Chapter 3

Staring at the locked ward door, terror seized me. I needed to run. But Lena walked straight toward me with a syringe of nutritional supplement.

"All we want is for you to rest and recover properly. I don't understand why you're reacting so badly. We're all family. Besides, the person you're saving is your own sister!" A stream of icy liquid was injected into my vein.

To get my physical stats up to the surgical requirements as quickly as possible, they started forcing me onto IV drips to pump me full of nutrients. My consciousness still held a sliver of clarity.

"You're breaking the law, don't you understand that?" I yelled in despair.

Lena just scoffed at me. "I'm your mother, and I'm helping you regulate your health. What's the problem? I gave you your life!"

Hank rolled his eyes at me. "You ungrateful wretch! We raised you, and all we're asking is for you to donate a kidney to save your own sister, and you're talking to us about breaking the law?"

Finn checked the needle in my hand to make sure I couldn't break free.

"Finn, keep an eye on that. These nutritional drips are a specially designed formula. It has to be administered on time and in the correct dosage," Lena instructed. Finn nodded, his gaze fixed on the IV bag as if what flowed inside wasn't medicine, but Sierra's hope for life.

I looked at the people calling themselves my family. My heart was a frozen wasteland.

"This is illegal detention! Forced organ donation is against the law!" I struggled, but the drugs left my body completely weak.

Finn just glanced at me coldly. "Once your body is well and you voluntarily sign the consent form, it won't be forced anymore. Hazel, stop fighting. Just focus on getting your body healthy. It's better for everyone."

His words were a knife in my heart. In his eyes, I was nothing more than an organ container that needed to be fattened up to meet the standard.

Because their plan was to make me a "voluntary" donor, on the surface, it just looked like family members caring for a sick relative. The ward echoed with my weak but furious accusations. But no one paid me any attention.

"You'll pay for this," I gritted out through my teeth.

Just as Finn was about to speak, the ward door was pushed open. A nurse came in to change the IV bag. Lena instantly plastered a loving mother's expression onto her face. "Nurse, how is my daughter's condition? Will these nutritional supplements help her recover quickly?"

The nurse looked at my pale face, then at the three vultures hovering nearby, and hesitated. "The patient needs rest. You shouldn't agitate her. As for her specific recovery, that depends on the test results."

The moment the nurse left, Lena's face fell again. "Did you hear that? Rest well, and get your body healthy!"

I closed my eyes, refusing to look at their nauseating faces any longer. My hand, hidden under the blanket, was tightly gripping my phone. From the moment they grabbed me in the hallway, I had secretly pressed the record button. I knew a direct confrontation was a losing battle. I had to endure. I had to wait.

A few days later, with my cooperation, my complexion looked a little better. Lena couldn't wait to arrange a full physical examination, especially focusing on kidney function.

On the day the results came out, Hank, Lena, and Finn all gathered in the doctor's office. I was brought in, too.

The doctor looked at the report and paused thoughtfully. "From the current test results, Miss Hazel's physical recovery is slower than expected. Some indicators, especially regarding her kidney function, are not yet at an ideal level. Proceeding with a kidney transplant now would pose a significant risk to the donor..."

"How significant is significant?" Hank cut him off impatiently. "As long as she doesn't die! You don't have to worry about the donor. We, the family, will handle it. She's a willing volunteer!"

The doctor frowned and looked at me. "Miss Hazel, are you truly willing to donate a kidney at this stage? You need to understand the risks involved..."

"She's willing!" Lena answered before I could, shooting me a deadly glare.

Finn also stepped forward, grabbing my hand. His grip was so strong it hurt, but he wore a gentle smile on his face. "Honey, Sierra can't wait any longer. You'll help her, right? Once you're better, we can still have another child."

I looked at the three of them, then at the doctor who clearly disapproved. Slowly, clearly, I spoke. "Doctor, I am... not... willing."

"Bang!" Lena slammed her fist on the table. "What did you say?!"

"I said, I am not willing." I met their nearly fiery glares, enunciating every word. "My body hasn't recovered. I don't want to donate a kidney. And, I have evidence that you have been trying to coerce me."

