. I still need her to help me with my work."

And that was Josh's voice.

From the open door, Elena saw Josh cuddling with a woman. Bianca, her best friend. Elena covered her mouth as she began to cry uncontrollably.

"I love you, Josh. I'm tired of sneaking around with you like this," Bianca said.

"Bianca, darling. You know how much I love you, too, and... your whole body." Josh stroked Bianca's hair and kissed her lips.

Elena's whole world seemed shattered when she saw her boyfriend making out with her best friend, the one she trusted.