Tears glistened in Maya's eyes.
"From that moment on, I swore I'd never let you suffer again." She patted my hand gently, like an elder stating long-established facts. Though barely older than me, she'd shouldered life's burdens too young.
"So when you said you were pregnant, my first thought was to give the child a happy family."
She paused, her gaze falling to my belly. Nothing showed yet, but we both knew a small life was growing there.
"But your child will be abandoned by Lucas from birth." Her voice dropped, her eyes growing serious.
Silent tears rolled down my face again. I knew Maya wasn't finished, because I'd been abandoned by Lucas, too. The child and I were repeating the fate I'd lived through as a child.
"Since you've decided on divorce, let's leave this place." Maya paused. "The doctors say I'll get a kidney donor within a year at most. Once I'm healthy, we'll raise the child together."
The ice in my chest melted. My sister was family, always my support.
"Actually," I took a deep breath, trying to speak clearly, "when I started planning the divorce, I already decided where we'd go. We'll move to Rochester, Minnesota. There's a specialized kidney hospital there, with dialysis equipment and medical teams among the best in the country. It'll ease your pain and get you a donor sooner."
"Ha," Maya laughed, but her eyes shone bright. "So you had it all planned before you told me, huh?"
I felt a spark of happiness. "I can grow up too, you know. Sister."
I'd always known—the only reason Maya was willing to stay trapped in this mediocre sanatorium was to be close to the manor, to watch over my happiness every weekend.
Maya nodded. Her eyes were red.
"Let's go handle the transfer paperwork now."
Chapter Twelve
Lucas
A divorce agreement lay on the nightstand.
I stared at that paper like it was a hallucination.
Impossible.
I had to be seeing things.
I grabbed the agreement, my hands shaking so badly the pages rattled between my fingers. I scanned line by line, searching for some flaw, some proof this was just a sick joke.
But Ella's signature was there, clear and firm at the bottom of that column. Every stroke radiated finality.
The wedding ring my grandmother had passed down sat next to the agreement, the diamond's cold light stabbing straight into my eyes. Cold enough to cut bone.
My usually sharp mind seized up like rusted gears that wouldn't turn.
I moved mechanically into the room, searching every corner for traces of her. Closet, vanity, bed... Every valuable item remained untouched.
Only her worthless everyday clothes were gone.
An unfamiliar bewilderment crashed over me like a tidal wave, swallowing me whole.
Ella was gone.
Why would she leave?
My brain went blank, like a computer forced to shut down. I could only stand there, frozen. Time lost meaning. Eventually, through the fog, I heard someone urgently calling my name, but I couldn't process it.
