Chapter 1

My brother-in-law's son was diagnosed with acute leukemia. The doctor warned that without an immediate transplant, he wouldn’t make it.

After testing the entire family, only my six-year-old daughter, Maya, came back as a perfect match.

Brandon’s mother fell to her knees, clinging to my legs in tears, while my husband knelt beside her, begging.

"Chloe, only Maya can save Leo. I’m begging you."

My heart broke, and I caved.

Maya endured seven agonizing days of pre-harvest mobilization injections. She spent every night sobbing in my arms, clutching my sleeves in pain, before finally being wheeled into the collection room.

Yet the second she woke up from anesthesia, my sister-in-law, Rachael, took one look at the post-op care bill and turned on me.

"Thirty thousand dollars just to harvest a few cells from a little girl? Are you two scamming us out of our child’s life-saving money?!"

She tore up the billing statement right there in the lobby and reported me for medical misconduct and fraud.

I was suspended from the hospital.

Maya suffered a severe post-op infection with a spiking fever. An isolation room was ready, but they refused to sign the consent forms because they didn't want to pay.

When she passed away, Rachael stood right outside the ER and sneered:

"Good thing she died. Saved us a fortune anyway."

Three months later, Leo relapsed. The whole family came crawling back, begging me to use my connections to find another donor.

Standing before my daughter's gravestone, I looked at the more than one hundred missed calls lighting up my phone and smiled coldly.

"You pushed Maya to her death."

"What on earth makes you think I'd ever save yours?"

"Chloe! Open the damn door!"

At one in the morning, the heavy banging rattled the front door.

I had just stepped through the entrance after a grueling night shift, my coat still on, when Brandon’s mother’s hysterical wails pierced the hallway.

"Leo has leukemia! The doctors said we need an emergency transfer right now, or he’s dead!"

My chest seized. I didn't even put on slippers before rushing to open the door.

A crowd stood in my living room.

Brandon’s mother had wild, disheveled hair and had put her shoes on the wrong feet. Brandon looked pale as a ghost. His brother, Julian, was leaning against the wall, while Rachael’s eyes were swollen from crying.

She lunged forward, grabbing my coat, and dropped heavily to her knees.

"Chloe, Leo is only eight years old!"

"You’re a doctor at this hospital! You must have a way!"

I flipped open the medical records she thrust into my hands, and my fingers went numb with cold.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Extremely high white blood cell count. An alarming proportion of bone marrow blasts.

This wasn't something that could wait. He needed an immediate transplant.

I looked up. "Did you do the HLA typing?"

Julian’s throat bobbed. "We tested everyone in the family. No one matched."

He paused, lowering his voice.

"Only Maya is a match."

The papers slipped from my hand, fluttering to the floor.

"What did you say?"

Rachael’s eyes were rimmed with red, yet a faint glint of triumph flashed across her face.

"Chloe, there’s no other choice. Maya is a one hundred percent match."

Evelyn dropped to her knees with a loud thud.

"Chloe, I know this is asking a lot."

"But Leo is a human life!"

"Maya is such a sweet girl. She’d definitely want to save her cousin, wouldn't she?"

My mind went completely blank.

Just then, the bedroom door clicked open.

Maya stood there in her pajamas, clutching her one-eared teddy bear, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Mommy, why is Grandma crying?"

Evelyn instantly wiped her tears, putting on a sweet voice as she waved at her.

"Maya, sweetie, Leo is sick. You’ll help your cousin out, won't you?"

Maya looked at me, timid and confused. "Mommy, is Leo going to die?"

Rachael scrambled over, kneeling beside her and grabbing her tiny hand.

"No, baby. As long as Maya helps, Leo won’t die."

Maya looked up at me again, her voice shaking. "Mommy... will it hurt?"

My eyes burned, tears threatening to spill. "A little bit, baby. But Mommy will be right there with you."

Brandon dropped to his knees as well.

"Chloe, I’m begging you."

"Just this once. Save Leo."