Chapter 2

Allison Farmer POV:

My grandmother' s life hung by a thread, a single, fragile strand that threatened to snap. The hospital room, sterile and cold, felt like a tomb. The doctors explained the emergency surgery she needed, the astronomical cost, and the terrifyingly low chances of survival without it. My hands trembled as I clutched the crumpled hospital bill, the numbers blurring through my tear-filled eyes. I didn't have that kind of money. Not even close. Christopher had made sure of that, freezing all our joint accounts, leaving me with nothing but the clothes on my back and a mountain of legal fees.

There was only one person who could help. The thought was a bitter pill to swallow, but I had no choice. Humiliation was a small price to pay for her life. I had to find Christopher. I had to beg.

I found him at his private club, the air thick with cigar smoke and the clinking of glasses. He was surrounded by his usual entourage of sycophants and hangers-on, Cory draped across his lap, laughing at something he'd said. Just as I was about to approach, his voice, cold and detached, drifted from behind a potted palm where I tried to compose myself. "She's just another gold digger, Julian. Thought she could pull a fast one." He was talking about me. Always about me.

"But wasn't it Allison who... you know," Julian, his long-time friend and confidant, ventured cautiously, his voice low. "The bone marrow donation? The anonymous one, years ago, when you were so sick?" My blood ran cold. The words hit me like a splash of icy water. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest, every nerve on edge.

Christopher scoffed, taking a long sip of his whiskey. "That? Cory told me it was her, a month after it happened. Said she wanted to surprise me, didn't want any fanfare." He paused, a strange, almost wistful look on his face. "Turns out, it was just another of Allison's pathetic attempts to make herself look good. To make me think she was a hero. She knew I'd be grateful. She even tried to hint at it, subtly, trying to claim credit right after we got married. Disgusting."

Julian frowned. "But I remember you saying the donor was a perfect match, and that the person insisted on staying anonymous. Allison has the same rare blood type, and she disappeared for a while around then. And, Chris, what about all those times she helped you out? The scandals you nearly ruined yourself with? The way she stood by you when everyone else ran? Even when you publicly humiliated her, she never fought back. She just took it." His voice held a hint of genuine concern. "Are you sure you' re being fair to her?"

Christopher slammed his glass down, the sound echoing sharply in the opulent room. "Fair? She ruined my life! She stole Cory from me! And you think I'm not being fair?" He laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. "I'm not trying to be fair, Julian. I'm trying to break her. To make her regret every single day she spent trying to get her hooks into me. And it's working."

A cold, hard knot formed in my stomach. So that was it. He knew I loved him. He was deliberately hurting me because he believed I had taken Cory from him. He thought he was punishing me, but he was punishing himself, too. He just couldn't see it. He couldn't see past his blinded rage and his self-inflicted wounds.

"She still loves you, you know," Julian continued, undeterred. "Even after all this, I see it in her eyes. And you... sometimes, Chris, I see a flicker when you look at her. A flicker of something more than hate."

Christopher' s jaw tightened. "She's obsessed. That's what it is. And I'm obsessed with Cory. Always have been. Allison is just a constant, painful reminder of what I lost, of what she took from me. Every time I look at her, all I see is her conniving face, her calculating eyes, the way she stole my happiness." He took another long gulp of whiskey. "And her grandmother? Who cares if she's sick? It's probably just another one of Allison's ploys to get attention, to guilt me into something."

His words were a punch to the gut. My grandmother. My sweet, kind grandmother, hovering on the brink of death, and he could dismiss her suffering so casually. The rage that surged through me was unlike anything I had ever felt. It burned, hot and fierce, threatening to consume me. My grandmother' s life was not a ploy. It was real. And he had to pay for it.

I stepped out from behind the palm, my heart pounding, my face set. The laughter in the room died as all eyes turned to me. Cory' s eyes, wide with surprise and a hint of panic, darted from me to Christopher. She quickly composed herself, a smirk settling on her face.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in," Julian's girlfriend, a woman with too much makeup and too little empathy, purred, her voice dripping with venom. "Still chasing after what's not yours, Allison? Don't you know when to quit?" She snickered, and some of Christopher's friends snickered along with her.

"Didn't you learn your lesson in the courthouse, sweetie?" another one chimed in, recalling the public humiliation of the false assault charges. "Some people just don't know when they're not wanted." Their words were barbs, designed to tear me down, to remind me of where I stood. But I couldn't care less. Not now.

Christopher' s eyes narrowed, a muscle twitching in his jaw. He stood up, gently pushing Cory off his lap, his gaze fixed on me, cold and hard. "What do you want, Allison? Haven't you caused enough trouble for one day?" His voice was low and dangerous, a warning.

