"Mr. Hayes, we have a lead on a cornea," the doctor announced straightforwardly.
"Where?" Sebastian demanded.
But the doctor's tone suddenly shifted to hesitation, his words faltering.
After a long, agonizing pause, the doctor finally spoke. "Per your instructions, we ran matches against the patients currently admitted to our hospital first. And... we found one."
"Spit it out," Sebastian commanded after a brief silence.
In that split second, a chilling sense of dread washed over him.
His eyes drifted toward Helena.
His instincts screamed that this had something to do with her.
"Ms. Wallace's cornea is the highest possible match for Ms. Ramirez. It's practically identical. It is by far the most optimal choice. We're still searching the external registries, but the compatibility rates aren't even close to Ms. Wallace's," the doctor blurted out, bracing himself. "Most importantly, Ms. Ramirez is running out of time. If we had the luxury of waiting, there might be hope elsewhere, but right now, the odds are incredibly slim."
The words cemented his worst fears.
He had never imagined that Helena and Janetta's fates would collide in such a twisted way.
Sebastian knew exactly what this meant.
If they took Helena's cornea for Janetta, then the one left blind would be Helena.
Maybe the rest of the world didn't know, but he remembered everything.
During her years at the Hayes Estate, her eyes had been injured.
Grace had shoved her, and her head hit a sharp corner, severely damaging one of her corneas.
Even though it was only one eye.
It had massively impacted her vision.
The damaged cornea was useless for a transplant.
If they surgically removed her one remaining healthy cornea...
Then she would be plunged into absolute darkness for the rest of her life.
He always assumed that when push came to shove, his choice would be instant and effortless.
But in this exact moment, he hesitated.
"Mr. Hayes, what are your thoughts on this..." the doctor prompted carefully.
"Keep looking," he ordered darkly after a profound silence.
The doctor was audibly shocked.

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