The air in the hospital room was thick with tension, a tangible force that pressed down on Isla's shoulders. Luke's fury was a living thing, his words echoing in her ears like a death knell. "Enough, Isla! Can you stop being so fake? If you want to save Grace, then just donate your kidney to her! It's just one kidney! You could be saving your own sister's life!"
Isla's breaths came in short, sharp gasps, each one a knife to her lungs. The pain in her chest was a physical manifestation of the betrayal that coursed through her veins. She stared at Luke, the man she had once seen as her salvation, and felt something inside her break. The pieces were sharp and dangerous, cutting her from the inside out.
With a deep breath, Isla forced a smile to her trembling lips and met Luke's gaze head-on. "No, I won't." The words were a whisper, but they echoed with a strength she didn't know she possessed.
The slap came without warning, a brutal crack that reverberated through the room. Isla's head snapped to the side, her cheek blossoming with pain. She hit the ground, the sterile tiles cold against her skin. Her head spun, a buzzing filling her ears, and she could taste blood on her tongue.
Her mother stood nearby, watching with a cold detachment that chilled Isla to the bone. Eleanor's eyes were hard, a condescending approval in their depths that spoke volumes of her true feelings. Luke glared at Isla, his face a mask of dark anger before he turned away, dialing a number on his phone.
His voice was low, a rumble that Isla couldn't make out, but the occasional glances he threw her way were full of malice. When he finished the call, Luke slowly approached Isla, crouching down to look her in the eye.
He lifted her chin gently, his touch a stark contrast to his cold words. "Isla, be good, okay? Don't you want to marry me? I've already arranged the surgery. Once it's done, we'll get married." His fingers were soft on her swollen cheek, but his gaze was as hard as steel.
Isla pushed his hand away, her own hands shaking as she took two steps back. A laugh bubbled up in her throat, a hysterical sound that was as much a sob as it was amusement. She wobbled to her feet and approached her mother, her voice desperate. "Mom, do you agree with Luke's plan to force me onto the operating table?"
A flash of impatience and disgust crossed her mother's face, quickly masked by a few well-placed tears. "Silly girl, what nonsense are you talking about? You're my daughter, too. Of course, I don't want to see you suffer. That's why it's better if you just willingly donate your kidney to your sister."
Isla felt as if she were standing on a snowy mountain, the cold seeping into her bones and stealing her warmth. She burst into laughter, the sound echoing in the small room. Tears streamed down her face, making her cheeks feel even colder. Her heart was a block of ice, frozen and lifeless.
"I won't sign the organ donation papers," she said, her voice firm. "If you really want me to donate my kidney to Grace, then tie me down to the operating table." She met Luke's gaze, her own eyes dry and hard.
Luke watched her calmly, probably thinking this was some new ploy to play hard to get. "Fine, then we'll tie you down," he said, his voice devoid of any emotion.