LYRA

I opened my eyes slowly as my consciousness began to return. The lights once again felt a little too bright. I really wish they would change these. I looked around a bit and noticed the ropes from the machines attached to me. I tried to raise my head up a bit, but the pain in my body stopped me quickly. I groaned and lay down.

"She is awake."

The voice came from my left. I turned my head with effort. A nurse stood beside the bed, her hair in a pulled back ponytail, and well she was quite calm for someone who was in surgery.

"Easy there," she said. "Try not to move too much."

"What happened?" I asked.

"You are out of surgery."

Surgery.

I closed my eyes briefly, and the images flooded back: glass walls, bright lights, Selene standing on her feet, smiling and kissing my husband.

I opened my eyes again. "I saw her."

The nurse paused.

"Saw who?" she asked.

"My husband's sister," I said. "I saw her standing- She was fine. Perfectly okay, even."

She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly refrained and went silent. "You were under stress," she said. "Hallucinations happen."

"That was not a hallucination," I replied.

She adjusted the drip beside me. "Try to get some rest. Okay."

"I want my husband."

"He stepped out."

"He stepped out when and to where?" I asked.

She did not respond. "How long have I been here?"

"Several hours."

"And he has not come back."

"He will," she said, but her tone wasn't convincing me.

I swallowed. "Where is she? His sister."

"She is in recovery."

"I saw her kissing my husband and laughing," I said quietly. "Does that sound like recovery?"

The nurse straightened. "I am not allowed to discuss other patients."

"So I am just a patient now," I said.

She looked at me again, and I saw pity in her eyes. But why. What the hell is going on?

"I will get someone," she said.

Then she left.

The room went quiet again. All that could be heard was the low beeping of the machines around me. I stared at the ceiling quietly, which was a total contrast to the havoc playing in my mind. I kept recalling the hallway over and over again. Darius's arm around Selene. Her leaning in to kiss him. She wasn't dying, heck, she wasn't even sick. They used me.

I heard footsteps.

This time, it was his mother. Lucinda.

She walked in calmly. And for a woman whose daughter was meant to be dying, she looked a little too composed. Red bottom heels and perfectly styled hair. She smiled when she saw my eyes open.

"Lyra," she said. "You scared us."

"You don't look scared," I replied.

She ignored that and moved closer to me. "How are you feeling, darling?"

"In pain," I said. "And confused."

"That is normal after surgery."

"I saw her," I said again.

Her smile faltered for a second, but she quickly fixed her face and smiled again. "Saw who dear?"

"Selene," I replied. "In the hallway. Standing beside Darius, oh no, let me correct myself. Kissing Darius."

She exhaled softly. "You were drifting in and out of consciousness. How could you be sure of what you saw?"

"I was awake."

"But, you were medicated."

"I know what I saw."

She placed her hand on the bed rail. "Lyra, please do not do this to yourself."

"Do what?"

"Create unreasonable stories."

I laughed quietly, then stopped because it hurt. "So now I am imagining things."

"You went through a lot," she said. "And your mind is trying to protect you."

"By lying to me?"

She leaned closer. "By helping you cope."

I turned my face away. "So where is Darius, huh?"

"He is with his sister."

"So she is awake."

"Yes."

"Is she healthy enough to sit and talk?"

"She is improving."

"Enough to stand." There was a pause.

"She insisted," his mother said. "She wanted to see him."

"But not me. Not the person who saved her life."

"You needed surgery," she replied. "She needed reassurance."

I faced her again. "Reassurance from my husband."

She did not answer.

"Did she need my kidney to stand?" I asked.

Her eyes hardened slightly. "That is enough."

"No," I said. "That is not enough. You all said she was dying, didn't you?"

"She was critical."

"No-that's a fucking lie. She was glowing," I replied.

Her voice became lower. "You should be grateful she survived."

"And I almost did not."

"But you did," she said. "And now you will recover."

"How?" I asked. "Here. Alone. By myself."

"You are not alone."

"Then where is my husband?"

She straightened. "He will come when things settle down."

"When," I asked.

"Soon."

That word again.

She reached into her bag and placed a folder on the table beside my bed.

"And what is that supposed to be?" I asked.

"Documents."

"For what?"

"Hospital procedures."

"I am not signing anything."

"You will later."

"I want my mother."

"That is unnecessary right now."

I scoffed. "Why, so my mother is unnecessary now?"

