The world came back to me in fragments—white light above my eyelids, the distant beeping of a monitor, the sting of needles in my arm. My whole body trembled, burning with fever one moment, frozen the next, like I had been pulled back from death only halfway.
When I tried to move, a hand pressed gently against mine.
“Don’t,” a voice said. “Don’t move yet.”
Keith.
My heart stuttered. For a brief, disorienting second, I almost forgot. I almost remembered the Keith who once held me close during storms, who once whispered that I was his only love, who once made me believe in forever. For a moment, I almost leaned into the warmth of his palm.
But then reality crashed back. The church steps. The gown. Cara. My brothers’ laughter.
The betrayal.
I yanked my hand away as though his touch burned me. “Don’t touch me.”
He blinked, hurt flickering in his eyes, then annoyance taking its place. “Caroline, what’s wrong? Is this about what happened? Because I was late? Because I didn’t pull you out in time?”
“Late?” My voice cracked with fury, though it trembled with weakness. “Leave me alone, Keith. I don’t want to see you.”
His jaw tightened. “God, you’re so stubborn. Who’s stupid enough to slip and fall into a river, Caroline? You think I wanted that? I was the one who called the rescuers, the one who told them not to stop searching until they found you. And this is how you thank me? By glaring at me like I’m your enemy?”
I laughed bitterly, though the sound came out broken. “Enemy? Do you really want me to remind you why?”
Before I could say more, the door opened.
“Caroline!” A too-bright, too-familiar voice rang out. Cara swept into the room, her gown replaced by soft pastels, her eyes brimming with mock-concern. “Sister, oh God, you scared us. Are you okay? How are you feeling?”
I stiffened, bile rising in my throat. My hands curled into fists against the sheets. Then, without thinking, I shoved her back as she reached for me.
The door banged open again—Leon and Martin storming in.
“What the hell are you doing?” Leon barked, rushing to steady Cara. “She was trying to help you!”
“Help me?” I spat, my voice shaking. “You call this help? She ruined our family! She ran away with Father’s money—do you even remember that? Father died because of her!” My chest heaved as my eyes flicked toward Keith. “And because of her, I was forced into this farce of a marriage.”
Keith’s eyes narrowed, his voice cold. “So you regret marrying me. That’s what you’re saying? Don’t worry, Caroline, I regret it too. I should have married Cara from the beginning.” His lip curled. “At least she’s grateful. Not like you.”
My chest constricted. The words sliced deeper than any knife.
Leon stepped closer, his eyes sharp. “Keith’s right. You’re ungrateful. You think we don’t know what you did? You threatened Father, forced him to give you everything… so we’re left with nothing. You don’t even want us to give our shares until now!”
Martin nodded, sneering. “If you ask me, you framed Cara so she had no choice but to run away. I’m pretty sure you did that. You’ve always been selfish, Caroline. Father must have pitied you. That’s the only reason he gave you the inheritance.”
A bitter laugh tore from my throat. I couldn’t stop it. “Pity me? No. Now I understand. Father saw what I didn’t—he gave me everything because he knew you would squander it. You’ve proven him right. All of you.”
Keith’s face reddened. “What the hell does that mean?”
My lips trembled as I opened my mouth to answer—but suddenly, my stomach lurched. A sour wave rose up my throat. I clamped a hand over my mouth, but it was too late. I doubled over, vomiting violently, the room spinning as voices blurred around me.
Doctors rushed in, pushing Keith and my siblings aside. “Her hemoglobin is dangerously low. She’s anemic—she needs blood transfusion immediately.”
The words floated in and out, muffled by the ringing in my ears.
“But her type—” another nurse muttered. “We don’t have her blood type available right now.”
“I’ll do it,” Cara said quickly, stepping forward.
“No,” Keith snapped, grabbing her arm. “You’re fragile. You’ll get hurt. Let her wait. She deserves this. Maybe punishment is what she needs.”
The doctor turned, appalled. “She might not make it if she waits! Do you even understand what you’re saying?”
But Keith’s voice was ice. “Then let her wait.”
I stared at their faces—Keith’s coldness, Leon’s indifference, Martin’s sneer—and a hollow laugh echoed in my chest before the world went dark again.
When I opened my eyes, I thought I’d already died. But the smell of antiseptic told me otherwise. My body ached, but the sharp chill was gone, replaced by a dull heaviness.
“You’re awake,” a nurse said gently, checking the drip by my bedside. “Don’t worry. You’re stable now.”
My throat was raw. “Did… did someone give me blood?”
She smiled softly. “Yes. A donor came just in time. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t have made it.”
My breath caught. “Who?”
The nurse handed me a small slip of paper. “He didn’t leave his name. Only a number to call.”
My hands shook as I clutched the note. Whoever it was—he had saved me when the people I trusted most wanted me gone.
With trembling fingers, I dialed the number.
It rang once. Twice.
“Hello?” a deep, familiar voice answered.
I froze, my blood running cold. That voice… I knew it. Too well.
“H…hello? Who is this?” I whispered.
The man chuckled softly, darkly. “Still don’t recognize me? After all these years, Caroline?”
My stomach dropped.
“This is Steven.”
My mortal enemy in college. My rival. The man I once swore to hate for life—now the one who saved me.
