Nate Brooks took the emergency blood supply I had been stockpiling for seven years and authorized its use for his childhood friend’s daughter. His colleagues tried desperately to talk him out of it: “But what about Clara?” “She has a complex chimeric blood type. Carrying a pregnancy is extremely high-risk for her. If she hemorrhages without backup blood, it’s an absolute death sentence.” Nate was silent for a long time before replying softly. “Lily is Elena’s daughter. She’s just a little girl. She needs this blood more than Clara does right now.” One of the doctors couldn’t bear it. “But Clara is already five months pregnant! You know better than anyone the risks of operating without a blood reserve. If something goes wrong, you’ll lose both the mother and the child!” Nate didn’t hesitate. “Then we’ll just put off having a baby for now. Clara has always listened to me.” I looked down at the ultrasound report in my hands, a sudden wave of dizzying numbness washing over me. Years ago, Nate was the one terrified of me getting hurt, begging me to bank my blood every few months just in case. Now, for the sake of Elena Foster’s daughter, he was the same man privately authorizing the depletion of my only lifeline. The words ‘Viable Twin Gestation’ printed on the ultrasound felt like a silent, cruel joke. I turned around, walked up to the reception desk, and scheduled a medical termination. I would give Nate exactly what he wanted. No baby. And no me, either. …… When I was booking the termination, the nurse’s tone was incredibly grave. “Are you absolutely certain you want to proceed?” “With your rare blood type and chronic anemia, performing a second-trimester termination carries significant risks. Does… does Dr. Brooks know about this?” I nodded, saying only, “Yes. I’m certain.” It didn’t matter if Nate knew or not. From the exact moment he gave away the blood I had spent seven years banking, a guillotine had been suspended over my neck. Right before the anesthesiologist administered the IV, my phone rang. It was Nate. “Clara, one of the techs said they saw you in the maternity ward. Are you here to grab lunch with me?” Through the speaker, I could hear the hospital PA system in the background, mixed with the sound of a woman gently coaxing a child. Before I could answer, he continued, “I can’t meet you for lunch today. Lily’s vitals aren’t great, and Elena is trying to calm her down. I need to stay here and monitor her.” I sat in the empty pre-op waiting area, staring at the surgical risk consent form in my lap. I asked him, “Why exactly are her vitals dropping?” “What?” He clearly hadn’t expected me to ask that. My voice was dead calm. “I said, Nate, after draining seven years’ worth of my life-saving blood… what right does she have to be doing poorly?” The line went completely dead. A long time passed. I heard footsteps walking away, and then Nate’s hushed, guarded voice. “You know?” He took a deep breath. “Clara, Lily is like you. She has a dual-population blood chimerism. Right now, your blood is the only viable match we could find. She’s just a kid. I couldn’t just let her die.” “Is that so?” He must have caught the icy detachment in my tone, because his voice dropped lower. “Don’t overcomplicate this. Even if she wasn’t Elena’s kid, I still would have saved her.” He sounded so incredibly righteous, as if he had completely forgotten that the blood he gave away was drawn, vial by agonizing vial, from my own veins over seven years. I asked him, “So what am I supposed to do?” Nate was silent for two seconds, sounding exhausted. “Clara, you are perfectly healthy right now.” “And?” “And so… just stop making a scene, okay?” Making a scene? I repeated the word softly under my breath. I reminded him, “Nate, I paid the storage fees for that blood. It was deposited in the hospital’s blood bank for safekeeping, it wasn’t a public donation. Without my explicit consent, absolutely no one had the legal right to touch it.” Nate’s voice suddenly spiked in volume. “Well, the blood has already been transfused! We can’t exactly suck it back out of her! What do you want to do, report me to the medical board?!” After a brief, tense silence, he rubbed his temples. Chapter 2 “Clara, I don’t have the energy to fight with you right now. Let’s talk about this properly when I get home tonight, okay?” When I didn’t reply, he sighed and added: “Your anemia usually flares up in your second trimester. Make sure you take your iron supplements when you get home.” Nate knew I always struggled with severe anemia during pregnancy. He knew that for the past seven years, I had to endure regular, exhausting blood draws just to build up a 200ml reserve. He knew exactly how impossibly rare my chimeric blood type was, and how difficult it was to cross-match. He knew everything. And he still gave away my lifeline. Without even asking if I consented. I didn’t say another word. I just hung up the phone. Right as the anesthesia was about to be pushed, a notification popped up on my Instagram feed. It was a new post from Elena. In the photo, she and Nate were gathered around a little girl in a hospital bed, a birthday cake sitting on the tray table in front of them. The caption read: [After three full-body transfusions, my Lily finally has a second chance at life. Thank you to our amazing Dr. Brooks. I’m so blessed to have you.] The comments were flooded with congratulations from