"She will worry about you, and you wouldn't want that, would you now, darling?"

"I am already worried," I replied.

She sighed. "Lyra, you need to trust us."

I stared at her. "Trust who?"

"Your family."

"My family," I repeated. "You mean the one that is lying to my face."

She picked up the folder again. "Enough."

She left without another word.

Minutes later, a different nurse came in. A younger one. She checked my vitals with careful movements.

"You look scared," she said quietly.

"I am scared," I replied and closed my eyes slightly.

"You did something brave," she said.

"Did I," I asked. "Or did I get tricked?"

She did not answer.

"Can I ask you something?" I said.

She nodded.

"Was she really dying?"

Her hands paused.

"I cannot discuss that," she said.

"Before the surgery," I added.

She looked at the door, then back at me. "She needed a donor," she said carefully.

"But that's not the answer to the question I asked."

Silence.

"That is enough," she said finally and left.

Later on, the room filled again. This time, his mother returned with another woman. She wore a fitted suit and held a tablet.

"This is our legal consultant," his mother said. "She will explain a few things."

My heart sank. "Explain what?"

"Post-surgical matters," the woman said smoothly.

"I want my husband," I said.

"He is busy," his mother replied.

"With who?"

"With his sister."

The consultant stepped closer. "Mrs. Venn, this is routine."

"I am not signing anything."

"You will not sign now," she said. "Maybe later."

"When I can think."

"Yes."

They stepped outside, but the door wasn't closed fully, at least not enough to hear what they were saying.

"She is stable," the consultant said.

"Once she can hold a pen, make her sign," his mother replied.

"And after."

There was a pause.

"After that," she said calmly, "She is no longer our concern."

LYRA

They discharged me the next morning.

Not because I was fine or because I was ready. But because they said I was stable enough to leave. That phrase followed me everywhere now.

'Stable enough.'

I didn't have to be healed or safe. Just strong enough to be moved out of sight.

A nurse helped me into a wheelchair. I did not argue anymore. Arguing required strength, and I had very little of that left. My body felt unfamiliar and fragile, as if one careless move could split me open again.

"Your husband will be waiting outside," she said.

I did not respond. Husband huh. The same one who was with his sister the entire time his wife was in admission.

The hallway smelled the same as before.

Clean. Cold. Empty.

I kept my eyes forward because I did not want to see that glass wall again. I did not want to remember how small I felt lying there while the truth stood on two healthy legs beside my husband.

Darius stood near the exit when we reached the front. He looked rested and much better than the crying man earlier.

He had changed his clothes, and his hair was neat again. When he saw me, his facial expression quickly changed into concern. How much of a pretender can he be?

"Lyra," he said, stepping closer. "How are you feeling?"

I stared at him. "You tell me."

His brows drew together. "What does that mean?"

"It means you were not there when I woke up."

"I had to step out."

"You stepped out for hours. 24 hours to be precise."

"My sister needed me."

I laughed quietly. It hurt my side, but I did not stop myself this time. "She always does, doesn't she?"

His mouth opened, then closed. "Let us go home."

Home.

The word felt empty now, but what choice did I have?

He did not take me to our penthouse.

The car drove past familiar streets, then unfamiliar ones. The buildings changed. The noise faded. When the car finally stopped, I saw a white house standing alone behind tall gates.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"A temporary place," Darius replied. "Until things settle."

I looked at him. "Things have already settled. Just not for me."

He ignored me and drove in.

Inside, the house smelled unused. Everything was neat and somewhat robotic. It had no personal touch. No photos. No signs of life. It felt staged, as if someone expected us but never planned to stay.

A woman was already inside.

She stood near the kitchen counter, holding a glass of water. She turned when we entered and smiled.

Selene.

No hospital gown. No weakness. She wore a red dress that fit her body perfectly. Her hair fell neatly over her shoulders. She looked calm.

Alive.

"Oh," she said gently. "You are home."

I gripped the armrest of the wheelchair. "So this is where you were."

Darius moved forward. "Lyra, this is not the time."

"When would be the time?" I asked. "After I sign whatever papers your mother keeps bringing."

Selene stepped closer. "You should rest, you know."

I laughed again. "Do not speak to me as if you care."

She flinched, then recovered quickly. "I am grateful."

"For what?"

"For what you did," she said. "For me."

"For you," I repeated. "Or for him."

Darius sighed. "Enough."

"No," I said. "Enough was when I gave up my body without knowing the truth."

