“I can do what other men do. You deserve the same treatment as any wife,” he’d explained back then. Ellie cherished the sweetness of his words.

Kaiden led Ellie to a small, heavily guarded villa at the entrance of Moon Manor, far from the hustle and bustle of the main building. The guard tipped his hat to them respectfully before swinging open the door. Inside, a woman rose from the sofa, her gaze shifting between Kaiden and Ellie with a mix of timidity and curiosity before focusing on Ellie.

“Mr. Thorpe,” she greeted before turning to Ellie with a smile. “You must be Mrs. Thorpe. I’m Clarinda Hilton.”

“Hello, Miss Hilton,” Ellie responded, her tone polite yet distant—her usual approach to strangers.

“Mr. Thorpe, it seems your mother’s bone marrow transplant is scheduled for this week,” Clarinda cut to the chase. “What are your plans regarding it? And what about me?”

“I won’t interfere,” Kaiden replied succinctly, gesturing for Clarinda to follow him as he exited.

“Where’s Carole?” Ellie asked, her eyes sweeping the room.

Kaiden’s puzzled expression seemed to say, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

“Do you want me to concern myself with her?” Kaiden asked Ellie with a hint of provocation.

Ellie snorted. “Of course not! I saw her with Miss Hilton in the same car yesterday. That’s why I’m asking.”

Kaiden cast a glance at her before helping her down the porch steps.

“If I let her into the manor, would you still let me into your room?”

Ellie found herself at a loss for words, caught between amusement and exasperation at his clever retort.

Kaiden, Ellie, and Clarinda got straight into the car. Kaiden and Ellie took the back seats, while Clarinda occupied the passenger seat.

Ellie recalled that the arrangements for Brisa’s bone marrow transplant were complete. The team of doctors was ready, and they were just waiting for Brisa’s health to improve enough for the procedure. If everything went smoothly, Brisa would have her surgery soon.

Seeing Kaiden’s intention, she asked, “Are we going to the Thorpes’ house?”

“Yes,” he replied. Such matters needed to be addressed quickly.

Ellie glanced at Clarinda sitting in the front seat. Clarinda wasn’t very beautiful, but her delicate features made her pleasant to look at. She was just a few years older than Ellie.

“Miss Hilton, how have you been lately? Are you fit enough for the bone marrow donation?” Ellie asked, noticing she looked a bit frail.

Clarinda caught Ellie’s worried gaze in the rearview mirror. Ellie wasn’t deeply concerned about her, but her worry was genuine.

“I’ve been getting injections for five days to move the hematopoietic stem cells from my bone marrow to my blood,” Clarinda explained. Now that she had received the injections, the bone marrow transplant would happen soon.

Talon wasn’t concerned about whether a bone marrow donor’s body could handle the transplant.

Ellie felt a sharp pang in her heart. She knew what it was like to be treated as a tool. It made her feel awful.

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