Divorce in Exchange for Liver Donation

After my daughter was admitted to the ICU for liver failure, the doctor said she had at most seven days to live. My wife, Jessica Holland, grabbed my hand tightly. "Kevin, Tanya can still be saved!" The doctor handed me the organ donation consent form, but I didn't take it. Instead, I pulled out three documents and laid them in front of Jessica. "Sign these, and I'll donate." She glanced down and completely froze. The first was a divorce agreement, the second was a waiver of joint assets, and the third was a share transfer agreement. Jessica held a 12% stake in Eterspring Pharmaceutical. She earned that by building the business with me for eight years. I wanted her to transfer every single share to me. "Are you out of your mind?!" My mother rushed up and slapped me. She looked at me in disbelief. "Tanya's in there, fighting for her life, but you're using her to force your wife to divorce you without taking any assets?" I pushed the pen toward Jessica. "Once all the paperwork is done, I'll do the surgery immediately. All three documents must be signed." Jessica grabbed the divorce agreement and threw it in my face. I walked out without looking back. Chapter 1 I hadn't walked far from the consultation room when Dr. John Graves from the transplant department caught up with me. "Mr. Holland, please wait." He stopped me in front of the elevator and handed me a test permission form. "Tanya needs a living-donor liver transplant as soon as possible. So far, you're the only one who's confirmed to have a compatible blood type. We still need to do additional blood tests for further matching. Come do the compatibility tests with me now, and the results could be out as early as tomorrow." I didn't take it. "Tell Jessica to sign first." Dr. Graves was stunned. "That's between you and your wife. Your daughter doesn't have much time left." "I'll do the compatibility tests as soon as she signs." Rapid footsteps came from behind me. Jessica rushed out of the consultation room, her face so pale it was almost transparent. "Kevin, are you trying to kill Tanya?" "The decision is yours." I pressed the elevator button. She grabbed my sleeve desperately. "I'll divorce you. If you do the compatibility tests, I'll sign the divorce agreement right away." "What about the other two documents?" Jessica's lips trembled. "We earned the house, the savings, and the shares together after we got married. What right do you have to take everything from me?" The elevator doors opened. I pulled my sleeve free. "Think it over." "Kevin!" She blocked the doors. "Is there someone else? Did you deliberately wait until Tanya fell critically ill to force me to hand over Eterspring?" People passing by stopped in their tracks. I didn't explain. "Seven days isn't that long. You better make up your mind quickly." I pushed past her and stepped into the elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded from the hallway. A nurse burst out of the ICU. "Bed 7 is hemorrhaging! Prepare for a blood transfusion immediately!" The color instantly drained from Jessica's face. She turned and ran to the ICU but was stopped at the door by a nurse. Through the slowly closing elevator doors, I saw her fall to her knees. My mother called me half an hour later. She was crying so hard she could barely string a coherent sentence together. "Tanya threw up so much blood. The doctor said her coagulation function is getting worse. Kevin, please come back." I sat in the car, my voice calm. "Has Jessica signed?" There was a moment of silence on the other end. Then, my mother's crying turned into a scream. "Tanya's your daughter! She's only six! Why do you only care about the agreements?" I glanced at my watch. "If Jessica doesn't sign, there's no point in me going back." "Kevin, are you out of your mind? You have a good family. Why are you wrecking it?" I resolutely hung up. At eleven that night, Dr. Graves contacted me again. "Mr. Holland, your daughter's condition is worse than we expected. Her optimal window for surgery may only be within the next five days. After that, even if we manage to find a suitable donor liver, surgery may no longer be possible." I leaned back in the seat and looked at the lights still on in the hospital's inpatient building. "Understood." "So when are you coming in for the compatibility tests?" I didn't answer. I opened my WhatsApp chat with Jessica and sent a single text. "Sign all three documents, and I'll do it." Chapter 2 The next morning, I was cornered in the company conference room. My parents, Jessica's parents, and the earliest founding members of Eterspring were all there. Jessica sat at the other end of the long table. She hadn't slept all night. Her eyes were red and swollen, and she was still wearing the same clothes she wore yesterday. In front of her lay the divorce agreement, already signed. My mother picked up that agreement, her hands shaking the whole time. "Are you happy now? Jessica spent the last eight years with you as your wife. She's now giving up the marriage. Can you go do the compatibility tests for Tanya now?" I flipped to the last page. Jessica's name was signed with so much force that the final stroke had torn through the paper. I closed the agreement. "Two more to go." Jessica looked up at me. "Kevin, I've already agreed to the divorce. What more do you want?" I pushed the property waiver and the share transfer agreement toward her. "Sign." My father-in-law slammed the table and stood up. "Do you have no conscience? "Eight years ago, when you had nothing, Jessica sold the house her father left her and gave you $90,000 to start your business. "The