Lucinda walked in then, her heels clicking against the floor. She looked around approvingly. "You are awake. That's good."

I looked at her. "You all planned this."

She raised a brow. "Planned what my dear?"

"Everything," I said. "The marriage. The surgery. The lies."

And she did not deny it.

"You should be proud," she said with clear disdain. "You served a purpose."

"A purpose," I repeated.

Darius looked away.

"So tell me," I said with a steady voice despite the pain. "Was any of it real?"

He inhaled slowly. "Our marriage was necessary."

Necessary.

"That is the answer to the question I asked."

"It was strategic," he said. "You were compatible, and you fit all the requirements."

"And Selene," I asked. "What does she fit?"

He looked at her then. His face softened. "She is my partner."

The room felt smaller.

"What?" My head began to spin in circles.

"She always has been," Selene added quietly.

I nodded, trying to steady my head. "So I was what. A solution."

Lucinda smiled. "You were convenient, darling."

I closed my eyes for a moment. When I opened them, I looked at Darius. "Did you ever feel anything for me?"

He hesitated, and that pause told me everything.

Lucinda placed a folder on the table. "Okay, enough of the emotional chit chat. This should be resolved quickly."

"Resolved," I said. "Or erased."

"You're quite smart for an omega," she replied calmly. "This arrangement benefited you more than you realize."

I stared at her. "I lost a kidney."

"And you gained status," she said. "A name. Protection."

"I gained scars," I replied.

Darius stepped forward. "Lyra, let us not make this harder."

"Harder for who?" I asked. "Myself or you."

Selene moved closer again. "I never wanted to hurt you, sweetheart." She made a pouting face.

"But you did," I said. "And you knew you would."

She reached for my hand. I pulled back. "Do not touch me, you fucking bitch."

"Me? A bitch." She said calmly. "The only bitch I see here is the one in a wheelchair."

"Anyways, that's not what I wanted to say." She turned around and began pacing. "I wanted to thank you for saving his legacy."

"No," I said painfully. "I saved your life."

She paused and turned again to face me. "You saved our baby."

I froze.

"What did you say?"

She took my hand again before I could stop her, placing it gently against her stomach.

"I am pregnant," she said softly. "You saved my child."

The room went silent.

I looked down at where my hand rested. And I felt nothing but the numbness spreading through me.

Lucinda nodded. "You did well."

Darius did not speak.

I pulled my hand back slowly.

"So that is it," I said. "I gave up my body so you could have a future."

Selene squatted in front of me. "Thank you."

LYRA

They did not let me rest.

I had barely finished processing Selene's words when Lucinda straightened her sleeves and clapped her hands once, as if we were done with a meeting.

"Well," she said, "That concludes this."

I looked at her. "Concludes what?"

"This situation." She replied calmly. "You have fulfilled your role."

Darius finally spoke. "Lyra, you should calm down."

I laughed like a maniac, because at this point I was a manic.

"Calm down," I repeated.

"You took a part of my body. You lied to me. You stood beside another woman while I was cut open. And now you want me to calm down."

Selene stood up. "You are being dramatic."

"Dramatic," I said. "Is that what you call surgery without consent?"

Darius rubbed his temple. "You consented to it."

"To save your sister," I snapped. "Not your lover."

"She is both. It depends on how you want to see it," he replied.

"No," I said. "She is your mistress."

Silence stretched across the room. Selene tilted her head. "Mistress sounds cheap."

Lucinda smiled faintly. "Words do not change facts."

I turned to Darius again. "Did you know about the pregnancy?"

He did not answer immediately.

"That pause-" I said. "Is louder than any confession."

"Yes," he said. "I knew."

My hands shook against my lap. "And you still let me go under that knife."

"You were useful," he replied. "Do not act as if you did not gain anything."

"What did I gain, huh-tell me what did I gain?!" I asked.

He looked around the room. "This life."

"This house?" I scoffed. "It's not mine. This man is not mine. This marriage was never mine."

Lucinda slid the folder closer to me. "Sign the papers, darling."

I stared at it in annoyance and disgust. "No."

Darius frowned. "Do not start this."

"I will not sign," I repeated. "Not after everything."

Lucinda's smile vanished. "You do not get to negotiate."

"I gave you my kidney," I said. "So give it back."

Selene laughed. She actually laughed. The audacity of that bitch.

"Give it back," she repeated mockingly. "Can you hear yourself?"

