On our third wedding anniversary, Liam brought Serena home. He had forgotten our anniversary again. He just gave me a displeased look. “What are you staring at? Go get Serena her slippers, quickly.” He paused, then added, “She just got divorced and has nowhere to go. She’ll stay with us for a few nights. Don’t get the wrong idea.” Serena was the woman he loved but couldn’t have in his youth. How could I not overthink it? That night, I was jolted awake by a sharp female voice. Liam wasn’t beside me. From the guest bedroom next door, I heard intimate moans. What they were doing was obvious. I pulled out my journal from the nightstand, flipping to the first page. It was already filled. “Day one of marriage, he got drunk and called out Serena’s name. Minus ten points.” “I had a high fever. He flew to Paris for Serena’s dog’s birthday. Minus ten points.” …… “Brought another woman home on our anniversary. Minus twenty points.” After writing that, I looked at the bottom line: “When I deduct one hundred points, I’ll file for divorce.” Now, only twenty points were left.
Ashley POV I closed the thick textbook and rubbed the back of my aching neck. “Ashley, your husband is in the news again.” The seventeen-year-old boy opposite me twirled his pen, pushing his phone screen toward me. His eyes held undisguised pity and the bluntness typical of his age. “Who’s that woman? She’s making him forget his actual wife?” My gaze fell on the screen. It was a video secretly filmed by a reporter. Late at night, in the VIP lounge of the international airport, Liam Vance, wearing the black coat I had ironed for him that morning, was holding a slender woman with red-rimmed eyes tightly in his arms. Flashbulbs flashed non-stop. Liam, who usually hated cameras, didn’t lose his temper. Instead, he pressed the woman’s head into his chest with a large hand, shielding her face from all prying eyes. It was a look of cherish and fervent devotion I had never seen in our three years of marriage. The bold headline below the video was painfully clear: “Liam, heir to the prominent Vance Group, picking up his ex-girlfriend Serena Clarke late at night as she returns home after her divorce.” I stared at the screen for five full seconds until it went dark. Then, I forced a faint smile. “Adults’ business is not for kids. You got half your grammar questions wrong today. I’ll check your corrections tomorrow.” I calmly packed my canvas bag, pushed open the door, and walked out of the luxury mansion nestled in the hills. As soon as I stepped outside, a cold wind wrapped in drizzle hit me. I shivered, pulling my trench coat tighter. Today was my and Liam’s third wedding anniversary. For this day, I had canceled my two evening tutoring gigs, booked a table at his favorite French restaurant half a month in advance, and even bought a sexy silk nightgown. But just three hours ago, Liam had sent me a cold message: “Something urgent came up at the office. I won’t be back tonight.” Turns out, his urgent business was picking up Serena. I didn’t hail a cab. Instead, I opened my umbrella and walked for a long time in the rain. Passing a cake shop that hadn’t closed yet, I went in and bought a small strawberry mousse. It was already eleven at night when I returned to our downtown penthouse apartment. The house was pitch black, empty, and devoid of any warmth. I didn’t turn on the main lights, only a dim floor lamp. I placed the strawberry mousse on the dining table and lit a thin candle. The candlelight flickered, illuminating my pale, thin face. “Happy third anniversary, Ashley,” I whispered to the empty air, then blew out the candle. I didn’t make a wish, because I knew my wish would never come true. At two in the morning, the click of the fingerprint lock finally echoed from the front door. Liam walked in, bringing with him a chill. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and long-legged. His chiseled face showed clear exhaustion, but when he saw me sitting on the sofa, his brow immediately furrowed. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?” His voice was low, with a hint of annoyed displeasure at being disturbed. I stood up and walked closer to him. As soon as I was near, a faint hint of orange blossom perfume drifted into my nostrils. That was Serena’s favorite scent. Back in college, Liam’s clothes always smelled like that. My chest felt like it had been stung by something sharp. I suppressed the nauseating acidity rising in my throat and asked softly, “Is the company matter settled?” Liam’s hand paused slightly as he took off his coat. His gaze flickered for a moment, but quickly returned to its usual aloof indifference. “Yeah, it’s settled.” He was lying. I looked at his stern face and suddenly found it a little funny. This man, who was decisive and ruthless in business and never bothered to lie, was now lying to me to protect another woman’s reputation. “Liam,” I called out, stopping him as he was about to go shower. My voice was a little hoarse. “Do you remember what day it is today?” Liam’s steps halted. He turned to look at me, his impatience even more pronounced. “Ashley, I’m exhausted today. I don’t have time for your guessing games. If you need money, just use your platinum card.” With that, he walked straight into the bathroom and slammed the door shut. The sound of water running covered my suddenly heavy breathing. I bit down hard on my lower lip until I tasted a hint of blood, then slowly released it. I went to the study, pulled open the bottom drawer, and took out a locked journal. I opened the first page, which had a table titled: “Liam Point Deduction Chart.” Full score was one hundred. The first line read: “Day one of marriage, he got drunk and called out Serena’s name. Minus ten points.” The second line read: “I had a high fever, he flew to Paris to buy Serena a limited-edition handbag. Minus ten points.” … The densely packed handwriting recorded every heartbreak I’d suffered over the past three years. I picked up the pen and wrote in the newest line: “On our third wedding anniversary, he went to the airport to pick up Serena, who’d returned home after her divorce, and lied to me about it. Minus ten points.” After writing that, I looked at the bottom line: “When I deduct 100 points, I’ll file for divorce.” Now, only twenty points were left. I closed the journal and locked it again. I returned to the bedroom. Liam had already showered and was lying in bed. He had his back to me, presenting a rigid back. I lay down beside him, separated by a boundary that felt like it could never be crossed. The next morning, I was woken by a shrill doorbell. I got up to open the door, but when I saw who was standing outside, my blood ran cold. Serena stood there in a pure white dress, her long hair flowing over her shoulders. She was dragging a huge suitcase and looked at me with red-rimmed eyes, like a frightened fawn. And Liam, who had gotten dressed at some point, was standing behind me. He reached past me, took the suitcase from Serena’s hand, and spoke in a tone I’d never heard before, so gentle. “Why are you here so early? I told you to get some more sleep.”
Ashley POV Serena glanced at me timidly, biting her lip. “The hotel bed was too hard, and I was scared being alone… Liam, am I disturbing you two?” “No,” Liam answered definitively. Then he turned to me and said in an undeniable, commanding tone, “Serena just got back, and she’s emotionally unstable. She’ll be staying here for a while. Go tidy up the guest room.” From the first day Serena moved in, this house stopped being mine. There was a pink toiletries set on the bathroom counter, Serena’s stuffed animals piled on the sofa, and even my desk, which I usually used for lesson planning, was now covered with her various cosmetics. I didn’t make a fuss. I acted like a dutiful invisible person, leaving for my tutoring jobs on time every day and returning late at night under the moonlight. I thought that if I just yielded, I could maintain surface peace. But I underestimated Serena’s tactics and overestimated Liam’s bottom line. One weekend night, I was suddenly hit with a severe stomachache. It felt like a meat grinder violently churning inside my stomach. I was in so much pain that I broke out in a cold sweat, curled up in bed, my breathing shaky. I fumbled for my phone and called Liam. The phone rang for a long time before he picked up. Liam’s extremely