first time Eterspring's cash flow broke, she pawned her jewelry to pay the employees. "Now that the company's worth something, you're trying to kick her out?" No one in the conference room spoke up for me. Gordon Wells, one of the company's founding members, took off his glasses and looked at me with disappointment. "Kevin, when you were hospitalized for gastric bleeding, Jessica stayed by your side for seven days. The doctors said you were in critical condition, so she didn't sleep a wink. Do you remember the vow you made in front of us back then after you were discharged?" Of course I remembered. Back then, I had said in front of everyone that I would always be loyal to Jessica. At our wedding, I had also held her hand and promised that half of everything I had would be hers. Now, all those promises had become weapons for everyone to condemn me. Jessica's mother spoke through tears. "After Jessica got pregnant with Tanya, she voluntarily stepped down from company management. She said you would be tired from work and someone had to take care of the family. She traded her career for 12% of the shares. How could you take it all away now?" Jessica lowered her head and clenched her fingers. "Mom, stop." She picked up the pen and hovered over the property waiver for a long time. "I'm willing to give up the house and the savings, but I can't give you the shares." I leaned back in my chair. "Then there's nothing to discuss." "Are the shares really that important to you?" She suddenly let out a chuckle, but tears fell from her eyes at the same time. "Those are eight years of my youth. They're proof that I stayed with you from a basement to where we are now. "You want a divorce, I'll give it to you. "You want money, I'll give it to you too. "But why do you have to snatch away the last thing that I have?" I stared at her and said nothing. My mother walked up to me. "Tanya is in the ICU. She could die anytime. Even if money is more important than eight years of marriage to you, surely it can't be more important than your own daughter?" "The agreements have nothing to do with Tanya." I placed the pen in front of Jessica. "Sign them, and I'll do it." Jessica stared at the pen, and her shoulders slowly slumped. A second later, she slid off the chair and knelt before me. The conference room instantly turned chaotic. Jessica grabbed my leg and cried so hard she could barely breathe. "Kevin, please, I beg you, do the compatibility tests first. As long as Tanya survives, we can talk about everything else later." I looked down at her. "There is no later. Unless all the agreements are signed, I won't do it." Chapter 3 Tanya's condition took a sharp turn for the worse on the third day. When I arrived at the hospital, Jessica was crouching down in the hallway, organizing documents. She packed all the property deeds, bank cards, vehicle registration certificates, and investment products purchased over the past few years into a transparent folder. She then handed the folder to me. "This is all of our joint property. The house in the southern district and the two apartments are all yours. I won't take a single cent from the bank accounts either. The cars and the funds are yours too." I didn't reach out to take the folder. "What about the share transfer agreement?" Jessica's hand froze in midair. "I can't give you the shares." "Then these are just waste paper." I walked past her. She suddenly grabbed me and shoved the folder into my arms. "Kevin, that 12% won't decide the ownership of Eterspring. You're already the largest shareholder. Why do you need my shares?" I stopped. "That's my condition. You're free to say no." The ICU doors opened. Dr. Graves walked out with a grave expression. "Tanya's hepatic encephalopathy has entered stage three. She's experiencing impaired consciousness and intermittent coma. If the transplant can't be done within three days, she may not even make it to the seventh day." Jessica staggered backward. "Doctor, please think of something. Can't we look for a donor liver from the organ bank?" Dr. Graves shook his head. "There's not enough time. Our best hope is to find a living donor in an immediate family member." He turned to me. "Mr. Holland, the compatibility tests only require a few tubes of blood. Whatever conflict you and your wife have, can't you at least get the tests done first?" Everyone in the hallway turned to look at me. Jessica stared at me blankly. A few seconds later, her knees suddenly buckled, and she collapsed to the floor. "I'm begging you." She hugged my leg, and her forehead slammed heavily against the floor tiles. "Tanya's only six. Every night, she asks when her daddy's coming to see her. If you hate me, take it out on me. Take the house, take the money. But please, save Tanya!" A low murmur spread through the crowd. Someone pulled out a phone and aimed it at us. Another patient's family member couldn't help but scold me, "Your daughter is about to die, but you're using her life to negotiate for money? You don't deserve to be a father." I ignored them. Jessica picked up the share transfer agreement but couldn't bring herself to sign. Her tears fell onto the paper, drop after drop. "If I don't sign, will you really let Tanya die?" "The person deciding whether she lives or not isn't me, it's you." The moment I said that, the crowd erupted. Jessica seemed to have finally lost all her strength. She collapsed onto the floor. That night, a video of the incident was posted online. The person who filmed it had only captured the part where Jessica begged me on her knees, and where I placed the share transfer agreement in front of her. The title was brutally