Lying alone in the big, empty bedroom, Noemi couldn't stop replaying that nightmare from two years ago.

Her family had set her up with Daniel, and she had no clue he was already head over heels for someone else—Ivanna.

The second their engagement went public, Ivanna dipped. Daniel had chased her all the way to the airport, wrecked his car, and came out blind.

Noemi had stayed by his hospital bed, watching him sleep, feeling like her chest might cave in from the weight of it all.

She even flew across the globe to find Ivanna—only to catch her getting married.

Noemi had begged her. Promised to back off if she'd just come home and take care of him.

But Ivanna had stared her down, stone-cold.

'He's blind. Why the hell would I go back?'

That look? Burned into Noemi's brain.

Now Ivanna was back. Just like that. Why?

Noemi rolled over, checked the time, and got up to fix Daniel's meds.

She paused outside the study—voices. One was Daniel. The other? Raul Pedron, his childhood best friend.

"Ivanna's back. Will you get a divorce?"

Daniel snorted. "Yeah. Surgery's in three days. Time for a new chapter."

He sounded almost relieved. Like freedom was just around the corner.

Noemi's chest tightened. Even after everything, it still hurt.

Raul sighed, clearly fed up. "You could've fixed your eyes ages ago. Why now?

"You ever think about what Noemi's been through?"

Daniel laughed, cold. "I couldn't stand looking at her. She didn't deserve a healthy husband. I wanted her trapped—begging, miserable, just like me."

Pain slammed into her chest like a truck.

He'd stayed blind just to mess with her. For two freaking years.

Sure, she got what she wanted—being by his side. But at what cost? Every day was a guilt trip.

She popped melatonin every night, but the nightmares still came—Daniel crying blood, choking her like some raging beast.

'Noemi, you should just die!'

She'd wake up drenched in tears.

And now? All that pain? Totally avoidable.

Her wrist shook. The glass slipped and shattered on the tile.

"Who's there?" Daniel's hearing had gone razor-sharp since going blind. He caught the noise instantly.

Raul opened the door and greeted her.

Noemi froze, fumbling. "Daniel, I brought your meds... Dropped the glass by accident."

"You're useless," he snapped. "Tell Paulina to clean it."

Paulina was the housemaid.

Noemi crouched down fast. "No need."

Tears blurred her vision. She reached for the shards—then came the nosebleed. Her knees gave out. Everything spun.

Raul's voice was the last thing she heard before blacking out.

When she came to, Daniel's face hovered close, stiff with worry.

"Daniel..."

"Raul said you lost a lot of blood. What's going on?"

Her heart pounded. The certainty she'd clung to was gone. She was scared—of everything, especially losing him.

"I... I'm sick."

His brows pulled tight. "What kind of sick?"

"I..." She started, but his phone went off.

A ringtone she knew all too well.

He picked up without thinking.

Ivanna's broken voice came through.

"Daniel, I'm going into surgery... Noemi met me at the restaurant, then pushed me. I was bleeding so bad. The doctor says I need a kidney. I'm scared..."

Ivanna was the one who wanted to meet.

Noemi flashed back—downtown café, across the table, Ivanna all sugar-sweet with something sharp hiding underneath.

"It's been two years," she'd said, smiling like a cat. "Now that I'm back, it's time you gave Daniel back."

Noemi eyed her. "Did you get divorced?"

The flicker in Ivanna's face said it all.

"Back then, you wouldn't even set foot in Montavia. Why now?"

No answer. Just cold eyes. Then she dipped.

Noemi hadn't thought much of it—until now.

Pale and shaky, she dragged herself onto the bed and knelt beside Daniel, fingers clutching his sleeve.

"Daniel, please. She asked to meet. We just had coffee. I swear I didn't touch her."

He didn't budge. Just clenched his jaw.

Then he pulled her hand off, face darkening.

"You're faking being sick to cover what you did, aren't you?"

"I didn't..."

Tears streamed as she shook her head. "We can check the cameras. I didn't do anything."

Daniel inhaled sharply, trying to keep it together. "Alright. We'll go off the facts."

He called his assistant.

"Juan, check the café stairwell footage from today. I want everything."

Raul stepped in, catching the tension. "What's going on?"