impatient voice came through. “What is it?” “Liam… my stomachache is acting up, it really hurts. Can you come back and take me to the hospital?” My voice was so weak it was almost inaudible. There was silence on the other end for two seconds. Apparently, he heard the pain in my voice, and Liam finally relented. “Alright, I’ll be right back. Get dressed first.” I hung up, forced myself to get up, put on a thick coat, and sat on the living room sofa, waiting for him. The cramping pain in my stomach came in waves. I bit down hard, staring at the clock on the wall. Twenty minutes later, the lock clicked. Liam strode in. Seeing my pale face, his brows furrowed slightly. “Why are you in so much pain? Let’s go, the car’s downstairs.” He actually reached out to help me. Leaning on his warm arm, my nose stung, and that little spark of hope in my heart, which was almost extinguished, seemed to reignite. Just as we reached the front door, and Liam had picked up his car keys, the guest bedroom door on the second floor suddenly burst open. Serena ran out barefoot, her face ashen, trembling all over, and threw herself into Liam’s arms. “Liam! I’m scared! There’s thunder outside, I’m so scared!” She clutched Liam’s shirt, crying uncontrollably. “Please don’t leave? Please don’t abandon me!” Liam stiffened, instinctively letting go of my hand and instead wrapping Serena tightly in his arms. “Don’t be scared, Serena, I’m right here. It’s just thunder, it’s okay.” He patted Serena’s back gently, his voice dripping with tenderness. I lost my support and stumbled, my back hitting the cabinet by the door with a heavy thud. A dull ache spread, but it was nothing compared to the cramping in my stomach, or the tearing pain in my heart. I looked at the two of them, tightly embracing, as if they were the loving couple, and I was just the villainous female antagonist ruining their moment. “Liam,” I took a deep breath, my voice trembling from the pain. “I’m really hurting.” Liam’s movements paused. He turned to look at me. In his deep-set eyes, there was no sympathy, only the cold calculation of weighing pros and cons. “Ashley, Serena had a very unhappy marriage abroad. She’s been severely traumatized and has serious PTSD from thunder,” Liam said, frowning, his voice carrying a sense of righteous accusation. “You just have a stomachache. Go to the hospital in a cab by yourself. I’ll stay here with her.” You just have a stomachache. That sentence was like a resounding slap across my face, shattering the pitiful hope in my heart. I looked at Liam and suddenly laughed. It was a laugh uglier than any cry. “Alright.” I didn’t argue, didn’t become hysterical. I just turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out into the stormy, thundering rain. I don’t know how I managed to get a cab, or how I registered and got an IV. The cold IV fluid dripped into my veins. I lay on the emergency room bed, staring at the sterile white ceiling, took out my phone, and noted in my memo: “My stomachache was unbearable, but he made me go to the hospital alone in the pouring rain to comfort Serena who was afraid of thunder. Minus ten points.” Only ten points left. Just then, a commotion erupted outside the emergency room. “Doctor! Come quick and see her! She’s bleeding!” The voice was too familiar. I turned my head, and through the half-open curtain, I saw Liam. He was soaking wet, cradling an equally drenched Serena in his arms, his face showing a mix of panic and urgency I had never seen before. A doctor rushed over to examine her. A few seconds later, the doctor’s voice was a little helpless. “Sir, this lady just accidentally cut her finger while cutting fruit. The wound is very shallow, doesn’t even need stitches. A band-aid will be fine.” “What do you know! Her blood doesn’t clot well. What if it gets infected? Call your best surgeon!” Liam roared furiously. I lay behind the curtain, silently watching the scene unfold. Turns out, he wasn’t afraid of the heavy rain, or the thunder. He just… didn’t care about me. I closed my eyes, and a hot tear slid down my temple. Just then, Liam seemed to sense something. He suddenly turned his head, his gaze directly meeting my dead eyes.