With that, I pulled out my phone and played a clear segment of the recording, the very words they had spoken in the ward while pressuring me, revealing that the whole purpose of nursing me back to health was for the kidney donation.

The atmosphere in the office froze solid.

Hank was trembling with rage, and Finn's eyes looked murderous. Lena screamed, "You've turned against us! You ungrateful thing! I'll beat you to death today!"

She lunged at me, trying to hit me, but was blocked by the doctor and the nurses who had rushed in at the commotion.

"This is a hospital! I need you all to remain calm!" the doctor said sternly. "Miss Hazel has clearly stated she does not wish to donate, and her current physical condition is not suitable for donation. You cannot force her! Otherwise, I will call the police!"

"Call the police? I'm her mother!" Lena roared.

"Even if you are her mother, you cannot force her to donate an organ! That is the law!" The doctor didn't back down an inch.

In the chaos, I used all my strength to break free of Finn's grip and rushed out of the office. I knew this brief conflict wouldn't stop them. I needed to get more damning evidence. I needed to get rid of them completely!

I ran to the fire escape stairwell, quickly backed up the audio file to the cloud, and then deleted the original from my phone. The moment I finished, I heard Finn and Hank's voices echoing from the floor below, searching for me.

I quietly slipped down another staircase, wanting to leave the hospital first. Just as I reached the entrance of the inpatient wing, I bumped right into Sierra, who was there for a check-up, and Finn, who was with her.

It turned out Finn had already come down another way and met up with Sierra.

Seeing me, Finn's eyes turned cold. He quickly stepped forward and grabbed my arm. "Where do you think you're going?"

Sierra looked at me with a pitiful, helpless expression. "Sister, are you really that heartless? Can you just watch me die? I just want a chance to live..."

Looking at this couple, I felt nothing but disgust. I violently shook off Finn's hand. "Let go! Sierra, you want to live, but why should my life be the price?"

"Your life?" Finn was so angry he laughed. "Hazel, don't forget who paid to nurse you back to health after your miscarriage! Those supplements, the home care you received—all of it was to get you better fast so you could save Sierra! Your life stopped being just your own a long time ago!"

His words finally tore away the last shred of pretense. I looked at him and suddenly laughed. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. "Finn, so all the kindness after the fire, all the care... it was all just to get my body healthy so you could give Sierra a healthy kidney, wasn't it?"

My laughter unsettled Finn, but he still said coldly, "So what if it was? Being able to save Sierra is your blessing!"

"Fine. A blessing, huh." I stopped laughing, wiped my tears. "Then let me tell you, I don't want this blessing. And you won't get what you want."

I spotted a few security guards in the distance and immediately shouted at the top of my lungs, "Security! Help! Someone's trying to kidnap me! They're forcing me to donate an organ!"

My shouts drew the attention of people nearby, and the security guards started running this way. Finn's face changed, and he reached out to cover my mouth. Sierra panicked, too. "Finn, what do we do?"

Hank and Lena had also chased us down by now. Seeing the scene, Lena immediately started making a scene of her own. "There's no justice in this world! A daughter wants to let her sick sister die! We're just parents asking her to donate a kidney to save her sister, and she wants to call the cops on us!"

The crowd grew, and people were pointing and murmuring. The security guards arrived and asked about the situation.

I seized the opportunity and quickly said to the guards, "They're illegally holding me against my will and forcing me to donate an organ! I have evidence! Please, call the police!"

Finn, seeing the situation turning sour, tried to pull Sierra away. Lena was still making a dramatic scene, while Hank tried to explain it away as a family matter to the guards.

The scene was complete chaos.

Just then, I saw Officer Carter and his colleague outside the crowd, heading toward the inpatient department, seemingly on some other case. My heart leaped with joy, and I screamed with all my might, "Officer Carter! Help!"

Officer Carter looked over at the sound of his name and saw me, disheveled and trapped in the middle of the conflict, with Finn pulling at me and Hank and Lena howling. His brow furrowed, and he immediately walked over with his colleague.

"What's going on here?" Officer Carter asked, his voice commanding.