Chapter 3

Back then, everyone was against her, and she just needed someone to see her side.

Tricia showing some vulnerability made Pablo, Wena, and Pio feel sorry for her and forgive her.

After that, Tricia suggested they go to a bar. Even though Elara didn’t really want to go, she still went along with Tricia, knowing she had taken her spot as a Cortez daughter.

As the drinks kept coming, Elara’s mind got fuzzy, and after the ninth shot, she couldn’t remember anything.

When she woke up, she was in a hotel room with a big white bed and clothes scattered everywhere. Luka was beside her, looking like he wanted to strangle her, while Tricia stood there, smirking, not the sweet and innocent girl from last night.

Because of this, Luka broke off their engagement and got engaged to Tricia instead.

Elara found out she was pregnant. She didn’t know who the father was, but she decided to keep the baby.

Her child was the only thing that kept her going during those five long years in prison. No matter what happened, she wouldn’t let anything happen to her child.

In the quiet hospital room, Elara’s shaky voice broke the silence. “I’ll do it. Just… please, don’t hurt my child. My child didn’t do anything wrong.”

That desperate plea seemed to take all her strength. As soon as she finished speaking, her legs gave out, and she passed out.

As Elara collapsed, Luka instinctively reached out to catch her, but Pio, standing next to him, held him back.

The older man looked at Luka like he was testing him. Luka reluctantly pulled his hand back, full of resentment.

Pablo looked down at Elara's unconscious body with a cold expression.

“Take her for a check-up. If everything’s fine, tell the doctor to schedule the surgery as soon as possible.”

Luka was the only one who went with Elara to the check-up. His feelings for her were complicated. He’d had plenty of time to think about everything that happened. He knew his feelings for Elara were real. Back then, even when she wasn’t the perfect girl everyone thought she was, even when people said she was bad and didn’t want them together, he never thought about leaving her. He had even planned to run away with her when things got really bad.

But he never thought she would betray him. The sweet, innocent girl she pretended to be was living a double life.

The last straw was when he was ready to give up everything to fight for her, and she ended up with another man and got pregnant.

While Luka was lost in his thoughts, the doctor finished his examination. He held a stack of reports and frowned.

“Are you a relative?”

The doctor’s question snapped Luka out of his thoughts. His eyes were distant, and there was a dull ache in his chest. “No, she’s the volunteer donating her kidney to my fiancée.”

Luka adjusted his glasses, trying to hide his emotions.

“She’s not fit for the transplant,” the doctor said, looking up at Luka from the reports. Judging by Luka’s clothes, it was clear their worlds didn’t usually overlap. “She’s been suffering from long-term malnutrition, and recently, she’s been through emotional trauma. Her body’s too weak to survive the surgery.”

“What? She’s already agreed to donate her kidney. She can deal with the consequences later. Mr. Cortez said as long as her kidney is a match and there are no infections, the surgery should go ahead immediately.” Luka wasn’t ready to accept the doctor’s decision.

“Mr. Sandro, I’m a doctor. I’m responsible not only for Ms. Tricia but also for the donor.” The doctor’s tone was firm.

“Please inform Mr. Cortez that I’m not the Cortez family’s private doctor. I have the authority to decide whether a surgery can proceed or not. If Mr. Cortez is concerned about his daughter, he should review the list of potential kidney donors I provided earlier. If you insist on using this lady’s kidney, you’ll have to wait until she recovers.”

The Cortez and Sandro families had no choice but to compromise.

It wasn’t because they had a change of heart, but because the doctor who examined Elara was Dr. Micah from the Alonzo family. The Alonzo family’s status in Maynila was on a different level compared to the Cortez family. Even this hospital was owned by the Alonzo family.

In the elite circles of the capital, no one could push others around except for the Sandro family. But the one running the Sandro family wasn’t Luka, it was his older brother, Lian.