All Chapters of His Terms, My Surrender: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

It had been three months since the procedure. Since the surgery that saved my life.And yet, I still felt this way about her.Nothing had changed. Or maybe everything had.Sofia had recovered too. I could see it in the way she moved now—stronger, steadier. She wasn’t the fragile, exhausted girl she had been right after. The color had returned to her face, and the weakness in her steps was gone.But that didn’t mean I had forgotten.Not what she had done. Not the way it had messed with my head.Because no matter how much time passed, I couldn’t shake this feeling. This… thing she had left behind in me.And I hated it.I looked for every possible reason to hate her.Tried to remind myself of all the ways she had been a problem. How she had defied me, questioned me, looked at me like I wasn’t the monster I had always been.I should have hated her for that alone.I should have hated her guts.But no matter how much I tried, no matter how many times I told myself she was nothing, it never

I pulled out my phone, my grip unsteady as I scrolled through my contacts. My vision blurred for a second, the alcohol making everything tilt slightly, but I found the number.Dr. Evans. The surgeon who had overseen my transplant. The one who had told me how "lucky" I was. How "grateful" I should be.Bullshit.I pressed the call button, lifting the phone to my ear. It rang twice before a groggy voice answered."Mr. Rodriguez?" His tone was thick with sleep, confused. "It’s late—what’s wrong?""Take it out." My voice was low, slurred, but filled with determination. "The damn kidney. Get it out of me."A heavy pause. Then, "Excuse me?""You heard me," I growled, gripping the edge of the bar. "I don’t want it. I don’t need it. Get it out."There was silence on the other end, then a sharp exhale. "Mr. Rodriguez, are you drunk?""That’s not the point.""That’s exactly the point," he snapped, his voice sharper now, more alert. "Do you hear yourself right now? You’re talking nonsense. You—"

I watched her for a moment longer, letting my words sink in, letting her feel the weight of them. She was trembling, trying to mask it with anger, but I saw through her. She was afraid. Good. She should be.But that defiance in her eyes? That would be a problem.I let out a slow exhale, stepping back. “I have business to attend to,” I said smoothly, watching how her shoulders tensed as if she expected me to do something else.Her lips parted slightly, like she wanted to say something, but she stayed silent. Smart girl.Without another word, I turned and walked away, feeling her gaze burning into my back.Let her stew in it. Let her think she still had five months left.I smirked to myself as I stepped back into the house.She had no idea.She had no idea.No idea that I had fallen for her. That somewhere between owning her and breaking her, I had trapped myself instead.It was pathetic.I was Theo Rodriguez. I didn’t fall. I didn’t love. And yet, here I was, completely consumed by a g

The next morning, I woke up early.I wasn’t sure why I felt restless, but I did. Maybe because today was her birthday. Maybe because, for the first time in years, I was planning something for someone other than myself.I never cared about birthdays. The only one that had ever mattered to me was my mother’s. But now, here I was, planning a picnic for Sofia.I had seen the pictures on her phone—her and her mother at the park, smiling, happy. It wasn’t hard to guess that it was one of her favorite places.So, that’s where I was taking her.I got out of bed and got ready. I dressed casually—nothing too formal, nothing that would make it seem like I put effort into this. Because I didn’t. Not really.This wasn’t about caring. It wasn’t about making her happy.She hated me. I wanted it to stay that way.At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.I checked my reflection in the mirror, running a hand through my hair. I looked the same as always—calm, composed, unreadable. Exactly how I need

My mother, always the social butterfly, was quick to catch sight of Sofia as she lingered at the edge of the group, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Her eyes lit up, and she made her way over, practically dragging Sofia to the side before anyone could say anything else.“Come on, darling,” my mother cooed, her voice sweet but commanding. “You can’t stay in that all night.” She took one of Sofia’s hands, pulling her along with a firm grip. “You’re not going to stand in the corner and act shy at your own birthday party. You need something more fun, something more... interesting.”Sofia hesitated, glancing back toward me, but I didn’t move. I watched as my mother tugged her further, offering a bright, fake smile to the crowd who was busy drinking and mingling.“Change into something more fitting. Something that makes people want to notice you, not just hide in the background. It’s your night, sweetheart,” my mother continued, clearly enjoying every second of the control she was