Stella burst through the automatic doors of New York-Presbyterian, her heart hammering against her ribs. She found her aunt, Martha Kane, pacing frantically outside the ICU, her face streaked with tears.
"You're finally here!" Martha cried, grabbing Stella's arm. "Your mother, she's—"
A doctor in blue scrubs emerged, his expression grim. He led them to a quiet corner of the hallway.
"Mrs. Kane's condition is critical," he said, his voice low and direct. "It's acute kidney failure. She needs a transplant. Immediately."
The floor seemed to drop out from under Stella. "The cost," she whispered, her voice trembling. "How much will it be?"
"Finding a donor, the surgery, post-op care... you're looking at a minimum of one million dollars."
One million dollars. The number dragged her down into a dark, suffocating abyss. Her own savings were barely enough to cover a fraction of the cost.
Martha let out a strangled sob and nearly collapsed. She clung to Stella's arm like a lifeline. "Stella, you have to do something! You're a Harper now. A million dollars is nothing to them!"
Stella's face went pale. Asking Bryant for money would be the ultimate humiliation. But it was her mother's life. She had no choice.
She found an empty alcove, her hands shaking as she dialed his number again. He answered on the second ring.
"What now?" he snapped. "I told you I was busy."
She fought back a sob, forcing her voice to remain steady. "Bryant, I need your help. My mother is in the hospital. She needs a million dollars for surgery."
There was a beat of silence on the other end, followed by a short, derisive laugh. "Stella, are you done with these pathetic games for attention? I know your mother's health condition. The Harper family doctor gives her a full check-up every year."
His words were daggers. He thought she was lying.
"I'm not lying! She's at Presbyterian, you can check—"
"Enough," Bryant cut her off. "You want money? Have your lawyer call mine to discuss the divorce settlement. Stop using your family's health for theatrics. It's disgusting."
He hung up.
Stella slid down the cold wall, the phone slipping from her numb fingers. Despair washed over her in a suffocating wave. She pressed a hand to her stomach, a sharp cramp twisting inside her, as if the tiny life within could feel her agony.
Martha found her crumpled on the floor, her expression a mixture of pity and disappointment. "Guess I can't count on you for anything." She turned away, pulling out her own phone to call other relatives.
Stella sat there until her legs went numb. She wiped her tears, her eyes hollow but her jaw set.
He could sign off on a hundred‑million‑dollar deal without a second thought, but for a one‑million‑dollar life‑saving sum, he couldn't even be bothered to verify the truth. She would remember this.
She stood up, ready to find the doctor, to beg for a payment plan, to do anything. That's when the entertainment news on the hallway television caught her eye.
There he was. Bryant Harper, looking impossibly handsome in a tailored tuxedo. On his arm was Sienna Steele, radiant in a white gown. They were smiling for the cameras at a charity gala.
The headline blared: "Harper CEO and Sienna Steele Make a Stunning Pair. Is A Wedding Next?"
The camera zoomed in. Bryant gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Sienna's ear, his eyes filled with a tenderness Stella had never seen.
The man who had just accused her of faking her mother's illness was now playing the devoted partner for the entire world to see.
A wave of nausea churned in her stomach. She stumbled into the nearest restroom and retched into the sink.
She looked up, catching her reflection in the mirror. Her pale face was streaked with tears. A stark, pathetic contrast to the glowing woman on the screen.
A laugh escaped her lips, a broken, hollow sound that turned into a sob.
It was all a joke. Her marriage, her life. A complete and utter joke.
She took out her phone, her fingers steady now. She scrolled past Bryant's name and found the number for her lawyer.
Divorce. There was nothing left to hold on to in this marriage.