Ashley POV The moment our eyes met, I saw a flicker of panic, almost imperceptible, in Liam’s eyes. He released Serena’s hand and took a step forward, as if to come over. But Serena chose that moment to let out a delicate whimper of pain. “Liam, I feel so dizzy.” Liam’s steps were rooted to the spot. He looked at the swaying Serena in his arms, then back at me, pale-faced and hooked up to an IV behind the curtain. Finally, he turned back to support Serena. “I’ll take Serena to get bandaged first, I’ll come find you later,” he said coldly, from several feet away. I didn’t respond. I simply pulled the curtain shut, blocking his view. I knew Liam too well. As long as Serena shed a single tear, his “later” would become “never.” Sure enough, even after I finished my IV, had the needle removed, and walked out of the hospital alone, Liam never reappeared. For the next few days, I buried myself in work. I took on more tutoring jobs, leaving early and returning late, deliberately avoiding any encounters with Liam and Serena. Liam seemed to enjoy my absence too. He spent every day shopping, visiting art exhibits, and seeing a therapist with Serena, acting like a devoted boyfriend. One afternoon, I was teaching a class at a high-end tutoring center downtown. The center was on the third floor of an old commercial building. Downstairs was a popular coffee shop. I was standing at the podium, explaining a complex math problem, when suddenly, a piercing fire alarm blared through the entire building. “Fire! Run!” There were heart-wrenching screams from outside. My face changed. I immediately put down the chalk and directed the dozen students in the classroom. “Don’t panic, everyone! Cover your mouths and noses with your clothes, duck down, and form a line to the emergency exit!” Thick smoke quickly poured in through the door cracks, making it hard to see. By the time I shielded the last student out of the classroom, the hallway was engulfed in flames. The old building’s fire safety system was outdated, and the fire spread incredibly fast. I coughed violently from the smoke, tears streaming down my face. I fumbled my way towards the stairwell, but at a corner, a suddenly collapsing wooden beam struck my calf. I cried out in pain, falling heavily to the ground. Sparks still clung to the beam, and the intense heat scorched my skin, making me almost pass out. I desperately tried to push the beam away, but it was too heavy. I couldn’t budge it. Flames licked at the surrounding walls, and the air grew thinner and thinner. I lay on the ground in despair, my vision gradually blurring. Just then, a tall, imposing figure suddenly rushed up the stairwell. It was Liam. He was wearing a well-tailored suit, his face smudged with ash, anxiously searching for something in the inferno. My heart pounded fiercely. Was he here to save me? Did he know I was teaching here, and rushed in despite the danger? “Liam,” I used all my strength, reaching out towards him, my voice hoarse beyond recognition. “I’m here. Save me.” Liam heard my voice and spun around. Through the smoke and flames, his gaze landed precisely on me. I knew he saw me pinned under the burning beam, saw the desperate will to survive on my face. He took long strides, running towards me. Ten feet, five feet, three feet… Just as I thought I was finally saved, and hope ignited in my eyes, a piercing cry suddenly came from the other end of the hallway. “Liam! Help! I’m so scared!” It was Serena. She was in this building for some reason, now trapped near another classroom door, surrounded by fire. Liam’s steps abruptly halted. He looked at me, so close, then at Serena in the distance. For the first time, his stern face showed struggle and hesitation. “Liam,” I stared at him, tears mixing with black ash and flowing into my mouth, bitter enough to make me gag. Don’t choose her. Please, this time, don’t choose her. However, no miracle occurred. Liam just looked at me deeply, a flicker of guilt in his eyes. Then, he unhesitatingly turned and sprinted towards Serena. “Ashley, hang on! The firefighters will be here any minute! Serena has depression; she can’t handle this!” The man’s voice cut through the flames, like a poisoned knife, savagely stabbing into my heart and then twisting. I watched as Liam wrapped Serena in his suit jacket, picked her up, and rushed down the stairs without a single glance back. He didn’t even turn his head once. The fire grew fiercer, and the ceiling above groaned, cracking under the strain. I gave up struggling. I lay on the scorching floor, feeling the flames creep closer and closer. A string in my heart snapped completely. Boom! A massive, burning section of the ceiling crashed down, engulfing me entirely.
