Countdown to "I Do" novel Chapter 1

**Midnight Roads Unseen by George Orwell**

**Chapter 1**

As the last remnants of warmth from the milk Adrian Foster had handed her faded, Isabella Miller felt a heaviness settle over her eyelids, a weight that pulled her into a foggy haze. The world around her blurred, and she found herself drifting into an unfamiliar realm, where reality twisted and turned like a shadowy dream.

In the depths of this confusion, a voice broke through the murky silence, echoing like a distant thunderclap in her ears.

“Adrian, are you out of your mind? Are you seriously considering taking Isabella’s kidney for Ella Vance without her knowledge?”

The voice belonged to Julian White, a friend from Adrian’s childhood, his tone laced with incredulity and concern.

“She’s the only one who’s a match,” Adrian replied, his calmness chilling in its starkness.

Julian’s frustration bubbled over, “But what about Isabella? This is insane! Do you even understand what you’re doing?”

Adrian’s voice remained unnervingly steady. “Ella is dying. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”

“And Isabella? What about her feelings? She loves you!” Julian’s voice rose in pitch, a mix of anger and disbelief. “I’ll make it up to her. Doesn’t she want to marry me? I’ll propose to her after the surgery, and I swear I’ll never divorce her.”

Glass shattered on the floor, the sound sharp and jarring, as Julian practically roared, “Her kidney will be gone! What good is any of that? I really don’t understand. What kind of spell has Ella cast on you? You saved her during that earthquake, risking everything, and what did she do? She fell for another man right after!”

Julian’s voice trembled with emotion. “Isabella stayed by your side through all of it! She nursed you back to health, even when it meant putting herself through physical agony! She practiced therapy on herself until her legs were bruised! She begged doctors for help for you, day after day!”

“And now, after all that, Ella comes back, clinging to you just because you’re successful again! When she found out Isabella was pregnant, she threw a fit! And you—you had the audacity to sneak abortion pills into Isabella’s food, making her lose your first child! Isabella thinks it was an accident! She suffered for three months, and you just stood by!”

Julian’s voice cracked with emotion, “And now, you’re really going to take her kidney and give it to Ella? What kind of monster are you?”

“Enough!” Adrian’s voice rose, sharp and unyielding. “I know Isabella loves me. I know she would give me anything. But I love Ella. I’m obsessed with her!”

“And what about Isabella? What does that make her?” Julian shot back, his voice a mixture of disbelief and anger.

“She’s nothing!” Adrian spat, his decision final. “I’ve made up my mind. No one can stop me today. I’m taking her kidney!”

At that moment, a sharp pain sliced through Isabella, as if a scalpel were carving into her very soul. The anesthesiologist had clearly misjudged her tolerance; she felt every agonizing inch of the pain. But nothing hurt more than the searing anguish ripping through her heart.

For ten long years, she had loved Adrian. From the tender age of sixteen to the cusp of thirty, she had poured her youth, her love, her very essence into him. She had stood by as he idolized Ella, watched him unravel when Ella abandoned him, and endured his darkest days after the accident. She had weathered his storms, his anger, and his despair, never once voicing her pain even when he pushed her down, leaving bruises on her knees.

She had clung to the hope that one day, he would finally notice her, see her for who she truly was. But now, it was painfully clear… in his eyes, she was invisible.

Ten years. A decade of devotion, and yet, he still only had eyes for Ella. With a single word from Ella, he had heartlessly orchestrated the loss of their child. And now, for Ella’s sake, he was willing to take her kidney without a second thought.

Time slipped away from her as she felt something being violently ripped from within her, a visceral sensation that left her feeling hollow.

It was her kidney, and with it, every ounce of love she had held for the past decade.

Staring out the window, she felt an emptiness wash over her, tears no longer left to shed.

After a moment, when the nurse had departed, she fumbled for her phone, her fingers trembling as they hovered over the screen. With a deep breath, she dialed a number, hesitating for just a second before pressing call.

The line connected, and a deep, languid voice answered, “Isabella?”

Isabella inhaled sharply, her voice steady but soft. “Jared Rhodes, would you be interested… in marrying me?”

Silence lingered on the other end, thick and heavy.

“Did you dial the wrong number? I’m not Adrian.”

“I know,” Isabella replied, gripping her phone tightly, her knuckles whitening. “I’m asking you.”

“I don’t want to marry Adrian anymore,” she continued, her voice unwavering.

Jared’s tone shifted, curiosity piqued. “Oh? And what makes you think… I’d marry you?”

Isabella closed her eyes, her voice calm and resolute. “Because you’re Adrian’s rival.”

“And—” she paused, ensuring every word was crystal clear, “that profile photo on your desk. It’s me.”