Chapter 3

I stood there, frozen, feeling as if all the blood in my body had turned to ice.

Thirty-six bags of blood—it had taken me three years to draw enough.

They knew perfectly well that it was my mother's life-saving blood.

And yet they still let Maya pour every last bag out.

The taste of blood filled my throat.

I gritted my teeth and swallowed it down, then stumbled my way toward Maya's ward.

The scene that greeted me when I burst through the door was her holding the baby, leaning back against my brother.

Darrell was half-kneeling in front of her, a bowl of chicken soup in his hands.

He blew on every spoonful to cool it before feeding it to her.

His eyes held a doting tenderness I had never seen before.

When she saw me, Maya acted as if nothing had happened, smiling as she stood and took my hand.

"Cathy, come look—don't the baby's eyes look just like Darrell's?"

I sneered and shook off her hand.

"It's just a bastard. Resemble what?"

"You act so well. Anyone who didn't know better would think this was your child with Darrell."

I barely used any force, yet Maya went staggering backward.

Perfectly aimed, she landed right in Darrell's arms.

Her face was full of helplessness, and her eyes slowly reddened.

"Cathy, are you still angry with me?"

"I know you blame me for getting tangled up with Darrell back then, but I didn't mean to. We were just drunk that day. We never meant to do anything to betray you."

"To make it up to you, I even married someone else on my own. Why still won't you forgive me?"

"Don't you want to see me? I never wanted to come back and disturb you two, but I really had nowhere else to go."

She wept so pitifully that it broke both their hearts.

Darrell held her protectively in his arms, his gaze at me full of coldness.

"Catherine, how long are you going to keep making trouble!"

"What happened back then was our fault, but Cathy swallowed her pride and married someone else for your sake. She gave you three years of her youth. What gives you the right not to forgive her!"

My brother looked at me too, reproach filling his eyes.

"Catherine, don't be so ungrateful."

"You made Maya marry the wrong man, and she was abused for three whole years. She never once blamed you, and yet you say things like this to humiliate her. Bastard this, bastard that—such ugly words. I think you've truly lost your mind!"

I tugged at the corner of my mouth into a mocking smile.

"Am I wrong? The reason she was abused is that she was caught in bed with another man. The child she gave birth to probably doesn't even know who its father is. What is that if not a bastard?"

"What does she have to feel wronged about? She married someone without a word, not because she felt sorry for me, but because she thought the man was richer and more powerful than Darrell!"

"She's the vain one, the one who couldn't keep herself in check. What makes you think I'm the one who owes her?"

The words were barely out of my mouth when a hard slap landed across my face.

My brother's face was full of fury, and his eyes turned colder still.

"Enough. Maya is pitiful enough already, and you're still finding ways to provoke her. Catherine, when did you become so vicious?"

My face was knocked sideways, the corner of my eye split open.

But I didn't cry. I only covered my face and let out a cold laugh.

"I'm vicious? She knew my mother was waiting on that blood to save her life, and she still poured out every single bag without a care—and in your eyes, that makes me the vicious one."

"Darrell, Samuel, how long are you two going to stay this blind and deaf?"

My brother's expression suddenly changed.

He jerked his head up, staring at me in disbelief.

"What did you say? Mom's blood is gone?"

Before I could speak, Maya pushed Darrell away and dropped to her knees in front of me.

She clutched my hand, trembling, her face soaked with tears.

"Cathy, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to."

"I didn't know that was the blood you'd prepared for your mother. I thought it was useless, so I poured it out. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I only beg you not to make things hard for them."

"If you won't forgive me, then I'll pay you back with my life."

She cried as she got up and threw herself at the wall, but Darrell caught her and held her fast.

I lowered my eyes, my smile going cold.

Thirty-six bags of blood, each one with my name written on it, and she claimed she didn't know it was my mother's blood.

A clumsy excuse, and yet it was enough to fool both Darrell and my brother.

One of them was my fiancé.

The other was someone my mother had raised from a boy, someone she treated even better than me, her own daughter.

But now they stood in front of Maya, looking at me as if I were some monstrous beast.

Darrell frowned and gave me a cold glance.

"Catherine, Cathy already apologized. Stop being unreasonable."

"The blood's gone, so it's gone. Your mother's surgery isn't until next week. Seven days is plenty of time for you to have your blood drawn a few more times."

My fingertips brushed my lower belly, and I lost even the strength to argue.

Afraid I'd keep making a scene, my brother watched me warily too.

But I didn't cry and I didn't rage. I only nodded calmly.

Perhaps not expecting me to give in so quickly, Darrell went blank for a moment.

His gaze swept over my belly, and he carelessly curled his lips.

"It's best if you can be sensible. It doesn't matter if the baby's gone. After your mother's surgery, you can look after Maya's child—it'll give you some experience, too."

"Once Maya's child is grown, I'll find a way to make it up to you. We'll have another one."

I didn't answer. I just turned and walked away.

He was right—it didn't matter that the baby was gone.

After all, all I had lost was the child in my belly.

What he had lost was the right to ever be a father.