Chapter 1 Let's Get Divorced

"Congratulations, Mrs. Langley. You're pregnant, four weeks along, and the baby's indicators are all normal!"

Excitedly, Patricia went home, with the pregnancy test report, wanting to share the good news with her husband Martin right away.

"Martin, I..."

"Patricia, let's get a divorce!"

They both spoke at the same time. It was as if a bucket of cold water, had been poured over her head, Patricia went icy cold all over, swallowing the words 'I'm pregnant' back down.

"Why?" Patricia's voice trembled as she fought to hide the heart-wrenching pain. She felt like the pain would kill her, and she wanted clarification for Martin’s reason for divorce.

Martin tightly pursed his thin lips, his eyes as cold as the sea, devoid of any warmth, with a few words the reason became, painfully clear.

"Debbie is back."

At the mention of Debbie, Patricia's face turned pale, as translucent as glass. The woman who had disappeared for two years, the woman Martin had loved so deeply, had returned. Martin took out a check and placed it on the desk.

"Here, one billion dollars; part of it is for your divorce settlement, and the other part is to buy your bone marrow."

Patricia asked cautiously, "What do you mean?"

"Debbie has been diagnosed with aplastic anemia and is in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. You have a matching rate of ninety percent with her. You are her sister, and have an obligation, to save her."

This was not a proposal; it was a direct order. At this Patricia's heart sank to the bottom of her stomach.

 

"What if I refuse to donate? Would you force me onto the operating table?"

A chill flashed through Martin's eyes, and he silently watched her, without uttering a word.

His silence giving Patricia her answer. Her blood felt like it had frozen in her veins, Like her heart had been ripped out, the pain was so intense.

Their two years of marriage could not compare to the woman who had once abandoned him.

Her heart became numb and lifeless in her chest.

"I will absolutely not donate bone marrow to Debbie. She ruined my mother's life and drove her to commit suicide when her mother's mistress intervened. Now that she has a blood disorder, it's the retribution they both deserve.” 

“It's impossible for me to save her. If you still cherish the love we've shared for the past two years, don't force me. If you make me do this, I will hate you forever."

Her harsh words made Martin's heart tighten suddenly, It was hard to describe the feeling. Perhaps a bit uncomfortable? 

Patricia didn't notice his reaction. She picked up the pen from the desk, swiftly signed her name on the divorce agreement.

"I will move out from here immediately. From now on, we don't have to see each other again." 

After speaking, she put down the pen and prepared to leave. Just as she turned around, she collided with Debbie, who was pushing the door open.

Debbie Brown was wearing a white dress, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. Her face was pale, and her watery eyes glistened like a pristine white rose.

"Patricia, I know you hate my mother, but you don't know the truth of the matter, back then, my dad and mom knew each other first. It was my grandfather who didn't agree and forced my dad to marry your mom. They..."

Before the words were finished, Patricia interrupted.

"Enough, you don't need to say anymore. If Dad really loved your mom, he shouldn't have compromised and married my mom in the first place. And since they were married, your mom shouldn't have interfered with their marriage."

She observed the situation and, couldn’t help but, mock herself. She gave Martin a cold and withering look, as she spoke to Debbie. 

"It's funny, your mom snatched my mom's man back then, and now you've snatched mine. Did my mom and I do something to harm your whole family in our past lives? Or maybe all men in the world have died out, and you insist on competing with us for a man."

Upon hearing this, Martin's pupils tightened, and his narrow eyes showed a chilling aura.

"Patricia, that's enough, stop it," he said.

Patricia sneered, "What? Are you feeling sorry for yourself after just two sentences?"

Layers of haze emerged in Martin's eyes, signifying his patience had run out. Debbie secretly glanced at Martin, tears welling up in her crystal-clear eyes.

"Patricia, how could you say something like that? Martin was originally my fiancé, and you snatched him away. How can you play the victim here."

Patricia retorted, unwilling to back down, "If he was your fiancé, then why did you suddenly disappear the day before our wedding? Clearly, you despised his disability and were afraid he couldn't perform in bed, so you ran away.” 

