Chapter 2

In the middle of the night, half-awake, I caught a glimpse of shadows by the door.

“Jessie needs a transfusion. The hospital is out of Rh-negative blood, so we have to take Ashlyn over right now.” Grant’s voice was tense with urgency as he ordered the people behind him to take me away.

I wanted to fight back, but my body was limp. I did not have an ounce of strength.

Were they really going to go this far for Jessie?

They knew perfectly well that if they forced another blood draw from me, it could kill me.

“There’s another thing. Dad called just now. He and Mom are coming by the hospital to see Ashlyn. We won’t be able to keep this under wraps with them around,” Grant said with a frown.

Jeremy stayed silent for a while. Then, as if he had made up his mind on something, he said, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll release the video. We’ll say Ashlyn cheated on you with multiple men, and the baby was lost because of the strain. I’ve taken care of everything else. Once that hits, Mom and Dad won’t have the time or energy to question anything. This is what she owes Jessie anyway.”

With that, Jeremy stepped aside. The doctors came in and took me away.

I felt the cold needle pierce my skin and blood drain out together with my life.

My consciousness started to fade. A bone-deep chill spread through me.

“Dr. Sanders, we can’t keep going. Miss Ashlyn just had her bone marrow extracted. If we keep pushing, she could die,” the doctor said with a trace of pity in his voice.

Grant, however, barely spared me a glance. “Keep going. This isn’t nearly enough. I’m a doctor. I know exactly where the line is.”

I lay there motionless. I was unable to tell if I was even still alive.

But if I were already dead, why would my heart still ache?

This was the man I once loved, the man who swore he would love me until death and take care of me when he married me.

If I had known it would come to this, I would have been better off letting Jessie kill me back when she used to bully me.

Jeremy’s voice was low and heavy. “Back when our family’s business was in trouble, it was Jessie who drank herself into a stomach hemorrhage just to secure a deal. And when you nearly drowned, it was Jessie who jumped in without hesitation and pulled you out. We owe her too much.”

I felt like every last drop of blood had drained from my body. Tears streamed down my face, but I was also laughing at myself for being so pathetic.

When our family was in crisis, it was me who went door to door begging on my knees for someone to give us a chance and was nearly assaulted in the process. Yet somehow, all that credit went to Jessie.

And I was the one who jumped into the ocean to save Grant. We nearly died out there. Ever since, I have been terrified of the sea.

Yet in their version of the story, every good deed belonged to Jessie.

How ridiculous. The last shred of hope I had been holding onto was completely shattered.

Maybe it would not be so bad if I just died like this.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the same ward.

Jeremy’s eyes were bloodshot, like he had not slept all night. He gently wiped away my tears with concern, as if I were the person he cared about the most in this world. “Ashlyn, you started bleeding last night. I was so scared. I thought I’d lost you. Don’t worry. No matter what it costs, I’ll find you the best doctors.”

I forced a weak smile, but I could not utter a word.

I thought, “My dear brother, I started bleeding? Wasn’t it because you and Grant drained me dry for Jessie?”

Suddenly, loud voices echoed in the hallway. The door burst open, and a familiar figure stormed in. The next thing I felt was a hard slap across my face.