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"Remove her kidney right now!"
Cold and merciless, the man's command cut through the room, as if the patient on the table didn't matter at all.
Beneath the blinding surgical lights, Lainey White remained trapped in place while a freezing blade began to cut into her body.
The instant the incision started, fear slammed into her chest and left her shaking.
Too quickly, the anesthesia began to fade.
The pain was unbearable. It was so intense that it nearly broke her.
Still, even that suffering couldn't compare to the ache crushing her heart.
For three long years, she had been Larry Miller's wife, and she had poured nearly everything she had into that marriage.
But in the end, this was what she received in return.
He chose to sacrifice her to save his first love.
Slowly, a tear slid down Lainey's pale cheek.
"Larry..."
With what little strength she had left, she let his name slip from her lips in a weak whisper, and the entire medical team immediately turned toward the tall, distant man standing nearby. "Mr. Miller, she's losing too much blood. Proceeding with the kidney removal will kill her."
Fear spread among the doctors and nurses, as none of them wanted a patient to die under their care.
Without hesitation, Larry cast Lainey a detached glance, then spoke in a flat, emotionless tone. "She's nothing. I only need her kidney. If it keeps Charlee alive, then that is the only purpose she ever served."
Above her, the sterile white ceiling came into view as the color slowly drained from Lainey's face.
Had Larry's love for Charlee Foster truly reached this point?
To him, Charlee was someone he treasured deeply, while Lainey meant nothing more than something he could discard.
From her lips came a faint, shattered sound.
Once again, pain surged through her body. Blood continued to spill at an alarming rate, and Lainey no longer had the strength left to cry out.
Through the room, a sharp and steady beep suddenly rang out.
A moment later, the surgeons completed the removal and took her kidney from her body.
Barely able to move, Lainey gripped her gown as the operating room doors flew open and someone rushed inside. A man with devilishly handsome looks and an intimidating aura rushed in, his face pale with panic.
"Lainey!" His voice cracked the moment he called her name.
Before anyone could react, he charged forward like he had lost all reason, and then he drove a blade deep into Larry's abdomen.
"Larry Miller! You dared hurt her? Go to hell!"
Summoning the last bit of strength she could find, Lainey forced her eyes open because she needed to know who had come for her.
How could it possibly be Bryan Wilson?
Everyone knew he was Larry's sworn enemy, so none of this made sense to her. For that reason, she could not understand why he would risk everything just to save her.
Tears streamed down Bryan's face, and they fell onto her hand as he spoke in a trembling voice. "Lainey, please stay with me. Please don't leave me…"
A sharp ache tightened around her heart, and she longed to ease his pain, yet she couldn't even form a single word as her eyelids slowly began to sink.
Through her fading awareness, memories of her life unfolded like a film playing its final scenes.
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