Chapter 3

Pay the piper? I had given him my heart and soul for three years—was that my crime?

Two nurses walked in, looking uneasy as they glanced at me. "Mr. Reed, the patient is in terrible shape. She just had a D&C; taking blood now could be life-threatening..."

"Take it." Charles stood with his back to me, his voice devoid of any warmth. "I'll take full responsibility if anything goes sideways."

The nurses didn't dare cross him. With trembling hands, they took out a thick syringe.

I thrashed wildly, ripping the IV out of my hand until blood sprayed everywhere. "I won't do it! Charles, you're a lunatic! This is my life you're taking!"

Charles spun around, crossed the room in a few strides, and pinned my shoulders down with a death grip. He looked down at me, his eyes filled with nothing but annoyance. "Emma, don't force my hand. Play nice, and the Sinclair family business might survive a few more days.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind watching them go bankrupt by tomorrow morning."

The mention of the Sinclair family made me go rigid. I stopped fighting.

That company was my father's life's work—it was my Achilles' heel, and Charles knew exactly how to twist the knife.

"Just do it." I closed my eyes, tears tracing silent paths into my hair. As the needle pierced my vein, I felt my very life force being drained away.

A full bag of 400 cc bright red blood—it was my blood and the offering for the child that never saw the light of day.

By the time they finished, my vision was swimming in darkness. I didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.

Charles didn't even look at me. He grabbed the blood bag and rushed out, like he was holding a treasure.

I lay there in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling my heart turn to stone.

Charles, from this moment on, we're even.

I stayed in the hospital for three days. During that time, Charles didn't show his face once.

Lily, on the other hand, showed up at my door looking radiant in her patient gown. "Emma, thanks for the blood."

She gave me an innocent-looking smile, clutching an orange Charles had peeled for her. "Charles said you've got a constitution like an ox, so a little blood wouldn't hurt you. He told me not to lose any sleep over it."

I looked at her coldly. "Get out.

"Wow, still got a temper, I see?" Lily stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by bare-faced malice.

"Emma, do you want to know why Charles hates your guts?" She leaned in, whispering in my ear. "It's because every time he looks at you, he's reminded of how he was forced to marry you. Your very existence is a blot on his record.

"But me? I'm the one he's always wanted but could never have. What makes you think you can even compete?"

I forced myself upright, grabbed the glass from my nightstand, and hurled it at her.

Lily shrieked, but the glass didn't even touch her; she dodged it easily. A split second later, she threw herself onto the floor, slamming her palms down onto the shattered glass. Blood gushed from her palms immediately.

Just then, the door swung open. Charles burst in. He was shocked as he took in the scene. "Lily!"

He scooped her up off the floor and turned to me, his eyes wild like he wanted to rip me apart. "Emma, you must have a death wish!"

"It wasn't me..." Before I could finish my words, Charles was already at my bedside and slapped me hard across the face.

The blow was so heavy my ears started ringing and my vision blurred, blood trickling from the corner of my mouth.

"Emma, you must have a death wish! Lily was just being nice, and you actually dared to hurt her?" Charles roared.

Lily curled into his chest, trembling like a leaf as she held up her bleeding hand. "Charles, don't blame Emma," she sobbed. "She's just upset because she lost the baby. I'm fine, really..."

"Does she look upset to you? She's just cruel." Charles looked at me with pure loathing, as if he were looking at a piece of trash. "Since you've got so much energy to hurt people, you're discharged.

"You're coming home to be Lily's maid. You don't get a single second of rest until her hand is fully healed."