Elaina Berger POV:

The next morning, the dining table was laden with a feast fit for a queen, all of it for Hollie. There was bird's nest soup for vitality, sea cucumber for fetal development, and a dozen other expensive, nourishing dishes. Mrs. Patton hovered over her like a hawk, personally spooning soup into her bowl.

"Eat up, dear," she cooed. "You're eating for two now. For the future of the Patton family."

Then she looked at me, her gaze sweeping over my simple plate of toast and coffee with disdain. "Some people are just born with better fortune. They know how to seize an opportunity."

I met her gaze, my face a mask of indifference, but inside, a cold fury was building. I looked at Brennan, expecting him to say something, to defend me. He just continued scrolling through his phone, completely oblivious, or perhaps, completely indifferent.

Hollie dabbed at her lips with a napkin, putting on a show of humility. "Mrs. Patton, please don't say that. It makes me feel terrible. Elaina is my best friend. If... if she really can't accept this, I'm willing to leave. I can raise the baby on my own."

It was a masterful performance. Mrs. Patton immediately took the bait.

"Nonsense!" she snapped, pulling a thick folder from her handbag and sliding it in front of Hollie. "This is the deed to a villa in the Hamptons. It's yours. A small token of our appreciation. You are not going anywhere."

Hollie' s eyes widened, her mask of humility replaced by undisguised greed. "Oh, Mrs. Patton... I couldn't possibly..."

"Of course you can," she said, patting Hollie's hand.

I couldn't watch anymore. I pushed my chair back and stood up, the sound scraping loudly in the suddenly silent room. "Excuse me," I said, my voice tight. "I have to get to the hospital."

Without another glance at the happy family, I walked out.

Back in my bedroom-our bedroom-I began to pack. Not clothes, not jewelry. I packed my medical textbooks, my research papers, my surgical journals. My entire life's work. I carefully placed the expensive gifts Brennan had showered me with on his side of the bed. The Starlight Diamond. The custom-made Patek Philippe watch. The keys to a vintage Aston Martin. They were hollow trophies from a life that was no longer mine.

My fingers brushed against a small, worn leather box. Inside was a silver locket, shaped like a heart. It wasn't expensive. He' d given it to me on our first anniversary. He' d told me it was enchanted, that as long as I wore it, his heart would always be with me. I remembered laughing, calling him a hopeless romantic. Now, the memory felt like a cruel joke.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Brennan's voice, sharp and angry, startled me. He was standing in the doorway, his eyes narrowed.

"I'm leaving," I said simply.

"Because of Hollie?" He scoffed, stepping into the room. "Don't be childish, Elaina. We've been over this. It's a practical arrangement."

"I'm not being childish," I said, my voice trembling despite my efforts to control it. "I'm angry. Can't you understand that? You lied to me. You and my best friend betrayed me in the worst way possible."

"Okay, you're angry. I get it," he said, his tone placating, as if speaking to a difficult child. "Take the island trip. Go shopping. Buy whatever you want. When you get back, the baby will be here, Hollie will be gone, and everything will be back to normal."

He tried to pull me into his arms, but I twisted away. "No."

He grabbed my arm, his grip surprisingly strong. "You're not going anywhere."

In the struggle, my hand hit the nightstand, knocking a drawer open. Brennan's eyes darted to the drawer, his face suddenly pale with panic. He let go of me and frantically began searching through the contents.

"Where is it? What did you do with it?" he demanded, his voice tight with fear.

He was looking for the pre-signed divorce agreement.

He thought I'd already filed it. He thought he'd lost control.

A slow, cold smile spread across my face. "I tore it up," I lied, my voice smooth as ice. My eyes met his, filled with a scorn I didn't bother to hide. "Why? Was it important?"

Just then, Hollie's timid voice came from the hallway. "Brennan? Are you okay? I heard shouting."

Brennan's head snapped toward the door. The panic on his face was replaced by irritation, but he immediately softened his tone. "I'm fine, Hollie. Go back to your room." He turned back to me, his eyes pleading. "Please, Elaina. Don't upset her. The stress is bad for the baby."

He ran a hand through his hair, then his eyes landed on the locket in my hand. He snatched it up.

"What are you doing?" I cried, reaching for it.

"Hollie's been feeling insecure," he said, not meeting my eyes. "This will cheer her up."

He walked out of the room, leaving me standing there, stunned. He was taking the one gift that had ever meant anything to me, the symbol of his supposed love, and giving it to her.

"Brennan, wait!" I followed him into the hall. He was already handing the locket to Hollie.

"Here," he said gently. "A little something to make you feel better."

Hollie gasped, her eyes shining as she took it. "Oh, Brennan, it's beautiful." She didn't recognize it. Of course she didn't. It was just another piece of jewelry to her.

Brennan didn't understand why I was so upset. He thought it was just a trinket. The memory, the meaning, the promise he' d made… it was all mine alone. He had forgotten.

