Alyssa’s POV
Right after saying that, Merida fell unconscious.
Casper shouted her name over and over, panicked, but no matter how loudly he called, she didn’t open her eyes again.
My stepmother slapped her thigh in alarm.
“Oh no! There’s something I never dared tell Camden because I didn’t want him to worry. Before Merida went abroad, she was diagnosed with hemophilia. Her condition had been stable with medication, but—”
She didn’t even finish before Casper scooped Merida into his arms and rushed out.
I was dragged to the hospital. The doctor took a quick look and said Merida needed a blood transfusion before they could operate.
The moment he finished speaking, Casper’s stare sliced right through me.
“Alyssa, if I remember right, you and Merida have the same blood type.”
My face drained of color. I backed away without even realizing it.
“I didn’t push her!”
“You think I’m buying that? No one knows how much you hate Merida better than I do.”
Words I’d once said to him in the middle of our passionate relationship had come back around, sharp enough to cut me open.
My nails dug into my palms so hard I broke the skin, but I couldn’t even feel the pain.
I forced out a smile uglier than crying.
“Yeah, I do hate her. That’s exactly why I’m not saving her.”
“Alyssa, I’m not asking you.”
I spun around, trying to get away, but someone grabbed my wrist hard.
“Go donate blood. Name whatever terms you want.”
“Let go of me. I’m not going!”
“Don’t force me.”
A sharp crack sounded. My wrist bent at a grotesque angle.
The pain was so overwhelming that I didn’t even have time to scream; my vision went black as I nearly passed out.
Casper grabbed me before I collapsed.
“Doctor! Take her to donate blood.”
When the needle pierced my skin, he just stood there, watching coldly from the side.
I was so weak I could only squeeze out a breathy whisper.
“Casper… these three years, you never loved me. Did you?”
For a long moment, there was nothing.
Then finally, he answered.
“Don’t ask meaningless questions.”
That was the moment my heart died completely.
The doctor, who had been monitoring me closely, suddenly stood up when he noticed something was off.
“No. We can’t take any more from her. This condition is usually inherited; if we keep drawing blood, her body won’t be able to produce more. She could die.”
The nurse jumped, about to pull the needle out.
But Casper pressed down on the injection site, stopping her.
“Is what she’s already given enough for the surgery?”
“Not enough. I can contact other hospitals for supply, but I’m not sure if it’ll arrive in time.”
“Then keep drawing!”
The nurse looked at me with pure pity.
I forced a stiff smile.
“Go ahead.”
I had no idea how much time passed. When I finally woke up from unconsciousness, the surgery was already over.
Only a nurse was in the room, jotting something down. When she saw me wake, she let out a breath of relief.
“Good thing you’re not hemophilic, or you probably wouldn’t have made it.
“Your sister’s boyfriend went way overboard—making a young girl like you donate that much blood.
“Those two people who came with you… they’re your parents, right? Why didn’t they come check on you?”
I stared numbly at the ceiling, my voice barely a whisper.
“They’re not my parents. My parents… are already dead.”
I stayed in the hospital for a month. During all that time, Casper came only once.
He told the doctor to put all my medical expenses on his tab.
When the room was quiet with just the two of us, he let out a long sigh.
“I talked to Uncle Camden about what happened at home. They didn’t know you were sick. That’s why they never visited. Don’t overthink it.”
But even if they had known, they still wouldn’t have come.
I kept that thought to myself.
Casper stared out at the falling snow and said quietly, “I was wrong to hide Merida’s condition from you. But from now on, I don’t want you giving her trouble anymore. Whatever happened in the past… just let it go.”
