Chapter 223

Chapter 223

EVE

"You heard me," Lucas said, his voice cold and final. "Divorce Sean, marry me. That's my price for Noah's bone marrow."

"Are you serious right now?" My legs gave out, and I dropped onto the bed. "We're talking about a child's life."

"Dead serious." His tone made my skin crawl. "You always thought I was the nice guy, didn't you? The reliable friend in Sean's shadow."

"Lucas, please—"

"I'm not some saint, Eve. I can't be that selfless." Bitterness crept into his words. "Why should I unconditionally donate bone marrow to your child? A child you had with Sean?"

My stomach twisted. My son was dying, and Lucas was using him as a bargaining chip.

"Name your price," I whispered, panic rising. "Whatever amount—"

"I don't want your damn money." He cut me off sharply. "I don't want SkyEve shares. I don't want anything else you might offer."

"What happened to you?"

"Reality happened." He laughed, the sound harsh in my ear. "Nobody has to revolve around you and Sean anymore. Your world isn't everyone's priority."

I tried one last angle. "What about Rebecca? I thought—"

"Rebecca and I are completely over," Lucas snapped. "She's engaged now, living in Europe. Happy without me."

The truth hit hard. Lucas had nothing left to lose.

"Think about it, Eve," he said quietly. "Noah needs that marrow. Tick-tock."

The call ended, leaving me frozen in shock.

"Who was that?"

I jumped, heart racing. Sean stood in the doorway, holding slippers, watching me with those intense eyes that still saw through everything.

"You shouldn't be walking barefoot," he said, coming toward me. "The floors get cold at night."

My brain scrambled to process Lucas's ultimatum while Sean lifted me effortlessly, setting me on the bed before gently slipping the slippers on my feet. Such tenderness from the man who'd once walked away without a backward glance.

"Sean," I blurted, grabbing his arm. "If we can't find a fully compatible donor this week, we need to take a chance with Lucas."

His eyes narrowed. "What aren't you telling me?"

I couldn't hold it back. "We need to get divorced."

Sean went completely still, his expression hardening instantly. "What did Lucas say to you?"

"He's a perfect match for Noah," I whispered, tightening my grip on his sleeve. "Ten out of ten markers."

"And?"

"He wants me to divorce you... and marry him instead."

The air between us turned electric. Sean's jaw clenched tight, a muscle jumping beneath his skin.

"It would just be temporary," I rushed on, the words tumbling out. "A business deal until Noah recovers. Then I'd divorce him and—"

"No." One word, hard as granite.

"Sean, please, just listen—"

"He wants you to marry him." Sean's voice shook with rage. "And you're actually considering it?"

"This is our son's life!" I stood up, facing him head-on. "What choice do I have?"

Sean stepped closer, towering over me. "He's manipulating you. Using Noah to get what he's always wanted."

"I don't care why he's doing it! Noah is running out of time!"

Sean grabbed my shoulders, fingers digging in. "Eve, you're asking me to watch you marry someone else. How am I supposed to just stand there while—"

"It would just be on paper," I interrupted, pressing my hands against his chest, feeling his heart hammering. "A means to an end."

Sean's hands moved up to hold my face, his expression cracking open, revealing everything he tried to hide. "Eve, you're asking me to give you up. Our vows said between us, there's no divorce, only death."

My phone rang, cutting through the tension. Cole's name flashed on the screen.

"Noah's fever won't break," Cole said immediately when I answered. "He's developing bleeding under the skin and in his mucous membranes. You need to come now."

We ran through the hospital corridor, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst. Please don't take him. Not my baby. Not Noah.

Noah looked tiny surrounded by beeping machines. His skin covered with purple bruises, his breathing shallow and labored.

"We've stabilized him for now," Cole explained, face grim. "But we can't wait much longer. We need to decide about proceeding with a partial match."

"What are the risks?" Sean asked, strain evident in every word.

"High risk of graft-versus-host disease. Potential organ damage. Rejection." Cole sighed. "But waiting has its own risks. His immune system is shot."

I stared at my baby through the glass, each purple mark on his skin a silent accusation. I should have protected him better.

"Dr. Morgan, can we have a minute?" I asked.

When Cole stepped away, I turned to Sean. "We can't wait anymore."

"Eve—"

"Look at him, Sean." My voice broke. "Really look. He's getting worse by the hour."

Sean pulled me against him, his heart racing under my ear. "We'll find someone. The donor drives are still going. Maybe this week—"

"We don't have a week." I pushed away, forcing myself to be strong. "Tomorrow morning, we're going to the city clerk's office to file for divorce."

His face drained of color. "And if I refuse?"

I swallowed hard. "Then I'll do whatever it takes to save our son. Even if it destroys us in the process."

The drive home was silent and suffocating. Sean chain-smoked out the window, making call after call to donor registries across the country. I watched his profile in the dashboard light. How did we end up here? From whispering promises in college to this nightmare.

At home, I went straight to searching for our marriage certificate, tearing through drawers and cabinets. Not finding it, I headed to Sean's study.

I was digging through his desk when the door opened. Sean stood there, cigarette between his fingers, eyes red-rimmed from exhaustion.

"Looking for this?" He held up our marriage certificate.

"Give it to me, Sean." I stepped toward him.

"No." He entered the room, shutting the door behind him.

"This isn't about us!" My voice rose. "It's about Noah! If staying married means giving up the chance to save him, I couldn't live with myself afterward!"

"And you think I could live watching you marry Lucas?" He crushed out his cigarette. "Standing by while another man takes what's mine?"

"I'm not yours! I'm not property!"

Sean crossed the room in three quick strides, grabbing my wrists. "You're my wife. The mother of my children. Everything I've fought for."

"Sean, let me go—"

He pulled me against him, desperation radiating from him. "It's not just you who wants to save Noah. He's my son too! I won't let you make dangerous deals with Lucas!"

"There's no other way!" I struggled against his grip.

"We'll find another way together!" His voice cracked. "Eve, please don't do this. Don't leave me again. Anything but divorce. Ask me for anything else."

I twisted away, lunging for the certificate on his desk. Sean moved faster, snatching it back. When he turned, something metal glinted in his other hand.

A gun.

My heart stopped. "Sean, what are you doing?"

His face twisted with pain as he pressed the barrel against his own chest. "You want to divorce me? Marry Lucas?" His voice broke. "How's that any different from killing me?"

"Stop it!" Terror shot through me. "Put that down right now!"

"Tell me you won't leave." His finger hovered near the trigger. "Tell me!"

"Sean, please," I begged, inching closer. "You're scaring me. Just put the gun down."

"Promising to marry another man while I'm right here—do you know what that does to me?" His eyes filled with tears. "Eve, divorcing me to marry someone else might as well be a bullet in my heart."

"I'm not trying to hurt you!" I cried, reaching for the gun. "I'm trying to save our son! I was gonna play Lucas, get the marrow, then dump him!"

Sean's grip on the gun wavered. I lunged forward, grabbing his wrist, trying to push the barrel away from his body.

"Sean, let go!" I screamed, fighting him. "Let go!"

We struggled, his strength overwhelming mine. I threw my weight against his arm just as his finger tightened.

The gunshot exploded through the room.