Elena POV
I turned around, wiping the wet hair from my face, and looked up at Damon Blackwood.
Over the three years of my engagement to Adrian, Damon was always the quiet presence in the background. While Adrian ignored me at family dinners or left me waiting alone for hours, Damon was the one who noticed. He pulled out chairs for me, handed me a glass of water when I looked exhausted, and spoke to me with steady respect without ever expecting a reward.
"You shouldn't stay out in the rain," he said, his voice calm over the sound of the downpour.
My hands were trembling as everything from inside the mansion finally crushed down on me. I opened my mouth to explain what happened on the stairs, but Damon raised a hand slightly, stopping me before I could speak.
"I was standing near the grand hall," he said quietly. "I saw enough of her fall to know it didn't look right."
Relief washed over me so fast my knees almost gave out. For the first time all night, someone wasn't treating me like a liar.
"What do you plan to do now?" he asked.
"I need to go to the hospital," I said, setting my jaw. "If a doctor examines her properly, the truth will come out. I won't let her ruin my name."
"I'll drive you," Damon said.
I pulled back, hesitating as I looked at his car. Going anywhere with Adrian's brother right now felt like a mistake, and the last thing I wanted was to drag anyone else into this mess.
Reading my hesitation, Damon added, "Going to the hospital isn't about Adrian, Elena. It's about clearing your name."
I swallowed hard, looking at the steady look in his eyes, and finally nodded.
When we reached the hospital hallway outside Vivian's treatment room, Adrian was pacing back and forth, his coat soaked. The second he saw me with Damon, his face hardened.
"What are you doing here?" Adrian snapped. "Haven't you done enough tonight?"
"I came for the truth," I replied, standing my ground. "I want her examined properly."
Adrian glared at his brother. "Stay out of this, Damon."
"I'm not interfering," Damon said quietly, stepping beside me. "I brought her so she wouldn't have to face this alone."
Before Adrian could answer, the doctor stepped out of the room. "Are you with Miss Vivian?"
"Yes," Adrian said immediately. "How is she?"
"She sustained injuries from the fall and needs further tests," the doctor said. "However, we have an immediate problem. Our blood bank is low on her specific type for the procedure we are considering. Do any of you know your blood type?"
He named the rare blood type. My blood type.
Adrian turned to me, his eyes cold and commanding. "Elena. You're a match. Donate."
I stared at him with disbelief. "You want me to give her my blood? Are you serious right now?"
Adrian didn't blink. He took a step toward me, his jaw set, silently waiting for me to obey.
My stomach twisted into a knot. I looked from his cold eyes to the closed treatment room door. If I walked away now, he would accuse me of leaving her to die. There was no winning here, no explanation he would listen to, and no way out.
I forced my hands flat against my sides to hide their trembling.
"I'll do it," I said softly.
I lay on the cold cot in the donor room, watching my blood fill the plastic bag. For three years, I had drained myself trying to earn Adrian's love. Now, I was literally giving my blood to the woman who stole my life.
This is the last thing I ever give them, I thought. The absolute last thing.
When I walked back into the waiting room, lightheaded and pale, Damon stood up immediately. He walked over to the dispenser and handed me a cup of water before I even asked.
A few feet away, Adrian didn't even look up. He was leaning against the wall, staring at the floor, completely consumed by worry for Vivian.
The doctor came back out shortly after. "We are preparing Miss Vivian for surgery now."
I frowned. "Surgery? She was conscious at the mansion. She spoke clearly before she fell. Are her injuries really that severe?"
Adrian whipped around, his face dark with fury. "Are you serious right now? She's going into surgery and you're still trying to minimize what you did?"
"I just gave her my blood!" I shouted back, three years of pain bursting out of me. "I gave her my blood after you publicly accused me of pushing her!"
"Donating blood doesn't erase what you did!" Adrian sneered.
Something inside me broke cleanly in two. Three years of waiting for him, defending him, accepting his canceled dates, and pretending that his relationship with Vivian didn't hurt me came rushing up my throat.
I looked him directly in the eyes.
"I kept thinking that if I loved you enough, you would eventually choose me." My voice trembled, but I refused to look away. "But I was wrong. You never had to choose me because I was never the woman you wanted."
Adrian took a heavy step toward me.
I didn't move. "I won't beg you to love me anymore," I said softly.
His arm swung up in a sudden motion, his open palm coming right for my face.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat. My eyes stayed locked on his hand.
Adrian stopped himself in mid-air. His hand hung frozen an inch from my face, his knuckles white and shaking, before he slowly lowered it back to his side.
