Chapter 4
Damien’s face went white. He sprinted forward, scooped the unconscious Isabelle into his without a backward glance.
Elara stood frozen for a moment, her fingers curling into fine Jug
before
finally
following them.
Under the stark, white lights of the hospital corridor, the lamp above them mus
2011
arms, and raced toward the hospital
room door remained lit.
Damien stood outside, his suit stained with Isabelle’s blood, his usually composed face showing a rare flicker of raw panic.
Elara sat quietly on a nearby bench, saying nothing.
2
The operating room door burst open, and a doctor rushed out. “We have immediate transfusion, but she’s RH–negative. The blood bank is running critically low!”
m
The patient is hemorrhaging and needs an
Damien’s brow furrowed, but before he could speak, Elara had already stood up. “I’m RH–negative.
Damien whipped his head around to look at her, a flash of shock in his eyes.
Elara met his gaze calmly. “Saving her is what’s important right now.”
donate.”
She followed the nurse to have her blood drawn. As 400cc of blood slowly drained from her body, her face grew paler and paler, but her expression never changed.
Damien stood to the side, watching the needle in her slender arm, and that strange, unsettling feeling in his gut grew stronger.
Just how much… did she love him?
After the donation, Elara walked out, pressing a cotton ball to her arm. She saw Damien still standing vigil outside the operating
room.
She hesitated for a moment before walking over. “Don’t worry,” she said softly. “She’ll be okay.”
Damien looked up at her, his voice hoarse. “You’re still here?”
Elara shook her head. “Miss Croft has a misunderstanding about us. I need to explain things to her when she wakes up.”
Staring at her pale face, Damien suddenly asked, “Do you really love me this much?”
Elara froze.
Before she could answer, the operating room door opened again. “The surgery was a success,” the doctor announced. “The patient will wake up once the anesthesia wears off.”
The tension in Damien’s shoulders finally eased.
Elara silently stepped back, saying nothing more.
A few hours later, Isabelle woke up.
The first thing she saw was Elara standing by her bed. Her eyes immediately turned red. “Damien, did you bring her here because you want me to give you my blessing?”
Elara quickly stepped forward and explained gently, “Miss Croft, you’ve misunderstood. Damien really did have a meeting that day. Taking me shopping was just on the way; it wasn’t a date. He wasn’t lying to you.”
Damien nodded in agreement. “Our marriage is just a contract. There are no feelings between us.”
Isabelle bit her lip, tears falling again. “Then how can you prove it? Prove to me that you don’t have a single shred of feeling for
her.”
220.11
Chapter 4
Damien frowned. “What do you want me to do?”
Isabelle thought for a moment, then pointed out the window at the icy lake on the hospital grounds. “Throw her in.”
Damien’s expression changed. “Isabelle…”
“You’re hesitating?” Isabelle’s voice trembled. “You do have feelings for her!”
Damien was silent for a few seconds. He finally sighed and waved a han
Elara’s pupils contracted.
at hi
bodyguards. “Throw her in the lake.”
She knew Damien would do anything for Isabelle, but she never imagined he could be
But she couldn’t fight back.
She had to endure it.
cruel.
The bodyguards escorted her outside. Damien remained where he was, his expression dark an
The water of the lake was bone–chillingly cold.
adable.
20.11 O
The moment Elara was pushed in, she felt the air rush from her lungs. Icy water filled her nose and mouth, making her limbs go
numb.
She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to stay afloat, but her body kept sinking.
The bodyguards on the shore watched her with cold indifference, none of them moving to help.
Elara’s consciousness began to fade. In a daze, she saw a vision of her younger self.
Abandoned by her parents in the countryside, shivering through the winter without a warm coat, huddled for warmth in the careta-
ker’s woodshed.
Her entire life, no one had ever cared about her.
After what felt like an eternity, Elara was finally pulled from the water.
Her body was frozen, her lips purple. She was unconscious.
In a haze, she felt someone gently wiping her down with a warm towel.
She instinctively grabbed the hand, murmuring, “Just a little longer… I can leave soon…”
The next second, the hand clamped down on hers with a force that felt like it could shatter her bones.
“Leave?” Damien’s voice was as cold as ice. “What do you mean, leave?!”