Ashley POV When I woke up, all I saw was the hospital’s glaring white. The strong smell of disinfectant filled my nostrils, and excruciating pain shot through my right arm and calf. I moved my cracked lips, but no sound came out. “The patient’s awake! Call the doctor!” A nurse’s surprised voice rang in my ears. After a series of examinations, the doctor told me I had second-degree burns over much of my body, a fractured calf, and had inhaled a large amount of toxic gas. Surviving the fire was extremely lucky. “Firefighters brought you in. Where’s your husband? I don’t see any family members,” the doctor said, frowning, a hint of displeasure in his voice. I closed my eyes and said nothing. My husband was busy comforting his first love. Why would he have time for me? The ward door was pushed open. It wasn’t Liam who came in, but his good friend, Greg Evans. Seeing me wrapped up like a mummy, Greg’s face showed a flicker of awkwardness and guilt. He placed a fruit basket on the bedside table and cleared his throat. “Ashley, you’re awake. Liam… he’s a bit busy, he asked me to check on you.” My gaze was hollow as I stared at the ceiling, my voice hoarse like sandpaper. “He’s with Serena, isn’t he?” Greg choked, his eyes darting away. “Ashley, don’t misunderstand. Serena just happened to be at the coffee shop downstairs looking for Liam that day, then the fire happened. She was terrified, and her old condition flared up. Liam had no choice…” “No choice?” I scoffed, a movement that pulled at the wounds on my face, making me gasp in pain. “He had no choice, so he stood by and watched me burn to death, while saving a woman who didn’t even have a scratch?” Greg was speechless. Just then, footsteps and hushed arguing came from outside the door. The ward’s soundproofing wasn’t good. I clearly heard the conversation outside. It was Daniel Hayes, another of Liam’s friends. “Liam, are you crazy? Do you know the video of you rushing into the fire to save Serena has gone viral? The entire city is laughing at the Vance family! You risked your life for a divorced woman? If you get scars on your hands, will you still be able to hold your position as the Vance heir?” Then came Liam’s cold, firm voice. “If I can’t, then I won’t. As long as Serena is okay, I can give up everything the Vance family has.” Daniel was furious. “What about your wife? Ashley is still lying in there! She’s your actual wife! You saved Serena right in front of her. How do you think she feels?” There was a long silence outside the door. So long that I thought Liam had left, before his low, cold voice slowly broke the quiet. “How she feels, does it matter?” “If her father hadn’t died saving my grandfather back then, if my grandfather hadn’t forced me, I never would have married her. For these three years, I gave her the dignity of Mrs. Vance and endless money. What more could she be unsatisfied with?” “I married her to find an obedient ornament, and to give up hope, to forget Serena. But I overestimated myself. I love Serena. From beginning to end, she is the only one in my heart. As for Ashley, she is injured, and I will give her the best medical care, but don’t expect any affection from me.” These words were like sharp ice blades, precisely piercing my already bruised and battered heart. Turns out, these three years of marriage were just my solo act, from beginning to end. What I thought was love growing over time was merely his calculated charity; what I thought was a beautiful relationship was just his indifference after his heart had turned to ashes. He gave all his favoritism, his madness, his tenderness to Serena, leaving me only with calculation and exploitation. I slowly closed my eyes, tears sliding down my temples, seeping into the bandages, stinging terribly. I didn’t cry out loud. I just silently added the last sentence to that journal in my heart. “He personally admitted that he married me only to repay a debt and to forget Serena. Minus ten points.” One hundred points deducted. I opened my eyes. There was no longer any hidden endurance or love in them, only a desolate emptiness. With my uninjured left hand, I struggled to press the call button beside the bed. The nurse quickly arrived. “Ashley, what’s wrong?” “Please, contact a lawyer for me.” My voice was quiet, but it carried a decisive strength. “I want to draft divorce papers.” The conversation outside the door ceased abruptly. A few seconds later, the ward door was violently pushed open. Liam stood in the doorway, his face terribly grim, his dark eyes fixed on me in the bed. “What did you just say?” he asked through gritted teeth, as if he’d heard some unbelievable joke. I met his gaze without flinching, repeating coldly: “I said, Liam, we’re getting a divorce.”