mutual friends. Nate had replied to her post: “Wishing our sweet Lily a lifetime of health and happiness.” I placed a hand over my slightly rounded stomach. A bitter, metallic taste flooded my mouth. When I finally came out of surgery, my blood loss was significantly higher than average. They kept me under strict observation in the recovery bay until late evening before finally clearing me to go home. Severe anemia combined with massive post-operative hemorrhaging meant that by the time I reached my front door, I was on the verge of collapsing. I leaned heavily against the doorframe. I was just about to call out to Nate when a delicate, flirtatious voice drifted from inside. “Dr. Brooks, when is dinner going to be ready?” The words died in my throat. It took me a moment to gather enough strength to push the door open. Inside, Elena was lounging on my sofa, wearing my house slippers. When she saw me, her relaxed demeanor vanished, and she quickly stood up. “Clara, please don’t misunderstand! When Lily woke up today, she wouldn’t stop crying. She was terrified of the hospital, and Nate couldn’t bear to see her like that, so he brought us here. Don’t worry, we won’t touch any of your things.” Nate walked out of the kitchen, carrying two plates of steaming food. “Why are you home so late?” His eyes swept over me, completely failing to notice how ghastly pale I looked. I didn’t answer. I just forced myself to keep walking toward the master bedroom. Elena hurriedly stepped forward to grab my arm. “Clara, I’ll pack up and take Lily to a hotel right now. Please, whatever you do, don’t fight with Nate. He performed two surgeries today and he’s been looking after Lily nonstop. He is exhausted.” She made a theatrical show of reaching for her suitcase. She barely took two steps before stumbling slightly. Nate immediately caught her arm. “It’s late. Where are you going to go?” Elena lowered her eyes, her voice barely a whisper. “I just don’t want to make Clara unhappy.” Nate looked at me, a flash of irritation in his eyes. “Clara, Lily is terrified of the hospital, but she still requires constant medical monitoring. Having her stay here allows me to keep an eye on her.” “Once she’s stable, Elena will take her back to their apartment.” “How long?” I asked, my voice hollow. I had zero expectations left. He thought for a second. “Probably two or three months.” Next month was supposed to be our wedding. Which meant, in his mind, even after we were officially married, I was expected to share half my home with this woman and her child. I let out a weak scoff, meeting his eyes. “Stealing the blood I saved for seven years wasn’t enough, you had to invite the thief to come live in my house.” “Nate, do you even know the meaning of the word respect?” Nate’s tone instantly turned to ice. “Clara, that was incredibly uncalled for.” “They’re just staying for a little while. Why do you have to be so aggressive and unforgiving?” Chapter 3 Aggressive and unforgiving. I looked away from him, my chest so tight I could barely breathe. Assuming my silence meant I had capitulated, Nate offered a final instruction. “Lily is going to come out of her room in a minute. Try to look a little friendlier. Don’t scare her.” I didn’t acknowledge him. I just walked into the bedroom and shut the door. From the hallway, I could hear Elena crying softly. “Nate, does Clara hate me?” “I know we shouldn’t be intruding, but raising Lily all by myself… I’m just so scared I won’t be able to handle it alone.” Nate’s voice dropped into a comforting, tender register. “She’s just stressed from the pregnancy. Don’t take it to heart.” I leaned against the back of the bedroom door, my fingernails digging into my palms. I didn’t leave the room for dinner. I collapsed onto the bed and fell into a heavy, feverish sleep. When I woke up, I was burning up. I walked out to the kitchen to find some Tylenol. Elena had just finished showering and was blow-drying her hair. She was wearing my brand-new silk nightgown. The one I had bought specifically for my honeymoon with Nate. Nate seemed to notice my gaze darken. He walked over, lowering his voice to explain. “That was the only clean nightgown left in the house, so I let Elena borrow it. Don’t overthink it.” I looked away, an overwhelming wave of bone-deep exhaustion crashing over me. It wasn’t until I opened the medicine cabinet that he finally realized something was wrong with me. He reached out, pressing the back of his hand to my forehead, his brow furrowing. “You’re burning up.” He poured me a glass of warm water, made me take a fever reducer, then went to the kitchen to make soup. He brought out a cold compress and gently placed it on my forehead. “Shh, you’ll feel better once your temperature comes down.” He took care of me so naturally. He comforted me so seamlessly. As if none of the conflicts from earlier today even existed. As if our relationship didn’t have a single crack in it. But a weak voice from the hallway brutally shattered that illusion. “Daddy, what are you doing?” Daddy. What an incredibly ironic title. Nate’s hand, holding the cold compress, froze in mid-air. I followed his line of sight. Elena’s daughter was standing in the doorway of the nursery, clutching a plush bunny. I traced her silhouette back into the room, and my eyes suddenly stung with heat. Nate panicked. His tone was anxious, but he deliberately kept his voice low