"Yes," I said, meeting her gaze. "I want it back."

Darius stepped closer. "You cannot be serious."

"I am very serious."

He chuckled, slow and amused. "You think bodies work that way."

"You think people do," I shot back.

"You want me to tear open Selene's body," he replied, still amused. "Because you changed your mind."

"I want what is mine."

He leaned down, his face close to mine. "You were an omega with nothing. I gave you a name. I gave you a ring. I gave you relevance."

"You gave me scars," I said.

"And now I am taking everything else back," he replied.

Lucinda scoffed. "You should be grateful you survived."

"That was never part of the plan, was it?" I asked.

They went silent.

The front door opened then.

A girl in heels walked in, with her phone pressed to her ear. "Mother, you will not believe what happened at the-"

She stopped when she saw me.

Maris.

Darius's younger sister.

She looked me over slowly, from the wheelchair to my pale skin, then smiled. "Oh. You are still here."

Lucinda sighed. "She is refusing to cooperate."

Maris crossed her arms. "I told you marrying an omega was embarrassing."

I tilted my head. "Are you his sister as well?" I asked softly. "Or are you another secret?"

Her mouth dropped open. "What did you say?"

"I am trying to understand the family structure," I replied. "It's quite confusing."

Maris burst out laughing. "She is funny."

Lucinda frowned. "Watch your mouth."

I laughed weakly. "It is a fair question. You all lie so easily."

Maris walked closer. "You look awful."

"So do you," I replied. "For someone who got everything handed to her."

She gasped in fake shock. "She is bold."

Darius sighed. "Maris, ignore her."

"I cannot," she said. "She is entertaining."

I looked at her. "Tell me. Were you in on it?"

She shrugged. "Everyone was."

Selene smiled. "We tried to keep it gentle."

"Gentle," I said. "You took parts of my body."

Lucinda placed another folder on the table.

"Enough talk. Sign this."

I glanced at it. "The divorce papers."

"Yes," she replied. "We want this resolved today."

"I will not sign," I said.

Darius frowned. "Do not be dramatic."

"I am not," I replied. "I want my kidney back first."

Maris laughed. "She is insane."

Selene shook her head. "You are embarrassing yourself."

Lucinda's tone hardened. "You are an omega. You do not negotiate."

I looked at each of them. "You took my blood, my body, my name. What more do you want?"

Lucinda nodded toward the folder again. "Sign it."

"No."

Maris walked to the corner and picked up a black trash bag. Then another. Then another.

She tossed them at my feet.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Your things," she replied. "We packed them."

I stared at the bags. "You went through my belongings."

"There really wasn't anything much," she said. "Very forgettable."

My chest felt heavy. "I am still your wife."

Darius laughed. "In name only."

I turned to him. "Did any of it matter?"

"You mattered until you served your purpose."

Lucinda stepped forward. "Enough. This ends now."

She nodded at Maris, and she moved quickly. She grabbed the handles of my wheelchair and pushed it toward the door.

"Stop," I cried. "I can barely walk."

"That is not our problem," Maris replied.

Selene waved. "Take care of yourself."

The front door opened, and they pushed me outside.

The chair tipped forward, and I hit the ground. As I feel pain move through every part of my body.

And the door slammed shut.

I lay there for a moment, gasping in shock. Then I heard the lock.

Click.

I dragged myself upright and looked at the house. The lights were on, and I was outside.

I gathered the trash bags and stumbled down the driveway.

My legs shook badly with every step. And my sight began to fade. Blood soaked through the fabric beneath my clothes.

I pressed my hand against my side and kept walking.

Cars passed. No one stopped.

I wasn't even with my phone. Where do I go? What do I do?

By the time night fell, my body was failing miserably. I leaned against a wall, breathing heavily.

"Just keep moving," I whispered, trying to pull myself together. But I couldn't. I burst into tears. Why was this happening to me? Why me?

Still in the middle of my breakdown, I heard footsteps echoing behind me. Pausing to wipe my tears and turn around.

But there was no one there.

I walked, stood properly, and walked faster, and the further I walked, the more the footsteps increased. I eventually stopped and turned, yet no one was there.

"Hello," I called weakly.

Silence.

"That's the target." The voice came out really low.

My heart raced as the steps drew closer.

I broke into a run, but my legs gave out, and I fell.

A shadow loomed over me and the attacker drew a blade.

"No. No. Please no."