Suddenly, after I got pregnant, Gabriel became incredibly attentive to me. He canceled all his social engagements and personally cooked for me. Everyone envied me for finding such a devoted husband. Until I accidentally discovered a document in his study – “Agreement for Directed Blood Donation During Pregnancy and Newborn Cord Blood Donation”. My name and ID number were clearly listed! In the beneficiary column was Aria Song, the love of his life he had kept abroad for seven years… From outside the door came his gentle, doting voice. “Don’t worry, Aria. I’m personally overseeing her. Nutrition, rest – everything is according to the highest standards. I guarantee the baby will be born healthy. Your life-saving treatment is absolutely assured!” So all those carefully prepared prenatal meals, the mountains of supplements – none of it was out of love for me. It was to raise me into a qualified “blood bank”! “Aria, don’t worry. When the baby is born, I’ll personally take it to the operating room.” “It’s an honor for her and the baby to contribute to your recovery.” Overhearing Gabriel’s phone conversation through the door, my stomach churned violently. Fighting back nausea, I opened the agreement I had found in his drawer – Agreement for Directed Blood Donation During Pregnancy and Cord Blood Donation. The agreement clearly stated: Party B, Olivia Chen, will provide 200cc of blood every 15 days during pregnancy for Miss Aria Song, who suffers from aplastic anemia. Party B will voluntarily donate the child’s cord blood after delivery for Miss Aria Song’s emergency treatment. … So all that blood the nurses had been drawing wasn’t for tests, but for Aria. And the date on this contract was the day after I found out I was pregnant. I remember Gabriel running back excitedly that day, hugging me and spinning me around. It turns out he wasn’t overjoyed, but had finally found the cure to save his true love’s life. My whole body felt drained of blood, chilled to the bone. I flipped from the first page of the agreement to the last. Supplementary terms were printed in bold black font. “If cord blood typing fails, Party B Olivia Chen must agree that when the child meets surgical conditions, they will undergo bone marrow transplant surgery for Miss Aria Song.” “As compensation, after successful surgery, Mr. Gabriel Gu will pay Miss Olivia Chen a one-time mental anguish fee of $1 million, and immediately terminate their marriage.” “Custody of the child will belong to Mr. Gabriel Gu.” My child. The child I risked my life to conceive. From before they were even born, their own father had put a price tag on them, turning them into a walking blood bag and bone marrow bank! Seven years of love, all that time he was good to me. I thought it was belated happiness. I never imagined it was actually cold-hearted calculation! “Thud.” The agreement slipped from my hands. My whole body went limp, and I had to grip the desk to keep from falling. The study door opened. Gabriel walked in carrying a bowl of bird’s nest soup. Seeing my pale face, he frowned slightly. “Olivia, why are you in the study? The doctor said you need more rest.” His voice was as gentle as ever, but I couldn’t help feeling nauseated. I had originally wanted to confront him about the agreement, but instead overheard that conversation. My heart burned with a thousand questions I wanted to ask him, but I trembled, unable to speak. His gaze followed mine to the agreement on the floor. He froze for an instant. But in just a second, his eyes returned to their usual calm, without even a hint of panic. He calmly walked over, picked up the agreement, put it back in the drawer, and locked it. The whole process was smooth and fluid, as if he was just handling an unimportant document. Then he came to stand in front of me, looking down with a tone of resignation and condescension. “You heard everything?” “Olivia, it’s not good to touch other people’s things without permission. But since you already know, I won’t hide it from you anymore.” “Aria is very ill. The doctors say this is her only chance.” “Olivia, you’ve always been kind-hearted. You’ll help me, won’t you?”
