My heart dropped.
“Your life is mine,” he continued, his grip tightening on my chin, forcing me to look at him. “So you’re donating. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Was I even a person to him? Or just something he owned? My eyes burned but I forced it back, swallowing everything down like I always did.
“…Okay,” I whispered.
The men let go of me.
“I’ll sign.”
The nurse handed me the form. My hands were shaking, but I still took the pen.
Stroke by stroke, I wrote my name. Each line felt heavy. Like I was carving something into my own heart. And I smiled a little, just enough so no one would notice the tears I was trying so hard to hide.
Just before they pushed me in, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Hudson!”
My voice came out weaker than I wanted. He stopped and turned his head slightly, eyes cold, like I’d just interrupted something unimportant. For a second, I forgot everything I wanted to say.
My lips trembled. Then I forced out the only thing I could.
“…Nothing.”
His eyes flickered, just a little. I thought maybe, just maybe… But he didn’t say anything.