When I met Jace Hawthorne again, he was a billionaire and I was a hotel waitress. He made a grand entrance to the event with his fiancée while I kept my head down and politely handed him a cup of coffee. Unexpectedly, he splashed it right in my face. "Anything you've touched disgusts me."

My cheeks burned and my heart ached with a tearing pain. Then, I fled in a hurry. In the restroom, his fiancée blocked my way and sneered, "You left him for five million back then. Do you regret it?"

Only then did I realize that she was the doctor who performed the lung transplant on me. Not only did she remove my entire right lung, but she also deliberately took away my child. That was the child I had conceived with Jace after three years of trying.

I took a deep breath and uttered three words, "I don't regret it." I didn't regret giving him my lung.

At that moment, a cold voice came from the doorway. "Honey, why waste time talking to a stranger?" The man who once would have given his life to save me now saw me as nothing more than a stranger, but even getting to see him one last time before I died was already a blessing.

——

"Sharon, I'm begging you. Please, save Jace. He's only twenty-nine." Jace's mother had always been proud and distant, refusing to even attend our wedding because she disapproved of me. She had never liked me, yet now she was kneeling before me, pleading.

"Cecilia, I … "

"He saved your life! How can you be so heartless?"

When the truck crashed into us, Jace had yanked the steering wheel to shield me with his own body. Now, he was suffering from respiratory failure and needed a lung transplant. Both emotionally and rationally, I should agree.

However, I was four months pregnant. It was the child I had conceived with Jace after three years of trying. If I underwent surgery and was put under anesthesia, it could harm the baby.

Seeing my hesitation, she grabbed my hand tightly. "Didn't your dad owe a lot of money to loan sharks? If you don't pay it back, they'll break his arms and legs, right? I'll pay it for you, as long as you agree to the transplant. I'm begging you."

"Cecilia, please stand up. I agree, but … "

When she heard my agreement, she immediately rose to her feet, wiped away her tears and dragged me toward the doctor's office. "Doctor, she agreed! Can we schedule the surgery right away?"

Before I could overthink, I was wheeled into the operating room. The anesthesia took hold quickly and my consciousness faded.

When I woke up again, I realized something was wrong. My lower abdomen was flat and there was no fetal movement in my belly. My baby was gone! Panic surged through me. Though the anesthesia hadn't entirely worn off, I forced myself to sit up and pressed the emergency call button.

A nurse approached with an indifferent expression. "What is it?"

"Where's my baby? Where is my baby?" Tears streamed down my face.

She casually replied, "We found fetal demise during the surgery, so we asked an obstetrician to perform a termination procedure."

No. That wasn't possible. I had just undergone a 4D ultrasound and the baby was clearly formed. How could it suddenly die in the womb? I grabbed her hand and wanted to ask more, but the noise at the door interrupted me.

Jace's mother rushed into the ward with a group of people. "Hold her down, sign the papers." Her arrogance had returned; she was no longer the desperate woman who had begged me earlier.

"I didn't even get a chance to read the documents before they forced me to sign and press my fingerprint onto them.

"Sharon, from this day forward, you and Jace have nothing to do with each other. Take your gambling-addict father and get out of Hensford!"

I let out a bitter laugh. "So, this was your plan all along. Huh?"

Cecilia looked at me with disgust. "People like you don't deserve to bear the Hawthornes' bloodline."

Cecilia tossed a check onto the bed and strode out of the hospital room, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor. That was when I realized I had been deceived. Not only had she used me to save Jace, but she had also taken the opportunity to drive me away.

My body felt heavy as I dragged myself to the ICU, desperate for a glimpse of Jace. Unfortunately, the bodyguards at the door blocked my way. "Please, just let me see him. I just want to see him from a distance, please?"

I needed to know if he was okay. I needed to know if my lung was a match for him and if there were any signs of rejection. I had already lost our child; I couldn't bear the thought of losing him too.

A towering bodyguard shoved me aside, sending me crashing to the floor. "No one is allowed in without Ms. Cecilia's permission."