Ashley POV Liam’s face instantly turned ashen. He strode to the bedside, looking down at me, wrapped in bandages, his eyes burning with suppressed fury. “Ashley, haven’t you made enough of a scene?” He lowered his voice, his tone full of warning. “Do you know what you’re saying? Divorce? Do you think the Vance family door is something you can just walk in and out of?” In his eyes, I was just playing hard to get. For three years, I had been as docile as a cat without a temper, silently enduring no matter how much he neglected me. Now, bringing up divorce was merely a tantrum because he’d saved Serena in the fire first. I looked at his arrogant demeanor and suddenly felt utterly disgusted. “I’m not making a scene,” my voice was calm, as still as stagnant water. “Liam, I’m tired. Since Serena is the only one in your heart, I’ll grant you your wish.” He scoffed. “Ashley, don’t forget, before your father passed away, he entrusted you to me. Without the Vance family, how will you make a living in New York? With your few thousand dollars a month from tutoring? Don’t be so reckless. When your injuries heal, I’ll compensate you with a penthouse downtown.” That dismissive tone again, as if I were a beggar. I closed my eyes, not wanting to look at him anymore. “Get out. I don’t want to see you.” “You!” Liam’s temples throbbed. He was about to say something when Serena’s delicate voice suddenly came from outside the door. “Liam, are you in there?” Liam’s expression instantly softened. He glared at me furiously, then turned and quickly walked out. The moment the door closed, I finally couldn’t hold on any longer, and silent tears streamed down my face. The next day, the lawyer came to the ward with the drafted divorce papers. I signed my name without hesitation. I asked for nothing. The Vance family’s assets, properties, shares. I didn’t take a single penny. I truly left with nothing. As I signed, the ward door opened. It wasn’t Liam who entered, but Serena. She wore a custom Chanel suit, her makeup flawless. She walked to the bedside in high heels, looking down at my disheveled self. “Ashley, I hear you’re divorcing Liam?” Serena chuckled, covering her mouth, her eyes full of a victor’s smugness. “You’re quite sensible. You should have realized long ago that you’re not good enough for him.” I handed the signed agreement to the lawyer, signaling for him to step outside. Once only the two of us were left in the ward, I lifted my eyelids and looked at Serena coldly. “Did you come here just to say these pointless things?” My cold attitude stung Serena, and her smile faded slightly. She pulled a velvet box from her bag, opened it, revealing a brilliant pink diamond ring. “Do you recognize this?” Serena deliberately dangled the ring in front of me. “Liam bought this at auction yesterday for twenty million. He said this is the ring that truly belongs to Mrs. Vance. As for that cheap ring on your hand, you should have thrown it away long ago.” I glanced at my empty ring finger. That plain band had probably fallen off during the fire, when I was trying to push away the beam. “Oh, really?” My tone was flat. “Well, you’d better hold onto it tightly. After all, trash like Liam is only a treasure to you.” “How dare you call Liam trash?!” Serena exploded, raising her hand as if to hit me. Just then, familiar footsteps sounded outside. Serena’s eyes flickered. Her raised hand suddenly reversed direction and slapped her own face hard, then she collapsed to the floor, covering her face and crying hysterically. “Ashley, I’m sorry… I know you hate me, but you can’t hit me…” The ward door was violently pushed open. Liam immediately saw Serena crying on the floor, and me, expressionless, leaning against the bed. “Serena!” Liam tenderly helped Serena up. Seeing the clear red handprint on her face, he turned and glared at me. “Ashley! Are you insane? She has depression, and you dared to hit her!” I looked at her terrible acting, lacking even the desire to explain. “Yes, I hit her. So what?” I retorted with a cold laugh. “How could you do such a thing!” Liam looked at me with profound disappointment. “I actually thought I owed you something after the fire. But now it seems, a vicious woman like you doesn’t deserve my sympathy!” “Are you done talking?” I pointed towards the door. “If you are, take your first love and get out.” Liam laughed in exasperation. “Fine, Ashley, don’t you dare regret this!” He picked up Serena and strode out of the ward. Half a month later, I forced through my discharge procedures. My injuries weren’t fully healed, but I couldn’t stand another moment in this city saturated with Liam’s presence. On the day I was discharged, I went to New York’s largest art center. A crucial education symposium was being held there, and I needed to meet a professor to get a letter of recommendation. It was my only chance to leave New York and move to California. In the art center’s main hall, a grand jewelry exhibition was underway. I dragged my still-healing leg, limping through the hall. As luck would have it, Liam and Serena were also there. Serena was wearing that pink diamond ring, nestled in Liam’s arms, accepting media interviews. I lowered my head, trying to quicken my pace and leave, but fate always seemed to play cruel jokes on me. Above my head, the massive crystal art chandelier, weighing several hundred pounds, suddenly let out a grating, snapping sound. Bang! A steel cable broke, and the huge chandelier plunged straight down! Directly below the chandelier were both Serena and me! “Serena!” Liam’s eyes widened in horror. Like a mad leopard, he lunged desperately towards Serena, embracing her and rolling them both to a safe area. And I, thrown by the immense impact, crashed heavily against a marble pillar. Shattered crystal glass pierced my body like blades. But the most painful was my lower abdomen. I lay in a pool of blood, clutching my agonizingly painful stomach, feeling a warm liquid gush furiously down my thighs.