"My grandmother needs emergency surgery, Christopher," I stated, my voice surprisingly steady despite the tremor in my hands. I held out the crumpled hospital bill, my shame momentarily forgotten. "The doctors say she won't make it without it. I need the money. It's a matter of life and death."

Julian, still looking uncomfortable, took the bill from my hand, his eyes scanning the figures. "A million dollars? Chris, this is serious." He looked at Christopher, a silent plea in his eyes.

Christopher snatched the bill from Julian's hand, his eyes barely glancing at the numbers. "And why should I care, Allison? What makes you think I owe you anything?" He crumpled the paper in his fist, his anger flaring. "What is this, another one of your schemes?" He seemed to forget the huge sum of money I had paid to him and his family for his bone marrow treatment years ago.

I bit my lip, remembering Mrs. McDowell' s warning. Do not, under any circumstances, reveal the surrogacy agreement to anyone. Not even Christopher. If you do, the deal is off, and you get nothing. I couldn't jeopardize the billion dollars I was promised for a surrogacy arrangement after the birth of the baby. That money was my grandmother's last chance. "It's... it's part of our agreement, Christopher," I said, choosing my words carefully. "The one we made after the wedding. For her care."

Christopher scoffed. "Oh, that agreement? The one where you promised to be a dutiful wife and stay out of my way? Funny, I don't recall anything about me funding your family's medical emergencies." He leaned closer, his voice a low growl. "Unless... unless you're finally ready to give me something in return. Something I actually want." His eyes raked over me, a predatory glint in their depths. "Cory is here, and she needs to get back to the mansion. You owe me that much, at least. You'll drive her. And maybe then, we can discuss your grandmother's situation."

My stomach churned. Drive Cory. His paramour. The woman who had stolen my life, and now, perhaps, my grandmother' s last chance. My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging into my palms. But my grandmother' s face, pale and weak, flashed before my eyes. I had to. I had no other choice. This was my last resort.

"And what about my condition?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, clutching my stomach. "The doctors told me I need to be careful. I can't be under too much stress." I was pregnant, a secret I still carried, physically and emotionally.

He laughed, a cold, empty sound. "Your condition? Please, Allison. You're always so dramatic. Just drive her. Or don't. Your grandmother's fate is in your hands." He turned away, dismissing me as easily as he would swat a fly. "I'm not discussing this further. You know my price."

"Selfish bitch," Cory muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, wrapping her arms around Christopher's waist, clinging to him possessively. "Always making it about herself. Your grandmother's probably just fine." The laughter of his friends, the sneers, the judgmental stares-it all washed over me, a tidal wave of humiliation. The venomous words of his friends, Julian' s girlfriend, were needles piercing me.

But the image of my grandmother's fading smile, the memory of her loving embrace, fueled a new resolve. I would endure anything for her. Anything. I took a deep breath, my chin trembling, but I held my head high. "Fine," I choked out, the word tasting like ash. "I'll do it."

The drive with Cory was a blur of her incessant chatter, her mocking laughter, her casual cruelty. My entire body ached, a deep, pervasive pain that settled in my bones. My head throbbed, and a dull, constant nausea twisted my stomach. I gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white, trying to focus on the road, trying not to think about the desperate gamble I was making. My vision swam, the streetlights streaking into blurry lines. I felt a heavy wave of dizziness, my stomach lurching.

Suddenly, a sharp, excruciating pain ripped through my lower abdomen, far worse than anything I had felt before. It was a searing, tearing sensation, like something was being ripped apart inside me. My breath hitched, a silent scream caught in my throat. I pressed my hand against my stomach, trying to push the pain away, but it only intensified, radiating outwards, consuming my entire being. My body convulsed, a violent tremor shaking me from head to toe.

"What's wrong with you?" Cory snapped, looking at me with disgust. "Are you trying to crash us? Pay attention!"

My vision blurred, the pain overwhelming. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. All I could register was the blinding agony, the desperate need for it to stop. No, not now. Please, not now. I pulled the car over, my hands shaking uncontrollably, and barely managed to shut off the engine before collapsing against the steering wheel, my body wracked with silent sobs.

"Just finish the damn drive!" Cory yelled, her voice shrill, pulling at my arm. "What's your problem?"

"Go to hell," I whispered, the words barely audible, my body convulsing with a fresh wave of pain. My eyes rolled back, unable to focus. The world was spinning, a dizzying kaleidoscope of pain and fear. My last coherent thought was of my grandmother, her frail hand in mine. I'm so sorry.

"Allison! What's wrong with you?" Christopher's voice, laced with something that sounded suspiciously like concern, cut through the haze of pain. I heard footsteps, then his hand on my shoulder, shaking me. "Allison! Answer me!" He sounded... panicked? It was a strange, unsettling sound I had never heard from him before. My world went black.