"Why aren’t you answering your phone?” Jason’s voice cut through the sterile hospital corridor.
I didn’t even think he would see me as he was busy with Leslie. I was here for my abortion.
“Paige!” He called, pulling me to face him. His face was flushed, his eyes frantic. “Leslie needs you,” he said, his grip tightening. “She needs blood because she is anemic due to stress, Paige. There’s not enough supply with her type and you both have the same type.”
I stared at him, cold and unblinking. “Why would I donate blood?”
He blinked, as if the question was absurd. “Because she’s your sister!”
“Sister?” The word slipped out, bitter and biting. A humorless laugh followed. “Right, my sister. I almost forgot about that?”
I felt pain. Memories flooded in, sharp and unforgiving. Leslie wasn’t really my sister. We’d both been adopted, two strangers forced into the same family. But that was where the similarity ended.
Leslie had always been the golden child. The one my parents doted on, showered with love and attention while I was left in the shadows. Even though we were both adopted, I was the extra piece they tolerated. The reminder of a choice they’d rather forget.
And then there was Jason. The man I thought had chosen me. The one person I believed saw me for who I was, not as some charity case. But he, too, had chosen Leslie.
It was always Leslie.
“Paige, she’s not okay,” Jason said, his voice rising in frustration. “You have to do this. You’re her sister. She needs you.”
I met his gaze, steel in my voice. “No.”
The word hung between us.
For the first time, I want to be someone they wouldn’t be able to control.
“I can’t donate blood and that is not the reason why I am here.”
Jason stepped back, stunned. “What do you mean, no? And what reason is that? You’re being selfish!”
“You really have no idea, huh!” I shook my head. “Find another way because I won’t donate!”
I turned to walk away, but the sound of hurried footsteps stopped me in my tracks. My parents.
“Paige!” My mother’s voice rang out. I barely had time to brace myself before her hand connected with my cheek, the slap echoing in the hallway.
“How dare you!” Lady Fely’s face twisted with rage. “How dare you say you won’t save your sister! Do you have any idea how much she’s suffering?”
My cheek burned, but I refused to flinch. “She’s not my sister.”
Her eyes widened, incredulous. “You ungrateful girl! I adopted you, gave you a home when no one else wanted you. And this is how you repay me?”
“I was never part of your family,” I said, my voice shaking but resolute. “Not really.”
Lady Fely’s lips curled in disdain. “If you won’t give blood, I’ll throw you out like the trash you were when I found you. Do you hear me? I’ll make you regret ever coming into my house!”
Before I could protest, they started dragging me and drew blood until I fainted.
The harsh fluorescent lights blurred as I blinked awake. My throat felt dry, my head pounding. I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness forced me back down.
“Paige!” Leslie’s voice rang out beside me. “You’re awake. Thank God.”
I turned my head to find her sitting on the edge of my hospital bed.
“I can’t believe you did this for me,” she sniffled, placing a hand over her chest like the damsel she loved to play. “You’ve saved my life. I don’t know how to thank you.”
I said nothing. She reached out as if to hug me, her arms wide and her face expectant. “I mean it, Paige. You’re the best sister anyone could ask for.”
I shifted away, her touch the last thing I wanted.
The movement was small, but Leslie stumbled back with a dramatic gasp, her hand flying to her mouth. “Oh my God, Paige!” Her voice broke into a wail. “You pushed me!”
My eyes narrowed, anger bubbling under my skin. “Leslie, don’t—”
“You hate me, don’t you?” she cried, her tears flowing freely now. “I don’t understand. What did I ever do to deserve this?”
The door burst open, and Jason stormed in, his face twisted with irritation. “What the hell is going on here?”
Leslie immediately turned to him, clutching her chest like a wounded bird. “Jason, I don’t know what I did. I just wanted to thank her, and she—she pushed me.”
I stared at her, my jaw tightening as rage clawed its way up my throat.
Jason turned to me. “Paige, what the hell is wrong with you? She’s your sister!”
That did it. I broke.
“Sister?” I scoffed. “You want to talk about sisters? What about me, Jason? What about me? Am I not your wife?” I faced him. “Because I don’t feel it anymore. So how about we get a divorce?”
