"Y-You're saying what?" Serena assumed Phoenix was joking, staring at him disbelievingly.
Phoenix furrowed his brows. "Amelia is sick, her kidneys are failing, and you two are a match."
"So, you want me to abort the child and then donate my kidney to her?" Serena asked, looking directly at Phoenix.
He remained silent, his expression speaking volumes.
"On what grounds?!" Serena screamed, "This child is almost six months old! He's already fully formed, how can you rob him of his life?"
Phoenix held her tightly. "Serena, I will marry you, and we'll have more children in the future. But Amelia, she can't wait that long."
"Why me? Why... Phoenix, this is your child too," Serena pleaded, only to receive a cold response from Phoenix.
"Serena, this is what you owe her."
Owe Amelia?
What did she owe her?
Serena knew Phoenix wouldn't believe anything she said, so she sobbed, begging, "Phoenix, please, don't terminate it, I beg you."
She loved this child, even though he was seen merely as a potential heir, not cherished by his father.
She loved her child, talking to him daily, feeling every tiny movement he did.
"Serena, be obedient," Phoenix urged.
She shook her head fiercely. "Please, Phoenix, I beg you not to. Look for someone else, why does it have to be me?"
"Amelia can't wait that long," Phoenix pulled her into his arms. "Serena, if you just terminate this pregnancy, I promise we'll..."
"No!" She struggled to break free.
Phoenix forced a pill into her mouth, one to calm her down.
Her strength slowly drained away, confirming her fear that she couldn't protect this child. She shouldn't have kept him from the start.
As she was wheeled into the operating room, Serena still couldn't fathom what she owed Amelia.
"Serena, thank you," Amelia appeared in the surgery room, causing Serena's eyes to widen.
"Yes, I'm not sick. I just didn't want this child to be born," Amelia approached, pressing on Serena's swollen belly. "Dying for me is his honor. Serena, you're the one who isn't loved. Your child has no right to be born."
Serena was too weak to resist, unable even to make a sound. Helplessly, she watched as the doctors advanced, securing her with cold instruments.
"No general anesthesia, local only. Let her watch clearly how her child dies," Amelia instructed the doctor with a chilling smile.
The medical staff gasped in horror.
Serena’s eyes widened, tears streaming down her cheeks.
What exactly did she owe her?
She owed no one. They were the ones who owed her, Serena!
Whether it was the accident years ago or now.
They were the debtors!
"See? Those shattered pieces, that's your child," Amelia made her gaze upon the bloody mess.
Serena's eyes bulged, her head tilted, and she passed out...
"It's bad, Miss Nightingale is hemorrhaging!"
When the light above the door turned from green to red, Phoenix wanted nothing more than to storm into the emergency room!
Inside, the medical team scrambled to save Serena, aware that the hemorrhage was due to Amelia's provocation. However, they had all been warned: if words of this got out, their families...
It took eight hours to pull Serena back from the brink of death, and Phoenix stood outside the emergency room for eight hours.
Once she was stable, he held her hand tightly.
The joy of her survival collided with the grief of losing their child, tearing his heart apart.
Serena seemed to have had a long dream, where she wore a beautiful wedding dress, walking down the aisle with Phoenix.
They traversed through time, side by side.
Phoenix held her hand, his other arm cradling their child. Suddenly, Amelia rushed forward, snatched the baby, and violently threw him to the ground, leaving a bloody heap.
Everything was lost!
"Ahh—" She jolted awake from the nightmare, her hollow eyes staring ahead.
"Serena, if you're in pain, cry. Don't hold it in, you need to recover..."
"For Amelia's transplant?" She turned woodenly, laughter escaping her lips, mingled with tears.
"Serena..."
She wiped away her tears, her fingers trembling. "I want to see my mother."
"Alright."