so Elena wouldn’t overhear. “Clara, it’s just a word. Lily grew up without a father. She feels close to me and craves a father figure, that’s why she calls me that. Don’t read into it.” Tears betrayed me, spilling over and landing on the back of my hand. I stared at him, my voice completely shot. “Why is she sleeping in the nursery?” “Nate, we have a perfectly good guest room. Why did you let her sleep in the nursery I spent months decorating by hand?” Nate didn’t answer immediately. He let go of me, rushing over to scoop up a pouting, whining Lily, softly coaxing her. Then, he turned to offer gentle reassurances to a teary-eyed Elena. I sat alone on the sofa, feeling like an unwanted intruder in my own home. Like the evil villain bullying a perfect, happy family of three. After he finished comforting them and closed the nursery door, blocking out the noise, Nate finally spoke to me. “Lily loved the fairytale decorations in there, so I let her have it.” “Clara, it’s just a room. She’s only going to be here for a few weeks. Why are you overreacting to everything?” The exhaustion in his voice had morphed into outright blame. I let out a hollow laugh. Why am I overreacting? Because I poured every ounce of my love and anticipation into decorating that room. Because everything in that room was meant for my babies. This house wasn’t even my home anymore, and he was asking me why. I reached into my bag and pulled out the post-op paperwork from the termination, placing it quietly on the coffee table. “Nate—” Before I could finish, Lily pushed the nursery door open and walked out. Chapter 4 She walked right up to Nate, tugged on his hand, and asked timidly. “Daddy, can I really live here?” “Of course you can.” “Mommy said this is going to be my new home, and that I get to be with you every single day from now on. Is that true too?” Elena stiffened. Nate instinctively glanced at me. I stared right back at him. Waiting to see exactly how he would answer. Two seconds passed. He avoided my eyes and affectionately ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Yes, this is Lily’s home now. Daddy is going to be with you every single day, and all the pretty toys in your room are going to keep you company too.” I stared at him blankly for a moment, then finally stood up. Just as I reached for the termination paperwork on the table, a hand clamped down on my wrist. Nate looked at me. “Clara, be mature.” Mature. When that word dropped, the very last shred of warmth in my chest died. I shook his hand off and walked into the master bedroom. I pulled my suitcase from the closet and started packing. Nate followed me in and shut the door. “Clara, stop acting out.” “Lily is just a kid. Her body is still weak. What Elena and I said out there—” I cut him off, finishing the sentence for him. “I know. You were just saying it to comfort her.” “If you know that, then why are you giving everyone attitude? Why are you picking a fight over a child?” The moment the words left his mouth, a deathly silence fell over the room. Nate realized he had crossed a line. He took a deep breath and reached out to hug me. “Be good. You’re pregnant and you have a fever, stop being stubborn. I promise I’ll be more mindful of your feelings from now on.” I dodged his embrace. His arms hung awkwardly in the air. A soft knock came from the bedroom door. Elena’s voice filtered through. “Nate? Lily says she wants you to tuck her in. Do you have a minute to spare?” Lily’s voice followed. “Daddy, I want a mommy and a daddy to sleep with me like the other kids have! Come sleep with me, please?” Nate frowned. After a few seconds, he dropped his arms. “Get some rest. I’ll be back as soon as she falls asleep.” Look. This was his version of being mindful of my feelings. As he reached the door, he suddenly remembered something. “What was that paper you were holding in the living room?” I gripped the termination paperwork, crumpling it in my fist, then let it go. I tore it into pieces right in front of him and dropped it into the trash can. “Nothing important.” Nate gave me one last look and walked out. My vision swam, and I sank weakly to the floor. At this point, even feeling disappointed felt like a waste of energy. I was halfway through packing when my fever spiked again, dragging me into a deep, unconscious haze. When I finally woke up, it was well past the time I usually left for work. I walked out to the kitchen, only to find Nate gently coaxing Lily to eat her breakfast. Seeing me, he got up to grab a bowl of oatmeal from the stove. “You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you.” Lily looked at me, slowly put down her spoon, and mumbled impatiently. “Daddy, I’m done eating. Hurry up and take me and Mommy to get our wedding pictures taken.” My heart felt like it had been pricked by a needle, but the pain wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. Nate froze. Elena jumped up in a panic, scrambling to explain. “Clara, I was reading Lily a bedtime story last night, and the book had a picture of the parents’ wedding. She thought Nate and I… Her body is still so fragile, we only pretended we were going to take photos so she wouldn’t get upset…” Lily burst into tears. “Why are we pretending?! Aren’t you and Daddy in love?! You told me last night you were going to stay together forever…” She cried inconsolably.
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