Olivia had already brushed shoulders with death once.Even if it was just an act,she refused to wrong herself again.
"Yes,I’ve thought it through.Since Cassie is your sweetheart and you’re so determined to save her,then go ahead and cut out her liver yourself.If her match isn’t compatible,buy one off the black market at a high price.If that doesn’t work,put out a bounty,kill for it,or do whatever you want.Just don’t come after me.”
"You…you knew?"Lucian’s eyes widened.
Olivia pressed her lips together,saying nothing.She had thought foolishly that he might at least feel a sliver of guilt.
However,in the next moment,Lucian grabbed her wrist,lifting it from the quilt to administer the IV drip.His voice was heavy with accusation.
“So this is why you tore up the peace charm in a fit of rage and pushed Cassie off the cliff?No wonder.No wonder you used the nurse to scheme against Cassie that day.You must have bribed her long ago and found out the truth about Cassie’s condition.”
"Let me go."Olivia struggled to withdraw her hand.
Lucian’s face was grim,his grip unrelenting.“Answer me first,Olivia.How did you become like this?When did you turn so vicious?”
Vicious?She was vicious,he said?
Olivia almost laughed from sheer anger.
Seeing that he refused to let go,gripping her wrist tightly without even caring about the blood flowing back into the tube,she became even more stubborn.Without hesitation,she reached for the IV line and yanked it out.
The movement was too abrupt,causing blood to spill drop by drop.Without a sterilized cotton swab,she rolled up her sleeve and pressed down on the wound with her bare arm.Her unflinching defiance startled even Lucian,momentarily rendering him speechless.
"Olivia,do you really have to go this far?”he finally asked.
"I admit it.It wasn’t me who had liver cancer.It was Cassie.But wasn’t it you who misheard,crying and making a scene,insisting on donating your liver to her?”
“And for your so-called sincerity,I tolerated it.I let you make it up to me in your own way.”
“I put aside my work to cook for you,to share meals with you.No matter how rare or expensive,as long as you wanted something,I spared no effort to get it for you.From the smallest trinkets like jewelry and handbags to the grandest luxuries like a house,a car and whatever caught your eye,I never hesitated and never complained.Was that not enough?Not enough for half your liver?”
Not enough…for half her liver?
Having spent years navigating the industry,Olivia considered herself well-versed in the ways of the world.Yet,he had never encountered such brazen shamelessness.
With vacant,dark eyes,he stared at Lucian in disbelief.“Do you even remember who I am?Do you remember what you were thinking when you pursued me,when you married me and made me your wife?”
Lucian’s gaze deepened,his thin lips pressing into a firm line."I understand that asking a woman to donate her liver to another woman might seem unreasonable,but you agreed yourself and your match with Cassie is perfect.So,there’s no need to search elsewhere.”
In other words,even if she exposed the truth,even if she confronted him,even if he risked turning this matter into a public scandal,he would still demand that she give up her liver.
If she dared to refuse,he would simply have her restrained and sent to the operating table.
The answer was already clear,yet Olivia still asked,“Did the doctor tell you what my condition is now?”
Lucian hesitated."What?"
Olivia turned her head away,refusing to look at him.“After everything that happened,did the doctor check me?Did they reassess my condition to see if I can still go through with the surgery in a few days or if I need more time to recover first?”
Lucian only heard what he wanted to hear.Softness,obedience,a resignation heavier than death itself.
Yes,Olivia loved him so much.She had sacrificed her beauty,her body,her health.She was even willing to donate her liver to save him,to bear him a child.How could he possibly turn away from such deep devotion?
"Dear."He took her hand,pressing one against his face while placing the other over his chest.“Once this is over,let’s start fresh.We’ll move somewhere new and have a child.If you don’t like Cassie,I’ll keep my distance from her.I won’t see her in private anymore.I’ll stay by your side day and night,all right?"
Day and night.The same promise he had once whispered to Cassie.
How heartless could a man be to make the same vow twice to two different women?
Olivia wanted to laugh,but after the storm of emotions raging inside her,she finally chose to nod.
She had endured this long.Why insist on breaking free now?
Wasn’t her original plan to get Cassie onto the operating table first,to have her chest cut open before leaving with the divorce papers in hand?
In the days that followed,Lucian stayed in the hospital with her,behaving as a devoted husband.
Perhaps he sensed her reluctance,so he no longer brought up nourishing meals for her liver,no longer busied himself with work.Instead,he lingered close,waiting for her to sleep before quietly handling things in the background.
After several days of treatment,Olivia had mostly recovered from her internal injuries,though the wounds on her body still remained.However,Lucian had run out of patience.
“Cassie fell into a coma again yesterday.It might be because of the fall days ago.She’s been getting weaker.The doctor said she needs surgery as soon as possible.If we delay any longer,she might not be strong enough to endure it.”
"Olivia,you’ve always been healthy.You’ll just have to endure a little discomfort.Let’s go through with the surgery first and then we’ll recover together.I promise you,even after it’s done,I’ll take care of you just like I am now until you’re fully healed.”
