Chapter 3

At seven o'clock in the evening, while I was studying in the library, a familiar figure quietly sat down across from me. I looked up, and to my surprise, it was Hannah.

She looked much thinner than I remembered, her face as pale as a ghost, lips chapped, yet her eyes shone with an unsettling brightness. Noticing my shock, she managed a weak smile and said, "Quinn, long time no see."

I wanted to ask how she got discharged, but then I remembered I hadn't even visited her. I responded stiffly, "What brings you here? Should you even be out of the hospital?"

"It's okay. I asked Mason to come with me," Hannah said, gesturing toward the entrance. Sure enough, Mason was leaning against the doorframe, watching us anxiously.

"You two..." I trailed off, calmly gathering my books. "What do you want?"

Hannah gently took my hand in hers and said softly, "Quinn, please... I know you're scared, I get it. Bone marrow donation does have its risks, but the doctors said the chances of anything going wrong are really small, and—"

"And what?" I withdrew my hand sharply. "Are you saying your life is more important than mine?"

Hannah froze, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Quinn, what's wrong with you? Aren't we best friends?"

"Best friends, huh?" I couldn't help but sneer. "Then why can't you respect my choice instead of rallying the whole damn world to pressure me?"

Tears welled up in Hannah's eyes. "It's not me. My parents were just too anxious. I specifically asked to be discharged to see you, just to tell that if you're really scared, I understand. I won't blame you."

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face, drawing curious glances from the students around us. In my previous life, it was this fragile, pitiful demeanor of hers that had swayed me. I had willingly gone under the knife for her.

"Outside, Hannah," I said tersely, snatching up my backpack and heading for the door, not wanting to make a scene in public.

Mason immediately rushed over to steady the staggering Hannah as they followed me. Watching how close they were, I felt a sharp pang shoot through my chest.

In my previous life, when I was writhing in pain on that hospital bed, I bet they had been just as intimate as this.

We made our way to the campus lake. It was late at night, and the lake's surface reflected the scattered lights.

Hannah leaned weakly against Mason, her voice faint. "Quinn, I'm not here to force you. I just wanted to see you. If we really can't find a matching donor, I'll accept my fate."

Looking at Hannah's pitiful expression, I suddenly found it laughable. This exact scene had played out in my previous life. Back then, I had softened and agreed to donate. And all I had received in return was betrayal and death.

"Can't find a matching donor?" I repeated softly. "But Mason's right here, isn't he?"

Mason's face darkened instantly. He shot me a look and said defensively, "Quinn, what are you trying to say? You know we're not compatible—"

"Oh really? I've checked. The school medical records show you and Hannah have identical blood types. So why haven't you gone for a matching test?"

The two of them froze. Hannah shot Mason a panicked look, while he avoided her eyes and stammered, "Quinn, you see, medicine isn't as simple as you think. Bone marrow matching involves the HLA complex—"

"So you never even got tested, did you? Were you just planning to use me as your risk-taker?" I pressed on relentlessly, my voice sharp with accusation.

"That's not it!" Mason blurted out anxiously. "I'm really not a match."

I glared at him. "How would you know? Show me the test results—now!"

Mason was at a loss for words. Suddenly, Hannah clutched her chest, her face twisted in pain. In a trembling, breathless voice, she pleaded, "Please... stop arguing... I... I don't feel well."

Mason immediately rushed to her side, his voice full of worry. "Hannah, what's wrong? Let me get you to the hospital!"

Watching Mason's anxious act, I silently applauded their stellar performance.

Hannah suddenly looked up, the pain in her eyes instantly replaced by fury. "Quinn! How could you be so heartless? Here I am in this condition, and you still—"

Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly collapsed into Mason's arms. I watched as Mason frantically scooped her up and dashed toward the hospital, while I stood frozen in place, a storm of conflicting emotions raging inside me.

In my previous life, I'd never doubted if it was real or an act. But in this life, I just couldn't tell anymore.

I trudged back to my dorm, my phone vibrating incessantly. When I checked, the campus forum had exploded with activity.

[Shocking! Heartless girl refuses bone marrow donation to dying BFF, mocks her into fainting.]

[Exposed! Quinn Browning refuses to save her dying BFF out of revenge for cheating with her boyfriend.]

Photos, videos, and vicious comments came pouring in like an avalanche. Overnight, my name became synonymous with "Heartless Girl" across campus.

The following week was a living nightmare for me.

Walking across campus, I could feel classmates either whispering behind my back or deliberately avoiding me.

The comment section of my Instagram was filled with nothing but vicious insults and moral condemnation. Even my mother, who had always doted on me, called in tears, sobbing, "Have you lost your mind?"

"Mom, donating bone marrow isn't exactly risk-free. I just don't want to take that chance." I tried to explain. "Besides, why should it have to be me?"

"But she's your best friend since childhood!" my mother said heartbrokenly. "You two were so close, and now she's fighting for her life. How could you—"

"Mom, if it were me who was sick, do you honestly think Hannah would donate her bone marrow to me?"

There was a brief silence on the other end. "Of course she would! You two are like sisters."

I flashed a bitter smile. That was exactly what I'd believed in my previous life, until the moment of death finally revealed the truth.

After class, the class president, Antonio Farrell, walked up to me and said, "Quinn, we discussed this at the class meeting. If you don't change your mind, we'll submit a joint petition to the school and request disciplinary action."

I looked up at him and challenged, "So I should face disciplinary action just because I refuse to gamble with my life to save someone?"

"This isn't about whether to save someone or not!" Antonio said urgently, frustration clear in his voice. "This is about human decency and morality. Hannah's life is hanging by a thread right now. You're her only hope, and yet you—"

"I'm her only hope? Out of everyone in this university, in this whole society, I'm the only matching donor? With all you self-righteous heroes in the class, why don't any of you go get tested?"

He was angry. "W-What kind of twisted logic is that? Hannah and I aren't even close."

I gathered my backpack and stood up. "Then there you have it. You can refuse because you and Hannah aren't close, but I have to risk my life just because I'm her friend?"