Chapter 5 "Hurt Feelings"

Desperately clawing for any shred of evidence, Eva cast her eyes around the chaotic scene, the helplessness of her situation warring with a fierce determination to unearth a truth that could exonerate her.

The door creaked open, framing a visibly upset Blake in the doorway. Relief flooded Eva's face, a lifeline thrown to a drowning woman, her desperate gaze locking onto his as if he were her sole salvation.

"Blake, I didn't hurt Tally. Please believe me!"

Blake looked down at Eva coldly. When he spoke, his voice was strained.

The air hung heavy with accusation as Blake's voice cut through the room, his words sharp and devoid of sympathy. "Eva, that's enough. I don't want to hear your excuses. Wrongdoings deserve to be punished, and frankly, it's irrelevant. Tally's kidney was seriously damaged by the fall, and according to the tests, yours is the only match."

"Yes!" Marian shouted. "You damaged Tally's kidney, so you should compensate her with one of yours!"

Eva's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Take her to the operating room!" Marian shouted at Blake's bodyguards.

The bodyguards immediately surrounded Eva, holding her hands and feet.

Panic surged through Eva as the grip on her arms tightened. Her voice rose, echoing in the sterile hallway. "You have no right to do this! This is kidnapping! I won't be a donor!"

But her pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. The stern-faced nurses continued their relentless march towards the operating room. Desperation clawed at her throat. In a last-ditch effort, she spun around, her gaze landing on Blake, who stood frozen a few feet away.

"Blake!" she cried, her voice cracking with a mixture of fear and betrayal. "Tell them to stop! This is insane! You wouldn't let them do this, would you?"

Eva hoped that her husband would do something, but Blake's face remained an unreadable mask. The silence stretched, deafening in its weight. The answer, or lack thereof, settled in Eva's stomach like a lead weight.

A desperate glance at Blake, her supposed anchor in this storm, revealed a face devoid of warmth or support. The flicker of hope that had ignited moments ago sputtered and died. In that stark silence, a horrifying truth slammed into her – their marriage had been a one-woman show, a gilded cage where her needs and desires were mere afterthoughts. Any sliver of love she harbored for Blake, once a fragile flame, extinguished itself in the face of his indifference. This wasn't just about a damaged kidney; it was about a love that had always been conditional, a love that crumbled under the slightest pressure. Eva was utterly hopeless, adrift in a sea of her own tears, and the only thing more chilling than the approaching surgery was the realization that she was entirely alone.

He would believe anything Tally said, while refusing to believe Eva.

This was the difference between true love and no love.

Eva wouldn't rely on him anymore.

"Fine! You all want me to give her my kidney? Well, I'd like to see how badly Tally is hurt!"

Eva's heart pounded with rage. With her sudden burst of energy, she managed to break free from the bodyguards and rush toward the operating room.

She forced her way in.

It was true that Tally was lying on the operating table, but she didn't seem to be dying as Blake had said. Instead, she was awake, and other than looking pale, she appeared fine.