Noemi gave him the short version. Raul let out a heavy sigh.

He clapped a hand on Daniel's shoulder, firm. "Noemi's not like that."

Yeah, Daniel had changed after two years in the dark. But Noemi? She'd been the same—steady, kind, never giving up on him. Raul had watched her love that guy, even when he didn't deserve it.

A girl who kissed their marriage certificate like it meant everything? No way she pushed anyone.

After a while, Juan sent over the footage.

Daniel hit play on the voice message. Juan's voice shook. "M-Mr. Gomez... the video shows M-Mrs. Gomez pushing Ms. Lopez down the stairs."

"No way!" Noemi darted over, Raul close behind as she replayed the clip.

There it was—someone in her exact outfit shoving Ivanna hard at the stairwell landing.

It looked legit. Too legit.

But how?

Noemi's head pounded. Eyes red, she replayed it again and again, searching for anything off.

"Daniel, it's fake. Someone edited it. Please, just—"

Smack.

His hand cracked across her face.

Her cheek ballooned. Blood trickled from her lip. He didn't hold back.

Raul shot up. "What the hell, Daniel?!"

Daniel didn't even blink. Frozen solid, eyes dead cold.

He grabbed Noemi's wrist and yanked her hard.

No warning, no words—just dragged her down the hall and straight down the stairs.

She stumbled the whole way, knees and arms catching bruises. He didn't stop, didn't slow down.

At the car, he shoved her in and barked at the driver.

"To the hospital."

Ivanna lay pale on the hospital bed, blood soaking through the bandages on her waist.

The doctor didn't sugarcoat it. "She's crashing. Massive internal bleeding from a ruptured kidney. We need a transplant. Fast. Find a match—if anyone—"

Daniel shoved Noemi forward. "Use hers."

She tried to fight back, but he didn't flinch. He barked at the bodyguards, and they dragged her off.

Blood tests came in. The doctor's face lit up. "It's a match! We can save her!"

Daniel didn't miss a beat. "Use hers. I'm her husband—I'll sign."

And just like that, the first time he ever owned up to being her husband... was to hand her over like a spare part for Ivanna.

"No. I'm not doing it. I don't care who needs it—it's not going to her."

Noemi pushed back, but her body was wrecked. Still, she forced the words out, jaw tight.

No way was she giving a part of herself to that backstabbing snake.

She'd kept quiet for too long. Always scared of hurting Daniel. But now? Screw that.

"I went abroad to find Ivanna. She said no because you were blind. Then she married some foreign guy. She never loved you."

Each word burned coming out, hoping maybe—just maybe—it'd hit him where it hurt.

But then he spoke. And it wrecked her.

"So what? I'd do anything for her. You... everything you do disgusts me."

Her mind went numb. Like someone dropped a brick on her head. Everything inside her just... shut down.

The bodyguards held her down, forced her into a hospital gown, then locked her in a private room. Surgery was in three days.

They took her phone. No calls. No way out.

Two blurry days dragged by.

The night before the surgery, Ivanna strolled in like she owned the place.

"Big day tomorrow, huh? Daniel's finally getting his cornea transplant—from YOU."

She stood there glowing, nothing like the fragile wreck from before.

"How do you even know that?" Noemi forced herself upright, head spinning. "You were never hurt, were you? Why do you even want my kidney?"

Ivanna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, way too calm. "Oh, I'm sick—end-stage renal failure. Framing you just made scoring your kidney easier."

Noemi shook, rage bubbling up.

"You're wondering how I knew about the cornea donation, right?"

Ivanna smirked, stepped in, and brushed her fingers across Noemi's cheek.

"They typed me overseas. Once you signed that donor form, your info hit the system. And guess what? We're a perfect match. Isn't fate just wild?"

Noemi's jaw clenched. Her eyes blazed.

"So..." Her voice cracked. "So—"

Ivanna finished for her. "I came back for YOUR KIDNEY. Needed it to survive. And the cherry on top? I get the guy who still worships me. Foreign guys? Meh. Daniel always loved ME more."

"You actually threw yourself down the stairs just to frame me."

Even dying, Ivanna gambled like it was nothing.

Ivana grinned. "Who said I was the one who fell?"