Chapter 4
William’s face went pale. He rushed forward, scooping the unconscious Alice into his arms, and sprinted toward the hospital without a backward glance.
Selena stood frozen for a moment, her fingers curling slightly before she followed after him.
Under the harsh, sterile light of the hospital corridor, the red lamp above the operating room remained lit.
William stood outside the door, Alice’s blood staining his suit jacket. His usually composed face was tight with anxiety—a rare crack in his calm façade.
Selena sat quietly on the bench nearby, saying nothing.
The operating room door swung open. A doctor hurried out, voice urgent. “The patient is losing too much blood. We need an immediate transfusion, but she’s RH negative. The blood bank is running low!”
William’s brows furrowed; just as he was about to speak, Selena rose to her feet. “I’m RH negative. Take mine.”
He turned sharply toward her, shock flickering in his eyes.
Selena met his gaze steadily. “Saving her comes first.”
Following the nurse, she extended her arm. As 400cc of blood flowed from her veins, her face grew paler and paler, though her eyes remained calm.
William stood nearby, watching the needle pierce her slender arm, an unfamiliar heaviness settling in his chest.
Just how much did she care about him?
When the transfusion ended, Selena pressed a cotton pad against the puncture site and stepped out, finding William still standing motionless outside the operating room.
She hesitated, then spoke softly. “Don’t worry. She’s going to be fine.”
He looked up, his voice hoarse. “You’re not leaving?”
Selena shook her head. “Miss White misunderstood us. When she wakes, I need to explain everything to her.”
William’s gaze lingered on her pale face. Then, unexpectedly, he asked, “Do you really like me that much?”
Selena froze.
Before she could answer, the operating room door opened again. The doctor stepped out. “The surgery went well. She’ll wake up once the anesthesia wears off.”
The tension in William’s shoulders finally eased.
Selena silently moved aside, saying nothing more.
Hours later, Alice stirred.
When she opened her eyes and saw Selena by her bedside, her eyes instantly reddened. “William, did you bring her here so I could give you two my blessing?”
Selena quickly stepped forward, her tone gentle. “Miss White, please don’t misunderstand. That day, William really did have a meeting. Taking me to buy clothes was just on the way—it wasn’t a date. He never lied to you.”
William nodded. “There’s no love between us. Our families arranged the engagement.”
Tears welled up in Alice’s eyes. “Then prove it. Prove that you feel nothing for her.”
William frowned. “How do you want me to prove it?”
Alice thought for a moment, then pointed toward the window. “Throw her into the frozen lake.”
His expression changed. “Alice…”
“You’re hesitating?” Her voice trembled. “You do like her!”
William was silent for several seconds, then exhaled slowly and gestured to his bodyguards. “Do it. Throw her in.”
Selena’s pupils contracted.
She had always known that William would do anything for Alice—but she hadn’t expected him to go this far.
Still, she didn’t resist.
She couldn’t.
She had to endure it.
The bodyguards dragged her outside. William stood motionless, his eyes dark and unreadable.
The lake water was brutally cold.
The moment Selena was shoved in, the icy shock stole her breath.
Freezing water rushed into her nose and mouth, numbing her limbs.
She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to stay afloat, but her body refused to obey, dragging her downward.
The bodyguards watched from the shore, their expressions blank, none of them moving to help.
Her consciousness began to fade. In the haze, fragments of her childhood surfaced—
Abandoned by her parents in the countryside, shivering through winters without warm clothes, hiding in the woodshed of a caretaker’s home just to keep from freezing.
All her life, no one had ever truly cared whether she lived or died.
She didn’t know how long it took before someone finally pulled her out.
Her body was ice-cold, lips bluish, consciousness slipping away.
Somewhere in the fog, she felt a pair of hands gently wiping her with a warm towel—careful, almost tender.
Instinctively, she grasped that hand and murmured faintly, “Just a little longer… I’ll be free soon…”
The next second, that hand tightened around hers with crushing force.
“Free? What do you mean by that?” William’s voice was as cold as the lake.