provocative. "Six-Year-Old Girl Has Liver Failure, But The Father Refuses To Donate Liver Unless His Wife Leaves With Nothing." The video was viewed over 10 million times in less than two hours. My name, picture, and company were all posted. The comments were filled with insults. "Someone like him should just die." "I suggest the company fire him immediately." "He's using his own daughter as a bargaining chip. He's worse than an animal." "The wife spent eight years building the business with him, and now that he's successful, he wants to take everything." At one in the morning, the related hashtags hit number one on the trending list. My mother forwarded me the video. She said only one thing. "Kevin, you've disgraced our whole family." Shortly after, the hospital sent a new critical condition notification. Chapter 4 The next day, a crowd of reporters gathered outside the company. The moment I got out of the car, a dozen microphones were shoved in my face. "Mr. Holland, is it true that you've refused to be matched for a liver donation for your daughter?" "Are you really forcing your wife to give up all her assets?" "Is it true that you're demanding your wife's 12% stake to seize absolute control of the company?" "If your daughter dies because of this, won't you regret it?" Security guards held back the reporters and escorted me into the lobby. I stepped into the elevator and pressed the top floor. The board of directors had already been waiting for half an hour. All twelve seats around the conference table were filled. The moment I walked in, my second uncle slammed a tablet onto the table. The screen was playing the video of Jessica begging me on her knees. "Eterspring's stock dropped eight points at the opening. Several hospitals have announced they're suspending cooperation with us. Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused the company?" Another board member spoke coldly, "Go to the hospital and do the compatibility tests immediately, then publicly apologize to your wife. Otherwise, the board will suspend you from your position." I pulled out a chair and sat down. "This is personal business." "From the moment you used company shares to blackmail your wife, it stopped being personal business." My second uncle glared at me. "Kevin, you already hold 34% of the shares. Jessica's 12% isn't enough to threaten your position." The conference room door was suddenly pushed open by the secretary. With a complicated expression, she told everyone that Jessica was downstairs giving an interview. The big screen quickly switched to the live broadcast. Jessica was wearing an old jacket, her eyes red and swollen, but she kept defending me in front of the camera. "Please don't attack Kevin. He might just be acting on impulse. We've known each other for over ten years. I don't think he'll really let Tanya die." A reporter pressed, "Are the rumors about the three agreements true?" Jessica remained silent for a while, then gently nodded. "I've already signed the divorce agreement. As for the rest, I'm still discussing them with him. Right now, all I want is for my daughter to live." The more she defended me, the angrier everyone in the conference room became. My second uncle shook his head. "You're beyond saving." I stood up and walked out of the conference room. As the elevator descended to the first floor, a small, childlike voice suddenly came from the live broadcast. The broadcast was playing a video Jessica had just received on her phone. Tanya was lying in the hospital bed with an oxygen mask, her eyes barely open. She looked into the phone camera and asked softly, "Mommy, does Daddy not want me anymore?" The crowd fell completely silent. Jessica covered her mouth, crouched on the ground, and sobbed uncontrollably. The people around her all had tears in their eyes. When I stepped out of the elevator, every camera turned to me. Someone shouted, "Didn't you hear what your daughter said? She's about to die, yet you're here forcing her mother to sign those papers!" Chapter 5 Tanya had less than 72 hours left to live. Dr. Graves repeated that twice over the phone. By the time I got to the hospital, the hallway was already packed with people. My mother stood at the front, her eyes so swollen they were barely slits. "I'm asking you for the last time. Are you going to do the tests or not?" "Has Jessica signed?" My mother slapped me. This time, she used all her strength. My ears rang. She pointed at me, trembling all over. "From now on, you're no longer my son." My father stood behind her and didn't stop her. He just turned his face away in disappointment. My father-in-law then rushed up and punched me hard in the cheek. Harry Fischer held him back, but then grabbed my collar himself. "I've known you for over 20 years. When Tanya was a baby, she had a fever, and you held her all night, refusing to let go. Now, she's about to die, but you're refusing to save her. What's gotten into you? Is she not your daughter anymore?" I pushed his hand away. "Precisely because she's my daughter, this has to be done my way." Jessica stood in the corner, clutching a folder to her chest. "Three documents. Only the share transfer agreement left." The last bit of light in Jessica's eyes went out. "I can give you 6%. The other 6% will be held by a third party first. We'll deal with it once Tanya's surgery is successful." "Transfer all of it to me. There's no room for negotiation." She bit her lip hard. "Why?" I closed the file. "I'll only accept the full 12%." She stared at me for a long time. "Fine." Then, she wiped her tears, turned around, and walked toward the ICU. That night, the hospital suddenly fell into