He glanced at the screen, and his expression changed instantly.
There was a warmth in his eyes she had never seen before.
He picked up the call in a gentle tone. “Kendra? You’re back? At the airport? Don’t move. I’ll come pick you up right now.”
Just like that, he hung up and didn’t spare Daisie a single look.
As he turned to leave, his voice turned sarcastic. “Take all the time you want. Let’s see if your dad can last that long.”
Daisie’s chest tightened.
On one side were her parents, the people who had given her life.
On the other was, the baby was growing quietly inside her.
Her heart felt like it was being torn in two.
When she saw Willard’s hand reach for the door, she shouted hoarsely.
“Wait! I’ll sign!”
Her voice didn’t even sound like her own.
He stopped, half-turning. A cruel smirk tugged at his lips.
“See? That wasn’t so hard.”
Someone behind him handed her a pen.
Her fingers trembled violently as she took it.
Her eyes scanned the dense lines of text until they landed on those six words.
[Voluntary donation of the right kidney].
Her lower abdomen twitched faintly. There, a tiny life was quietly forming.
This baby shouldn’t have come into this world.
And if it did, it would only suffer… just like her.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, they were void of light.
Then, she signed her name.
Willard snatched the papers, checked the signature, and said flatly, “Schedule the surgery.”
Without another word, he strode out to find Kendra.
Daisie sat frozen on the floor until someone came to drag her up.
Rough hands yanked her to her feet like a rag doll and shoved her into a car bound for the hospital.
There, doctors and nurses moved in and out, running tests, drawing blood, checking vitals, reciting pre-op instructions without emotion.
No one asked if she was willing to donate her kidney.
No one asked if she was afraid.
While lying on the bed, she waited for a moment when the nurse wasn’t watching and reached for her phone.
Her hands shook as she dialed a number.
The line rang a long time before a detached voice finally answered.
“Daisie? What is it?” It was Odessa.
“Mom…” Daisie’s voice broke. “Please… help me. Please save me…”
There was silence on the other end.
Then, in confusion and desperation, Daisie haltingly and incoherently told her mother-in-law everything Willard had done to her.
She didn’t mention the baby. That was her last secret.