Ashley POV An excruciating, heart-wrenching pain. I curled up on the cold marble floor, my vision blurred by blood and tears. All around were screams, alarms, and panicked footsteps; the entire art center was in chaos. I clutched my lower abdomen tightly. The warm liquid was gushing out faster and faster, draining all warmth from my body. “Save my baby.” I weakly reached out to the crowd, but couldn’t even form a complete sentence. Not far away, Liam was anxiously checking Serena. Aside from being a little startled, Serena didn’t have a single scratch on her body, yet she still huddled in Liam’s arms, trembling pitifully and crying. “Liam, I’m so scared, the light almost hit me…” “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’m here.” Liam held her tightly, his voice filled with the relief of a narrow escape. He didn’t notice that less than ten feet away, his wife was lying in a pool of blood, close to death. It wasn’t until the ambulance arrived, and paramedics carried me away on a stretcher, semi-conscious, that Liam, amidst the confusion, caught a glimpse of a dazzling crimson. But he only frowned, then averted his gaze, because Serena was calling him, complaining of dizziness in his arms. Inside the emergency room, the situation was chaotic. “Patient has severe abdominal trauma and massive hemorrhage! Blood pressure is dropping rapidly!” “Ultrasound shows an eight-week intrauterine pregnancy, placental abruption. The baby can’t be saved, we need to perform a D&C immediately and transfuse blood!” “Patient is RH-negative O-type blood! How much reserve blood does the blood bank have?” The chief surgeon commanded the rescue, dripping with sweat, but a nurse rushed in, pale-faced. “It’s bad. The only two bags of RH-negative O-type blood in the blood bank were forcibly claimed by Mr. Vance of Vance Group ten minutes ago.” The doctor was horrified. “Why did he take them? Does he have a critical patient on his side?” “No.” The nurse was almost in tears. “The woman Mr. Vance brought in was just startled. Mr. Vance insisted her face was pale and she might have internal bleeding, so he forcibly kept the blood bags in her room as a precaution, saying no one was allowed to touch them without his permission.” Lying on the operating table, my consciousness was hazy, yet I heard every word of that conversation clearly. RH-negative O-type blood. Serena was also this blood type. Years ago, because Serena had this rare blood type, Liam had established several private blood banks worldwide, just to ensure she would always have blood available if she ever got injured. And now, for a woman who was merely startled, he withheld the blood that could save my life and my baby’s. “Call Liam immediately! Tell him there are two lives at stake here!” the doctor roared. The nurse tremblingly dialed Liam’s number and put him on speakerphone. The phone rang three times before it was answered. Liam’s cold and impatient voice came through. “I told you, those blood bags must remain in Serena’s room. She has severe PTSD. If she has a stress reaction leading to shock, that blood will be life-saving.” “Mr. Vance, we have a pregnant woman here with severe bleeding. Without this blood, both she and her baby will die,” the nurse pleaded, her voice choked with tears. There was a moment of silence on the other end. Just as the doctor thought Liam might relent, he let out a laugh so cold it was chilling. “What do other people’s lives have to do with me? I only care about Serena. If so much as a single hair on her head is harmed, I will make sure this entire hospital pays. Stop bothering me with these petty games.” The call was ruthlessly disconnected. The emergency room was dead silent, save for the piercing alarm of the heart monitor. I lay on the cold operating table, a tear, mixed with blood, sliding from the corner of my eye. I no longer had the strength to hate. I only felt profound sorrow. That was his child. He didn’t even know he was about to be a father, yet he personally sentenced his own child to death. The wavy line on the heart monitor instantly flatlined. A sharp, prolonged beep pierced the emergency room air.
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