“I stepped in to clean up the mess for you and married him. And now that his legs have healed, you've shamelessly come back,. Debbie, how shameless can you be?"

A flash of surprise crossed Martin's icy eyes. Having always seen her gentle and obedient side, suddenly witnessing her other side made him angry, yet also curious.

"Patricia, how could you accuse me like this?" Debbie cried, wiping away her tears.

Watching her hypocritical words, Patricia felt disgusted. "Enough, I'm not Martin, your tears mean nothing to me! Since you want him, I'll give him to you. But there's no way you can have my bone marrow!"

With that, she pushed past her and left the study without looking back. As Martin watched her departing figure, his heart inexplicably ached.

Then, he laughed at himself. How could he be pained by such a vain and selfish woman, who didn't lift a finger to save her own sister? His strange feelings must be an illusion brought about by being together for too long.

Under Patricia's repeated humiliations, Debbie could barely hold back her emotions. She looked at Martin with a pleading expression. "Martin, if Patricia doesn't agree, what should I do?"

Martin calmly said, "I will make sure Alan continues to find a suitable bone marrow for you."

His words making it very clear, the matter ends here.

"But..." Debbie was unwilling to let it go. She had finally found a someone whose bone marrow matching rate was ninety percent. She couldn't bear to give up just like that.

Martin glanced at her and said softly, "Debbie, let it go."

A hint of frustration flashed across his eyes, and his handsome face was shrouded in coldness, "I don't like forcing others."

Seeing his firm attitude, Debbie dared not continue speaking. She lowered her head, and where he couldn't see, the expression on her face gradually twisted and grimaced. How could he try to make her give up?

That was completely impossible. She didn’t care what it took, she must obtain Patricia's bone marrow.

...

With her suitcase in hand, Patricia walked out of the bedroom she shared with Martin, looked at the closed study door, and felt a sourness in her stomach. Unconsciously, her hand touched her flat abdomen.

She silently said goodbye, to the man she had loved for ten years. From now on, it would only be her and the baby depending on each other.

Patricia took a deep breath, forced back her tears, and carried her suitcase away from the place she had lived for two years. She drove to the small apartment her mother left before she passed away.

As she took her luggage from the trunk. Someone suddenly covered her mouth and nose from behind, with a cloth soaked in chloroform, the sweet fragrance filling her nostrils. 

She wanted to struggle but found herself powerless. She couldn't resist the invasion of darkness. Her body went weak, sinking into an endless abyss of darkness. She didn't know how long had passed.

In intense pain, Patricia groaned in agony while unconscious. She tried hard to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt as heavy as lead. She could only smell the strong scent of disinfectant and faint murmurs.

"Sir, the lady is pregnant. If we forcibly perform the bone marrow transplant, the baby in her belly might not survive. Are you sure you want to continue?"

"She's pregnant?" It was Martin's astonished voice.

As if grasping a lifeline, Patricia desperately tried to tell Martin that she was pregnant, carrying his child, and he couldn't disregard the safety of the child to save Debbie. But no matter how hard she tried; she couldn't make a sound.

"Yes, she should be about a month pregnant."

Patricia thought that no matter how cold or detestable Martin was, he would spare her for the sake of the child. She believed in Martin but unfortunately, she was utterly wrong.

"Debbie's condition can't be delayed any longer. Continue with the surgery, there’s no stopping now." 

His words pierced Patricia's heart like a sharp blade, she never expected Martin to be so heartless. For the sake of Debbie, he could disregard his own child's life?

"But what about the child?"

"How can their wretched lives compare to Debbie's? I only want Debbie's well-being."

His ruthless words completely threw Patricia into a pit of darkness. Her heart was filled with intense pain. Scorching tears, ran down her cheeks.

For the first time, she was surrounded by an overwhelming despair. For the first time, she understood what it meant to have a heart as lifeless ashes.

She wanted to escape, to scream for help, but she had no way out. She could only let the cold surgical instrument enter her body.