He turned back to me, his duty done. "I've arranged a party for tomorrow night," he said, his voice back to its normal, charming tone. "To celebrate the pregnancy. You'll be there, by my side, smiling. We'll present a united front." He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Hollie's feeling a bit overwhelmed. I'm going to stay with her for a while."

He disappeared into her room, closing the door behind him.

I stood in the silent hallway, the echo of his words ringing in my ears. A united front. A party. A celebration of my own personal hell.

I lay in our cold, empty bed that night, replaying every moment of our relationship in my head. I had been so blind. So stupid. He had never loved me. He had only loved the idea of me, the challenge of conquering me.

I would not attend his party. I would not stand by his side and smile.

I would divorce him. I would take my father, who was waiting for a heart transplant at the very hospital the Pattons owned, and we would disappear. We would start a new life, far away from the poison of this family.

The next day at the hospital, I started making arrangements. I filed for a leave of absence and began transferring my patients' care to my colleagues. I was in my office, sorting through my father's medical files, when the door opened without a knock.

Hollie sauntered in, a smug smile on her face. She was wearing the locket. My locket.

"Well, well," she said, leaning against my desk. "The great Dr. Berger, brought down to earth. Who would have thought?"

I ignored her, focusing on the papers in front of me. She was trying to get a reaction, and I wouldn't give her the satisfaction.

Elaina Berger POV:

Hollie walked into my office like she owned the place, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. "Quite the fall from grace, isn't it, Elaina?" she purred, running a hand over her still-flat stomach where my husband's child was growing.

I remained silent, my eyes fixed on my father's chart. I reached under my desk and pressed the small, discreet button that activated the security camera's recording function. In the world of the Pattons, one could never be too careful.

Hollie noticed the subtle movement. "Still so cautious," she sneered. "Recording our little chat? Don't worry, I'm not here to threaten you. I'm here to... gloat." She laughed, a sound that was both ugly and triumphant. "Soon, I'll be Mrs. Brennan Patton. And you'll be nothing. We'll still be best friends, though, right? Sisters, even?"

The word 'sisters' felt like a slap. I looked at her, truly looked at her, and saw a stranger. I remembered the day I met her, a scared, broke girl who had just arrived in New York with nothing but a tattered suitcase and a story of a tragic past. Her family was a mess of addiction and abuse, a story she told with such convincing tears that I had taken her in without a second thought. I gave her a place to live, introduced her to my friends, even got her a job in the hospital's administrative department. I had introduced her to Brennan.

I had pitied her. I had tried to save her. And she had used that pity, that story of victimhood, to manipulate everyone around her, including Brennan. She had played on his guilt, his desire to be a savior, and had woven a web of lies so intricate that he was now completely entangled.

"I know you hate me," she said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But you have to understand. I was desperate. I had to get away from my family." She leaned closer. "Brennan is my ticket out. This baby is my insurance policy."

She placed a prenatal vitamin prescription on my desk. "The doctor said I need to start these. I figured you could fill it for me. For old times' sake." She turned and swaggered out of my office, leaving the prescription slip behind like a calling card.

The moment the door closed, the strength drained out of me. I slumped in my chair, the weight of the dual betrayal pressing down on me. I had lost my husband and my best friend in a single, devastating blow.

Suddenly, the emergency alert on my desk buzzed violently. A code blue. In my father's room.

I shot out of my chair and ran, my heart pounding in my ears. I burst into his room to a scene of chaos. My father was gasping for air, his face a terrifying shade of blue. And Hollie was standing by his bed, her hand on the control panel of his ventilator, a look of pure malice on her face. She had been tampering with his life support.

"Hollie!" I screamed, a raw, animal sound of pure terror.

Nurses and doctors rushed in, pushing me aside as they worked frantically to save him. I saw the flat line on the heart monitor, heard the deafening, continuous beep that signaled the end. My legs gave out, and I crumpled to the floor.

He was gone. After two years of fighting, of waiting, of hoping for a new heart that was finally scheduled to arrive next week, he was gone. Just like that.

A white-hot rage, purer and more intense than anything I had ever felt, surged through me. I scrambled to my feet and launched myself at Hollie, my hand connecting with her cheek in a slap that echoed through the room.

She shrieked, stumbling back. At that exact moment, Brennan appeared in the doorway, a bouquet of roses in his hand.

He saw Hollie clutching her cheek, he saw me with my hand raised, and he saw nothing else. The roses fell to the floor, their petals scattering like drops of blood on the sterile white tiles. He lunged at me, grabbing my face, his fingers digging into my skin. One of the thorns from a fallen stem scraped across my cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he snarled, his face inches from mine. "She is pregnant with my child! Have you lost your mind?"

"She killed him," I sobbed, the words choked and barely intelligible. "Brennan, she killed my father."

"Apologize to her," he commanded, his voice cold and hard. "Now." He turned his glare on Hollie, who was now weeping dramatically. "And you," he said to her, his voice softening. "If you can't make Elaina happy, if you keep causing trouble, I will make you get rid of that baby."

