Derek had already married Candice. The life that was supposed to be mine had been handed to my sister.
I had lost everything. And now—now Candice was standing in front of me, confessing that the night before she took my place as Derek’s wife, she had slept with Matteo. With my Matteo.
I took a step back, as if putting distance between us would keep me from drowning in the betrayal. My voice was barely above a whisper. “You were pregnant… before your wedding? With Matteo’s child?”
Candice nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I didn’t tell Derek. I couldn’t. It would’ve ruined everything. I was already marrying him, and after what happened to you… I didn’t want another scandal. I thought—I thought I could keep it buried forever.”
Buried. Like a secret. Like a mistake she could erase.
Matteo ran a hand through his hair, his voice strained. “Cassandra, I swear, I didn’t know. I had no idea she was pregnant with my child.”
I barely heard him. My mind was spiraling, unraveling, trying to piece together a past that suddenly made no sense.
Candice stepped closer, her desperation seeping into every word. “But now… now I have no choice.” She choked back a sob. “Our son—he inherited my kidney disease. He’s critical, Cassandra. If he doesn’t get a transplant, he won’t make it.”
“No!” My voice was raw, breaking under the weight of my fury and devastation. “That is the kidney for my daughter—not your son!”
The words hung in the air, heavy and immovable.
Candice wasn’t giving up. She turned to Matteo, grasping his hands as tears streamed down her face. “Please, Matteo. He’s your son. You can’t let him die. You saved me once… please, save our son now.”
I stepped in between them, my hands trembling. “Matteo, you promised. You promised to save our daughter.”
His face was unreadable, torn between two impossible choices.
One kidney. Two lives hanging in the balance.
And then—
He made his decision.
Matteo turned away from me.
Toward Candice.
“I’m sorry, Cassandra.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I have to save him.”
The world tilted. I felt my breath leave my lungs, my body swaying as if the ground beneath me had disappeared.
“No…” My voice cracked, disbelief numbing every nerve in my body.
But it was real.
Matteo chose Candice’s child.
Not ours.
Not Amber.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move. I could only watch as they rushed Candice’s son into surgery, as Matteo was taken away to save him.