I stared into his eyes, which I once thought held the stars and sea. Now I realized they were a bottomless, icy pool. My kindness meant letting him treat my child like medical waste to save another woman? It felt like a burning coal was lodged in my throat. The searing pain left me unable to speak, only able to stare at him intently. Gabriel grew uncomfortable under my gaze. He looked away, his tone taking on a hint of barely noticeable irritation. “Don’t look at me like that.” “This won’t affect our child. The doctors have assessed it, it’s very safe.” “After it’s done, that million dollars will be enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life.” He paused, as if realizing his tone was too harsh, and softened his voice with a hint of coaxing. “Olivia, Aria is a human life too. We can’t stand by and let her die.” “You give birth to the child, get the money, we part ways amicably. It’s good for everyone.” Good for everyone? Using my child, my life, to save Aria – how is that good for everyone? If he really thought that, why did he work so hard to make it up to me all this time? In an instant, all those nights we spent in each other’s arms, him cooking for me, worrying about me – all those sweet memories of the past became carefully calculated schemes. It all became utterly disgusting! “Is that so?” I looked into his eyes, my voice hoarse and unfamiliar. “Then what if… I refuse?” The mask of tenderness Gabriel had worn for nine months shattered completely. He straightened up, looking down at me, his eyes cold as ice. “Olivia, you don’t have a choice in this matter.” “My woman and child should share my burdens.” With that, he turned to leave, stopping at the door without looking back. “Tomorrow at 9 AM, the driver will take you to the hospital. You’d better cooperate!” There is no greater sorrow than the death of one’s heart. My whole body went limp. I slid down the cold desk to the floor, unable to shed even a single tear. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I woodenly took it out. It was a bank deposit notification. $500,000. Sent by Gabriel. A down payment. He was always so thorough in everything he did. I stared at that string of numbers, suddenly laughing. So this was the marriage I had persevered in for seven years… I loved for seven years, was a fool for seven years. From now on, it was all over. From here on out, I would start planning for myself.
Early the next morning, I didn’t wait for the driver. Contrary to my usual style, I put on elaborate makeup and changed into the white dress Gabriel liked best. Seeing me come downstairs, Gabriel looked up and scanned me, his eyes filled with scrutiny and warning. I returned a docile smile, obediently sitting across from him. “Gabriel, I’ve thought it through.” My tone was calm. “You’re right. Helping Miss Aria won’t cost me anything.” “I’ll be good and do as you say.” Gabriel clearly hadn’t expected me to agree so quickly. “It’s good that you see it that way.” “I’ll have the lawyers redraft that agreement. If you cooperate, the compensation can be increased by another $500,000.” He was always so confident about me. I lowered my eyes, hiding the mockery in them. “The money’s not important. What’s important is, I have one condition.” “Go on.” I raised my head, looking straight into his eyes. “I want to meet Miss Aria.” “After all, I’m the child’s mother. I have the right to know who my child is saving.” “And… I want to see for myself what kind of woman is worth you going to such lengths for.” Gabriel’s brow furrowed, as if weighing the pros and cons. I continued to push, my voice tinged with a hint of grievance and trembling. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything. I just… just want to let myself give up completely.” “Let me see her, and I can let go of all my fantasies about you, and calmly… complete this transaction.” Perhaps the word “transaction” pleased him. Or perhaps my current appearance, sufficiently pitiful and submissive, was enough. He was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. “Fine.” “I’ll arrange it for this afternoon.” The first step of my plan was successful. That afternoon, Gabriel personally drove me to that expensive private hospital. Compared to the ordinary single room where I had my prenatal checkups, Aria’s room was a VIP suite on the top floor, filled with sunlight, as cozy as a princess’s chamber. It seems favoritism is evident in every detail. Hiding my bitterness, I looked up. Aria was wearing pink hospital pajamas, her face pale as she leaned weakly against the headboard. Seeing Gabriel enter, her eyes lit up, her voice sweet and soft. “Gabriel, you’re here.” Her gaze fell on me, especially on my belly. That fragility instantly mixed with a barely noticeable hint of scrutiny and smugness. Gabriel walked over, tucking her blanket with practiced tenderness that could melt ice. “Aria, I brought Olivia to see you.” Only then did Aria turn her full attention to me, giving me an apologetic smile. “Mrs. Gu, hello.” “I’m so sorry that my illness has caused you so much trouble.” As she spoke, she gave a weak cough, her eyes rimming with red. “If there was any other way, I wouldn’t have agreed to Gabriel doing this.” “I hope you don’t blame him, he’s just too worried about me.” What a pitiful white lotus. In a few words, she absolved herself of all responsibility, while highlighting Gabriel’s deep love for her. I stood silently, just quietly looking at her. Then I smiled. I walked to her bedside, leaned down, and whispered so only the two of us could hear. “Miss Song, your acting is truly impressive.” “But you’d better be able to fool Gabriel for the rest of your life, and pray that I never reveal the truth.” Aria’s expression changed instantly!
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