The threat hung in the air, a chilling reminder that to him, Hollie and the baby were just assets to be managed.

I wrenched myself from his grasp and turned to leave. I couldn't be in that room, with those people, for another second.

Hollie, ever the actress, rushed forward. "Elaina, I'm so sorry," she cried, running out of the room.

Brennan caught my arm again, pulling me back. "Don't you dare walk away from me," he whispered, his voice a low threat. He leaned in and kissed the corner of my neck, a possessive, branding gesture. "I have a meeting. I'll come back to check on your father later." He kissed my forehead, a final, hollow gesture of affection. "Be good."

He left. I stood there, my throat too tight to speak, too dry to even swallow.

A nurse approached me, her face full of pity. "Dr. Berger... I'm so sorry. Your father... he's gone." She hesitated, then lowered her voice. "There's something you should know. The heart that was matched for him... Mr. Patton canceled the donation two weeks ago. He had it redirected to Hollie's brother."

The world tilted and went black. I fainted, the last sound in my ears the echo of his ultimate betrayal.

Elaina Berger POV:

I woke up in a hospital bed, the sharp, antiseptic smell filling my senses. The first thing I did was call the morgue. I had my father's body moved to a private facility, away from the hospital, away from the Pattons' influence. I would not let them use him as a pawn in their sick games.

Then, I went to the records department. I needed to see it for myself. I pulled up the transplant logs, my hands shaking so badly I could barely type. It was all there, in black and white. A perfect match. A 99.8% compatibility rating. And the cancellation order, dated three months ago, signed by Brennan Patton.

He hadn't just redirected the heart last week. He had condemned my father to death months ago. All to secure a heart for the brother of the woman who was carrying his child. A woman he claimed meant nothing to him.

I suppressed the tremor in my hands, printed the documents, and drove back to the penthouse. The place was teeming with people, the air thick with perfume and the sound of clinking champagne glasses. The party to celebrate the pregnancy was in full swing.

My entrance silenced the room. I was still in my hospital scrubs, my face was pale, my cheek was scratched, and I was carrying a sheaf of papers that radiated fury.

Brennan' s smile froze on his face. He started towards me, his hand outstretched, but I walked right past him.

"You lied to me," I said, my voice dangerously quiet. I threw the papers at him. They fluttered to the floor, a stark white accusation against the marble. "You killed him."

Brennan's face went white as he looked at the documents. Hollie rushed to his side, ever the damsel in distress.

"Elaina, what is this?" she asked, her eyes wide with feigned innocence. "Brennan did this for me! My brother was dying! Your father was old, he had lived his life!"

She tried to touch my arm, a gesture of faux sympathy. I flung her hand away with such force that she stumbled backward, nearly falling.

"Your brother is a degenerate gambler who sold his own kidney to pay off his debts," I snarled, my voice dripping with contempt. "You begged Brennan for that heart not to save your brother's life, but to secure your position in this family."

"That's enough!" Brennan roared, stepping in front of Hollie, shielding her. "Your father's death was a tragedy, but Hollie is pregnant! Her well-being is my priority now!"

His priority. My father's life for his unborn child. The transaction was that simple for him.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and unstoppable. The grief and betrayal were a physical weight, crushing the air from my lungs.

Brennan saw my tears and his expression softened. He mistook my heartbreak for surrender. "It's okay, baby," he murmured, taking my hand. "It's all over now."

He led me out to the back garden, where the party continued. I felt numb, disconnected from my own body. My eyes scanned the crowd and landed on a familiar face-one of the stable hands from Brennan's country estate. What was he doing here?

Suddenly, the night sky exploded in a shower of light and color. Fireworks. They burst into the shape of two letters: H and C. Hollie Cochran.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Two years ago, on this very same terrace, he had filled the sky with fireworks spelling out my initials, E.B., as he asked me to marry him. Another grand gesture, another beautiful lie, now repurposed for his new favorite.

Hollie clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, my!" she squealed, clutching her chest dramatically. "I seem to have dropped my earring!"

It happened in an instant. One of the horses, brought in for "atmosphere," suddenly reared up, its eyes wild with panic. It charged, not towards Hollie, but directly towards me.

"Brennan!" I screamed, a split second before the animal slammed into me. Pain, white-hot and blinding, shot up my arm as I was thrown to the ground. My wrist. My right wrist. My surgical hand. I tried to move my fingers, but the agony was excruciating. My career, my identity, everything I had worked for, was shattered in that single moment.

Through a haze of pain, I looked up. Brennan wasn't looking at me. He was rushing to Hollie's side, holding her close, protecting her. In his other hand, gleaming under the party lights, was the "lost" earring he had just "found."

It was a setup. All of it. The fireworks, the conveniently lost earring, the spooked horse. It was all a performance orchestrated to make me utterly and completely dependent on him.

He finally turned to look at me, his face a mask of concern. But as his hand reached for mine, I saw the truth in his eyes. He hadn't saved me. He had sacrificed me.

The world went dark as I lost consciousness.