Chapter 1 I'm Done

"The test results are back. Your kidney matches Suzanna's. You've got thirty minutes to get to the hospital for the transplant." Francesca Anderson froze, her husband's words echoing in her ears. "Francesca, did you hear me?" Benedict's voice grew sharp on the other end of the line. She swallowed hard, gripping the phone. "Benedict, I'm your wife. How can you ask me to do this for someone who just showed up out of nowhere?" There was a pause, then Benedict sighed, like he couldn't believe she was questioning him. "Suzanna isn't someone. She's family to me. I've treated her like my sister for years. I can't just sit back and let her die." "Francesca," he added, "you have two kidneys. You'll be fine with one. But Suzanna? She'll lose her life. Are you really going to be this selfish?" Before she could respond, the line went dead. Francesca stood still holding her phone, her chest tightening, her thoughts spinning. In the kitchen, the soup she had been carefully simmering for hours was still bubbling away. The smell of rich, savory broth filled the room—a soup she had made just for Benedict. Daniel White, his assistant, had mentioned that Benedict wasn't eating properly at the hospital. So, every time she went to visit, she would bring food she had carefully cooked for him. She would spend hours preparing this, using the best ingredients, thinking about how to make it perfect for Benedict. But every single time, Suzanna ended up eating it. Francesca blinked back the tears burning in her eyes. She turned off the stove, grabbed the pot, and headed for the bathroom. Without a second thought, she dumped the soup into the toilet. The broth swirled and disappeared as she flushed, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she felt... lighter. All these years, she had bent over backward for Benedict and his family. She had given everything; her time, her energy, her love. And what did she get in return? Nothing. If Benedict couldn't appreciate her, then he didn't deserve her. And she wasn't about to waste another second of her life serving people who didn't care. Back then, Francesca had ignored her family's warnings and left everything behind to follow Benedict to a city where she didn't know a soul. People whispered behind her back, calling her a gold digger. They thought she was just out to marry rich and didn't bother hiding their judgment. But Francesca didn't care. She told herself none of it mattered. She gave up everything—her home, her life, her pride—because being with Benedict made her happy. That was all she needed. Or so she thought. Now, standing here with the weight of three years of sacrifices, she regretted it all. Every single thing she'd done, she realized, had only ever meant something to her. To everyone else, she was still just Francesca, the gold digger. The Landon family had built their fortune through some pretty shady dealings with the Mafia. When Benedict took over as the new mafia boss, he worked hard to clean things up, slowly turning the family business legitimate. Now, they were at the top, one of the richest families in Merton. Even in Ashington, a city full of wealth and power, the Landon family was a big deal. Francesca had first met Benedict's grandmother, Mabel Landon, while volunteering at the hospital. She had been battling cancer, but her warmth and kindness shone through. She had taken an instant liking to Francesca and insisted on setting her up with Benedict. It was love at first sight for Francesca. With Mabel pulling the strings, she and Benedict got married. She thought she had finally found her fairy tale. But as soon as she moved into the Landon family's mansion, reality hit. Benedict was always busy. He buried himself in work and barely came home, leaving Francesca alone most nights. But that wasn't the worst of it. The real problem was Ellen Landon, Benedict's overbearing mother. She was the kind of woman who carried herself like royalty and made sure everyone knew she was in charge. From day one, she made it clear she didn't like Francesca. In her eyes, Francesca was nothing more than a gold digger who had latched onto her son. It didn't take long for Ellen to start making her life miserable. She fired most of the staff and handed all the chores to Francesca, calling it a way to save money for the family. In reality, Francesca, who was supposed to be the mistress of the house, had become nothing more than the family maid. Everyone in the Landon family, including the servants, treated Francesca like she didn't belong. She was just Mrs. Landon in name, not in status. The only exception was Mabel, but she was bedridden and spent most of her time in the hospital. Mabel knew nothing about Francesca's struggles, and Francesca made sure to keep it that way. She didn't want to worry her or risk upsetting her fragile health. So, whenever she was around Mabel, Francesca put on her best face. She would act cheerful, like everything was perfect, even though deep down, she was swallowing all the hurt. If that was all she had to deal with, she could handle it. She loved Benedict, and as long as he knew that, it was fine. She believed he loved her back, even if he wasn't the best at showing it. Maybe he was just too busy, she thought. Lots of guys were like that, not great at expressing feelings but still caring in their own way. Francesca clung to the hope that, one day, Benedict would open up to her. One day, he would show her the love she believed was there. And that hope kept her going. Until the day it didn't. Her fantasy shattered when Benedict came home with a woman Francesca had never seen before. "This is Suzanna," he said, matter-of-fact. "She's my sister from now on." A sister? But not even related by blood? Francesca couldn't believe it. And, of course, Ellen immediately took a liking to Suzanna. She would go on and on in front of everyone, saying things like, "If only Benedict had married Suzanna instead." But what really stung was how Benedict treated Suzanna. He pampered her, cared for her like he had never done for Francesca. When Suzanna got sick, Benedict dropped everything to be by her side, even skipping work to sit in the hospital with her. Not once had he done that for Francesca. Now, he wanted Francesca to give Suzanna one of her kidneys. Francesca's heart burned with anger. Just then, her phone buzzed. It was a notification. Benedict had transferred 1 million dollars into her account. The note read, "Don't be late for the surgery in half an hour." Here we go again. It was always the same. Every time Benedict wanted something, he'd just throw money at her, thinking that was all it took to fix everything. It was honestly pathetic. Francesca couldn't help but think of it like a kid showing off a cheap toy to an adult, thinking it was impressive. She closed the message and opened the next one. It was a photo of Benedict and Suzanna sleeping together. In the photo, Benedict looked completely drained, asleep with his head against Suzanna's shoulder. She had this big smile on her face, all snuggled up to him. Her hospital gown was slipping off her shoulder, showing way too much. Anyone who saw it would get the wrong idea. It was obvious what was going on. And of course, the message under the photo said, "Sleeping with Benedict tonight. You're nothing but a damned woman, just leave the Landon family!" It was clear that Suzanna had sent it. That photo and that message completely crushed whatever was left of Francesca's trust. She should've figured it out sooner. Benedict had been with Suzanna all along. He had cheated on her with that woman, and now he wanted her to give up her kidney to save the person who had taken everything from her. Fuck the Landon family. I'm done.'Francesca took a deep breath and dialed a number she hadn't called in a while. Her voice cracked when she spoke. "I'm sorry, I was wrong ..." On the other end of the line, Ian Anderson, her older brother, sighed. "You realize that now? Alright, come back. If you feel wronged, we'll talk about it when you get home."