chaos. During the nurses' shift change, they discovered that Tanya's bed was empty. The oxygen tube had been thrown onto the floor. Only an empty IV bag was left behind beside the bed. The nurse on duty was ashen-faced. "Mrs. Holland said she was taking the girl for tests. I thought it was the doctor's order." Dr. Graves immediately pulled up the surveillance footage. In the video, Jessica was pushing Tanya into the elevator in a wheelchair. She had put a coat on the girl and taken a portable oxygen tank with them. The elevator stopped at the underground parking garage. When my mother saw the footage, her body swayed unsteadily. "Where could they have gone?" My phone suddenly buzzed. It was a live-stream alert pushed to the entire platform. On the screen, Jessica stood in the lobby of Eterspring Pharmaceutical's headquarters holding the unconscious Tanya. She looked up at the camera and said slowly, "I want to see Kevin Holland. If he still refuses to save our daughter, I'll die with Tanya." Chapter 6 The outside of Eterspring Pharmaceutical was quickly surrounded. Reporters, content creators, company employees, and onlookers packed the plaza. Hundreds of phones were aimed at the building's main entrance. By the time I arrived, Jessica had already taken Tanya to the rooftop. The screen on the building's exterior wall was broadcasting a live feed from the rooftop. Jessica stood by the railing, holding Tanya. The girl was still wearing her hospital gown, wrapped only in a thin coat on top of that. A portable oxygen mask covered most of her face. The wind was strong. The needle marks from the IV were still visible on the back of her hand, and her arms hung limply in her mother's embrace. When my mother saw me, she rushed over in tears. "Here you are! Hurry up and get up there! Give her whatever she wants! She's already agreed to everything you asked. Save Tanya first!" Police and firefighters had already sealed off the entrances. A negotiator quickly walked up to me. "Mr. Holland, your wife is currently extremely emotional. She's refusing to let anyone approach her. We would like you to agree to do the compatibility tests first to calm her down." I looked up at the rooftop. "Tell her to sign the share transfer agreement." The negotiator thought he'd misheard. "At a time like this, you're still talking about that?" "That's my condition." The people around heard those words and immediately erupted in curses. "Scumbag!" "His wife and daughter are about to die, but all he's thinking about is money!" "Someone like him deserves to go to hell!" Several company employees tried to rush past the police line but were held back by police officers. My mother suddenly fell to her knees and grabbed my leg desperately. "Kevin, I'm begging you. Tanya's my only granddaughter. Go do the tests. Once they come down, I'll do anything you ask." I helped her up. "This isn't something you can interfere with." On the big screen, Jessica's phone rang. The negotiator handed me the phone. "She'll only talk to you." The call connected. The wind almost drowned out Jessica's voice. "Kevin, are you downstairs?" "Yes." "Look up." I looked toward the edge of the rooftop. Jessica took a step forward, holding Tanya. The crowd below gasped. "You want the shares, right?" Her voice came through both the phone and the live broadcast speakers. "After you do the compatibility tests, I'll sign immediately." "No. Complete the transfer procedures first." There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. Then, Jessica suddenly laughed. "Even now, you still don't trust me." "Why should I trust you?" "What if you still won't do the tests even after I sign?" "You have no room to bargain." She lowered her head and gently touched Tanya's forehead. Tanya didn't react at all. Inside the oxygen mask, the white mist was faint. Jessica asked through tears, "She's your own daughter. Are you really going to watch her die?" I signaled to the lawyer, who stepped forward and opened a folder containing a new share transfer agreement. "Have someone send the document up." The negotiator was livid. "You should be trying to save their lives!" "Once she signs, I will." A few minutes later, the folder with the agreement was sent up to the rooftop. Jessica told the negotiator to back off and picked up the document herself. With one arm holding Tanya, she struggled to flip to the last page. The pen touched the paper. She signed. The live camera captured the entire process clearly. Jessica held up the signed agreement in front of the lens. "I've signed the divorce agreement. "I've given up all the assets. "Now, I'm also giving him all the shares I earned from spending eight years building the business with him." She looked down at me from above. "Kevin, I've given you everything you wanted." The lawyer was about to go upstairs to retrieve the document when Jessica suddenly let go. The share transfer agreement was swept away by the wind. The white pages scattered in the air like a flock of birds with broken wings. The crowd below screamed again. Jessica held Tanya tighter and stepped onto the edge of the rooftop. My mother collapsed to the ground, screaming Tanya's name over and over. The negotiator shouted into his earpiece, ordering the firefighters to prepare for immediate action. I stared at the rooftop. "Jessica, come down." She looked at me from dozens of floors above. A desperate smile slowly spread across her face. "If Tanya dies, I don't want to live either." She lowered her head and kissed her daughter's forehead. "Kevin, from now on, no one will be in your way." I rushed forward. On the rooftop, Jessica, holding Tanya, took that final step.