Candice stepped closer, her desperation seeping into every word. “But now… now I have no choice.” She choked back a sob. “Our son—he inherited my kidney disease. He’s critical, Cassandra. If he doesn’t get a transplant, he won’t make it.”
“No!” My voice was raw, breaking under the weight of my fury and devastation. “That is the kidney for my daughter—not your son!”
The words hung in the air, heavy and immovable.
Candice wasn’t giving up. She turned to Matteo, grasping his hands as tears streamed down her face. “Please, Matteo. He’s your son. You can’t let him die. You saved me once… please, save our son now.”
I stepped in between them, my hands trembling. “Matteo, you promised. You promised to save our daughter.”
His face was unreadable, torn between two impossible choices.
One kidney. Two lives hanging in the balance.
And then—
He made his decision.
Matteo turned away from me.
Toward Candice.
“I’m sorry, Cassandra.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I have to save him.”
The world tilted. I felt my breath leave my lungs, my body swaying as if the ground beneath me had disappeared.
“No…” My voice cracked, disbelief numbing every nerve in my body.
But it was real.
Matteo chose Candice’s child.