I hit the floor hard, pain tearing through my wounds, making it difficult to breathe. Just then, a figure passed by and the bodyguards immediately stepped aside to make way. I quickly grabbed the hem of her coat. "Doctor, please, let me see Jace."

She looked down at me with an air of indifference. "I'm sorry, but the patient's family has requested that no one disturb him."

"I am his family. I'm his wife. Please, I beg you." I had never humbled myself like this before. Never.

She simply gave a cold laugh. "Ms. Lennox, please leave." I saw her name tag, Mila Sage. She was the doctor who had performed my surgery. In that moment, everything clicked. She was the doctor Cecilia had bribed.

I struggled to my feet and returned to my room, only to be told that I hadn't paid my hospital bills and had to leave immediately. Cecilia hadn't given me any time to think. Almost simultaneously, my father's creditors called. They threatened to throw him off a thirty-story building if I didn't pay them.

I felt all the strength leave my body. I sat on the edge of the bed, found a sticky note in my bag and wrote a message for Jace. Then I took the check Cecilia had left and left the hospital. By the time I managed to get my father back from the debt collectors, my wounds had bled through the bandages.

"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I failed you. Cut ties with me, go back to your husband."

I closed my eyes in despair, tears slipping down my cheeks. "I can't go back." I had taken the money. So, I had no right to return.

A year later, the only five-star hotel in Kevern was hosting a prestigious event. After setting up the water and stationery for the meeting, I leaned against the wall, taking shallow breaths. I had never fully recovered from the surgery. After escaping to Kevern with my father, I had spent the year on the run, settling in this small town far from the bustling cities. The salary wasn't excellent, but it was just enough to get by.

Cecilia had only given me $70000, which wasn't nearly enough to cover his debts. Plus, she had blacklisted me, so no company in Hensford would hire me.

"Sharon, there's a signing ceremony later. You'll be in charge of serving coffee to the guests."

"Okay." I had just finished preparing the coffee when I saw Jace walk into the hall, surrounded by an entourage."

I never imagined we would meet again in this kind of setting. My heart pounded, my breath caught in my throat. I quickly turned my back, gripping the edge of the table tightly. "Yancy, could you please take the coffee for me?"

"No way! The manager specifically picked you because you're pretty. If I go, I'll scare the guests away."

A sharp pain shot through my chest. It was clear that he was doing well without me. Maybe being with me had been his biggest mistake. Every time I saw his name in the financial news, I wondered why he had ever loved me in the first place.

"What are you waiting for? Mr. Hawthorne likes iced Americanos and Mrs. Hawthorne prefers lattes. Hurry up and take it over!"

I adjusted my breathing, walked over to the tray and lowered my head as much as possible for fear that Jace would see it.

"Your coffees, sir, madam." As I placed the iced Americano on the table, I caught Mr. Hawthorne's gaze. His eyes were like ice, piercing right through me.

The next second, he threw a cup of coffee right at my face. "The thought of drinking something you touched makes me sick."

It was iced coffee, yet my face burned as if it had been scalded. "I'm sorry. It was my mistake for not meeting your expectations." I lowered my head even more, but I couldn't stop the tears from falling. Tears mixed with the coffee, bitter and humiliating. I dropped to my knees, scrambling to clean up the mess.

The manager rushed over, apologizing profusely before pulling me away. "What the hell did you do? Did you stick your fingers in the cup or something? I've worked here for years and I've never heard a customer say a server was disgusting!"

He was so furious that he could barely speak. I took off my name tag. "I'm sorry, Manager. This was my fault. You can fire me, I won't object."

"Fire you? What good would that do? This was Mr. Hawthorne's first time bringing his wife to a public event and you just had to ruin it! Do you know how lucky we are that no reporters were around? Otherwise, I'd be out of a job too!"

All I could do was apologize. By the time my manager was done scolding me, my shirt was soaked with coffee.

"Clean this up and go help outside the venue. If we weren't short on staff, I would've kicked you out already!"

I went to the restroom to clean myself up when a woman walked in. I instinctively looked away, avoiding eye contact.