Luke was furious after hearing what I said.

"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!"

I could hear my own breathing growing faster, and a sharp pain pierced through my chest.

I stared blankly at the man I once saw as my only salvation, feeling something break inside me.

I took a deep breath, forced a smile, and stared directly at Luke.

"No, I won't."

As soon as I finished speaking, my usually refined father slapped me across the face.

The slap knocked me to the ground, my cheek swelling instantly, and my head started to buzz.

I could faintly taste blood in my mouth.

My mother stood nearby, watching coldly, her eyes full of condescending approval.

Luke glared at me darkly, then dialed a number on his phone.

His voice was low, and I couldn't hear what he was saying. From the occasional malicious glances he threw, I could guess it wasn't good.

Sure enough, after finishing the call, Luke slowly walked toward me.

He crouched down, looking once again like the gentle and loving fiancé I used to know.

Luke gently lifted my chin, his right hand softly caressing my swollen cheek.

I winced instinctively from the pain.

Luke gazed at me tenderly, but his words were cold and heartless.

"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."

I struggled to push Luke's hand away from my chin and quietly took two steps back.

Suddenly, I felt like laughing.

I wobbled to my feet and walked over to my mother, asking her one last time, desperate for an answer,

"Mom, do you agree with Luke's plan to force me onto the operating table?"

A flash of impatience and disgust passed through my mother's eyes. She quickly composed herself, dabbing away a few fake 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."

I felt like I was standing in a snowy mountain, shivering from the cold that seemed to seep into my bones.

I burst into laughter. Tears streamed down my face as I laughed, making my cheeks feel even colder.

My heart felt dead inside, and I closed my eyes.

"I won't sign the organ donation papers. If you really want me to donate my kidney to Grace, then tie me down to the operating table."

Luke watched me calmly, probably thinking this was some new ploy to play hard to get.

"Fine, then we'll tie you down."

Luke and my parents didn't force me to sign.

In their eyes, as long as my kidney could be given to Grace, they didn't care how they got it.

I closed my eyes without struggling, yet my hands and feet were still tied with rope.

Then, I felt myself being placed on the operating table.

The moment the surgical light overhead flickered on, tears welled up, even with my eyes closed from the brightness.

Strangely, at this point, why hadn't I lost consciousness yet?

Was the anesthetic they just gave me working this slowly?

I felt the cold blade moving across my back.

The moment the knife sliced into my back, a surge of pain hit me. I couldn't help but scream. My limbs spasm uncontrollably.

"Ahhh!"

I tried to curl up, hoping to lessen the pain, but it was useless.

Just as I was about to pass out from the pain, I heard the doctor's voice scolding someone.

"Where's the anesthetic? Hurry, give the patient the anesthetic!

"We can't, Dr. Hughes. Mr. Harris specifically ordered no anesthetic for this young lady..."

So even the right to anesthesia had been taken from me?

I gritted my teeth, refusing to make another sound.

I knew Luke was probably outside, waiting to see me break. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction!

But I couldn't hold on much longer...

Just before I lost consciousness, I heard the doctor's panicked voice.

"What? She only has one kidney!"

Grace's heart monitor suddenly started beeping frantically.

"Dr. Hughes, her condition's worsening. We need to transplant the kidney now!"

Luke's call suddenly came through.

"Dr. Hughes, at any cost, I need you to make sure Grace's transplant is successful!"

Grayson gritted his teeth, glancing at me, trying to explain the situation.

"But Miss Griffin, she..."

"I said save Grace!"

Then, the man on the other end hung up coldly.

The beeps of the disconnected line echoed, sounding like a death knell urging me to the end.

Another wave of pain hit, and I lost consciousness completely.

When I woke up again, I was in Grace's hospital room.

At that moment, Grace's kidney transplant had been a complete success, and the room was filled with happiness.

Mom and Dad were fussing over Grace, who had just woken up.

Luke stood nearby, looking refreshed, watching Grace joke and chat with my parents.

Not a single person remembered me, the one who lost the kidney.

I let out a laugh. How have I not accepted the truth after all this time?

From the start, I've never been the one anyone cared about.

I floated out of the room, drifting toward the morgue.

I could feel it. Inside one of those small, cold drawers lay my body.

What would happen to my body? Was it just going to be left in the morgue, forgotten by everyone?

It didn't take long for me to find out the answer.

I realized I could only stay near Luke, my parents, or Grace. I couldn't stray far from them.

After watching their happy family scene unfold for three days, a young nurse finally arrived.

"Excuse me, who is the family of Isla?"

My parents exchanged glances. Luke pretended not to hear. Grace closed her eyes, feigning sleep.

The nurse hesitated momentarily, double-checking her notes and mumbling, "I'm not wrong, right? This is Isla's sister's room."

Only then did Mom awkwardly force a smile and ask the nurse.

"Nurse, we're all Isla's family. Did she cause some kind of trouble again?"

The nurse eyed Mom with suspicion, her voice carrying a note of accusation.

"Trouble? It seems like you're the one causing trouble! Isla's been dead for three days. As her family, shouldn't you take her body already?

"The morgue is for bodies, sure, but you can't just leave her there forever."

Mom froze for a moment, as if doubting her own ears.

She turned mechanically toward Dad and asked, "Did you hear what the nurse just said? Am I hearing things?"

The nurse kindly handed over my death certificate and cause of death, her voice soft.

"Ma'am, your hearing seems fine."

Dad and Luke leaned in close to Mom, curiously reading my cause of death.

It stated that I had died because I lost my only kidney.

I had died from pain and shock due to the loss of my kidney.

Luke's face turned pale, as though he were questioning the nurse or maybe even my parents.

"Why did Isla only have one kidney?!"