Chapter 1
“Eleanor Yates, your sister’s life is in your hands. Just one more bone marrow donation, and she could survive. How can you be so heartless and refuse to save her?”
The words came from Kane Quinn, Eleanor’s fiancé. His eyes blazed with anger, as if he wanted to devour Eleanor whole, desperate to force her into saving her sister, Lillian Yates.
But Kane had no idea that one more marrow extraction would be fatal for Eleanor. Worse still, if
Eleanor couldn’t survive, neither could Kane.
Years ago, a severe car accident left Kane fighting for his life. Eleanor, frantic with worry, searched everywhere for a cure but to no avail. In the end, she could only kneel and pray for
divine intervention.
Perhaps moved by her sincerity, a benevolent deity indeed crossed her path. Without hesitation, Eleanor made a wish: to trade her life for Kane’s.
However, the deity had a different plan, saying, “I will bind your lives together so he may live. From now on, your fates are intertwined; you live and die as one.”
And so, twenty–two years passed. Throughout the years, Eleanor had repeatedly donated her marrow to Lillian. The constant strain had left her body wrecked, her organs failing. Doctors had long warned her that another donation would be fatal.
Lillian’s aplastic anemia had already been brought under control. As these thoughts weighed on her, Eleanor felt tears sting her eyes. She looked up at Kane, her voice trembling with emotion.
“Kane, my body truly can’t handle another marrow extraction,” she said softly. “And if something happens to me, it will happen to you too. Are you still going to ask me to do it?”
A sharp slap echoed through the room. Lillian, previously frail and bedridden, suddenly found the strength to rush over and slap Eleanor across the face. Her eyes were red with anger as she screamed, “Ellie, even if you don’t want to save me, how can you be so cruel as to curse Kane?”
With a thud, she fell to her knees, crying out to the heavens, “If the divine is listening, please take back Ellie’s harsh words. Let any punishment fall on me instead.”
“Lillian, don’t say that,” Kane said, his heart aching as he helped Lillian up, holding her quivering body close. Yet when he turned to Eleanor, his gaze was icy and filled with hatred.
“Eleanor, if anything happens to Lillian, you’ll have to answer to me. Today, you must save her.”
Selene, Eleanor’s mother, chimed in, “Eleanor, if it weren’t for your sister needing a marrow transplant, your father and I would never have thought of having a second child.”
“In other words, your life was given for your sister’s sake. Now we’re just asking for some marrow, not your life. How can you be so reluctant? Do you have any idea what you owe your
sister?”
Eleanor met Selene’s furious glare, and the color drained from her face as her lips trembled.
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“Mom, so I was born to be a marrow donor for my sister, is that it? If so, have you ever considered whether I even wanted to be born into this world?”
Selene faltered, her expression shifting slightly, yet her anger did not abate. “I gave you life, so you must listen to me!”
The doctor, unable to remain silent any longer, intervened, “Eleanor is an adult and has the right to decide whether to donate marrow. Moreover, Lillian’s condition isn’t as dire as it used to be.”
Before the doctor could finish, Lillian, nestled in Kane’s arms, began sobbing as if deeply wronged. “Kane, Mom, stop it. I’ve burdened Ellie for so many years. I owe her so much.”
“Ellie, this is such a great debt. I’ll repay you in the next life.”
With that, she pretended to throw herself against the wall. Kane, as if expecting this move, quickly tightened his grip on her. This tactic was not new for Lillian. Every time Eleanor hesitated to donate marrow, Lillian would pull this stunt, effectively manipulating Kane and Selene and morally trapping Eleanor.
As expected, Selene, witnessing this scene, grabbed Lillian and slapped Eleanor again. “You ungrateful child, are you really trying to drive your sister to death?”
“Let me tell you, today you will donate that marrow, whether you want to or not! Even if I have to tie you to that operating table!”
Half an hour later, on the operating table, Eleanor lay there. Years of frequent marrow donations had led to a resistance to anesthesia. As the long needle pierced her body, the excruciating pain overwhelmed her, and she blacked out.
Before losing consciousness, she heard the deity’s voice from years ago. “You have ten days left to live.”
Eleanor struggled to open her eyes, spotting a glowing “10” suspended above her. At that moment, clarity washed over her. In ten days, she would leave this world behind, severing all ties with the Yates family forever.
