HE LEFT ME FOR MY STEPSISTER, I MOVED ON TO THE NEXT のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 141 - チャプター 150

Chapter 142The hum of the machines was steady, almost soothing, and yet I couldn’t unclench my fists. Lucian had fallen quiet again after that breath-taking moment when he’d spoken my name, his first words since the accident. His chest rose and fell, his hand still weakly curled in mine, but his eyes stayed open, restless and searching. He drifted off to sleep for a little while and woke up a few minutes later, I believe he had a dream that made him so restless.I leaned close to him, brushing a damp strand of hair from my cheek. “Lucian,” I whispered, “you scared me half to death. But you’re awake now. And I’m not going anywhere.”His lips parted, the smallest trace of a smile tugging at the corners, though exhaustion weighed on his every expression. For a while we sat like that, just breathing in the miracle of his wakefulness.But there was someone who deserved to know more than anyone. His father. “Give me a minute, Lucian.” I said.I slipped into the hallway and pulled out my

Chapter 144“I’m so sorry,” he finally said, his voice heavy. “Lucian has suffered extensive spinal cord damage. He… he will not walk again.”The words hit like a thunderclap.Matthew staggered back as if struck. His lips parted, but no words came. His breath quickened, ragged and shallow. His eyes glazed as though his mind refused to process the sound.“No,” he whispered, his head shaking violently. “No. You said there was hope. You said...”The doctor’s expression was filled with sorrow. “We wanted to believe recovery was possible. But his attempts to move confirmed our fears. The paralysis is permanent and at this point, his recovery depends on his own will and it can happen as a miracle.”Matthew’s chest heaved, his hand clutching at his heart. He swayed on his feet, his face blanching.“Matthew.....” I reached out, but it was too late.His knees buckled, his body collapsing to the floor.“Help!” I screamed, dropping beside him.Within seconds, nurses and another physician rushed

Chapter 146The doctor blinked at me, startled. “What are you saying?”I straightened, my hands trembling but my voice steady. “I’ll perform the surgery. I’m trained. I’ve assisted in cardiac procedures before. I know the protocols, I know the techniques. And I’m not going to let Matthew die because we’re waiting for someone who isn’t here.”The doctor’s brows furrowed. “Elena, this isn’t a standard operation. It’s a high-risk open-heart surgery. If something goes wrong....”“I’ll take responsibility,” I cut him off, my voice firm despite the storm raging inside me. “I’ll sign whatever document you need. If anything happens to him, I’ll bear the blame. But right now, doing nothing is guaranteed to kill him.”The doctor opened his mouth, then closed it again, his eyes flicking toward Lucian, who was staring at me as though I had spoken an impossible miracle.“You can’t,” Lucian choked out. His voice cracked, trembling with both fear and disbelief. “You can’t take that risk. Not for me.

Chapter 148“No,” I whispered, my breath gone. My hands trembled above his chest, frozen in disbelief. “No, no, no..... don’t do this to me.”The room erupted into ordered chaos. Nurses prepared the crash cart. The anaesthesiologist began compressions. My ears rang with the sound of Matthew’s heart refusing to fight.I tried to take over. My hands pressed down against his chest, harder, faster. “Come on, Matthew! Don’t you dare quit on me, not now. Not when Lucian just got bark from the jaws of death.” My arms shook with the force of my desperation. “Breathe! Fight!”But there was nothing.The silence between the machine’s alarms and the pounding of my own chest grew unbearable. The world blurred at the edges. My body moved on instinct, but my spirit crumbled.And then....My arms gave out. I stumbled back, the scalpel slipping from my hand. My chest heaved, and the room tilted around me. The voices of the medical team muffled, as though I were underwater.“He’s gone,” someone whisper

Chapter 150The last stitch was tied, the wound sealed, and the monitors steadied into a rhythm so reassuring that I nearly wept right there at the table. My arms were trembling, my breath ragged behind the mask, but I didn’t allow myself to collapse.... not yet.“Stabilize him,” I instructed hoarsely, stepping back as the surgical team immediately moved in with their precision. “Transfer to post-op monitoring.”The gurney’s wheels squeaked against the sterile floor as they gently lifted Matthew’s body, still connected to tubes and wires, onto it. His chest rose and fell shallowly, but steadily. That small motion.... the proof of life sent another wave of gratitude crashing over me.I followed them to the monitoring room, walking in a daze. My gloves were sticky with dried blood, my scrubs heavy and damp. The smell of iron clung to me, saturating every breath I took. Nurses and junior doctors who had gathered in the hall parted as we passed, their eyes wide with something between awe