Brief Was the Love

"Dr. Shaw! Ms. Sherwood has suffered a massive hemorrhage due to complications from childbirth! She has fallen into a coma and needs an emergency blood transfusion!"

"Dr. Shaw! Ms. Lunsford is vomiting from anemia! She needs a blood transfusion immediately!"

"Dr. Shaw! The blood bank just declared an emergency! We only have enough blood to save one of the patients right now!"

Eugene Shaw stares broodingly at the pale and motionless Lilian Sherwood. Slowly, his hands clench into fists.

"Stop all treatment for Ms. Sherwood! Have all the remaining blood in the blood bank transfused to Aurelie!"

Lilian curls up in pain. Her mind is blank, but she hangs on to Eugene's every word. She hears him choose Aurelie Lunsford.

Her pupils suddenly dilate as the doctor next to her sobs anxiously. "But Dr. Shaw, Ms. Sherwood's condition is more critical than Ms. Lunsford's! She should be your priority, especially since she's carrying your child!"

Eugene turns, eyes slightly bloodshot, "She's a medical professional! Saving lives is her duty. I believe she would've made the same choice."

Lilian is in disbelief. Tears spill from her eyes, bitter and mocking.

Eugene makes his selfishness sound so noble.

She regrets everything. If given another chance, she will definitely leave him at all costs!

She draws her last despairing breath, and her hand droops limply.

Eugene kneels before her hospital bed in panic, tears in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Lilian. I have no choice but to save her!"

"No!" Lilian Sherwood screamed.

She jolted awake, her clothes practically soaked through with cold sweat. Her chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath. When she raised her head, she met Eugene Shaw's cold, distant gaze.

She had been reborn!

"Since you're awake, get ready to go to the hospital. Aurie needs a blood transfusion today."

Lilian's heart twisted painfully as she looked at Eugene, who was so cold and emotionless.

In her past life, she had believed that Aurelie Lunsford was Eugene's younger cousin. She had even insisted on giving Aurelie, who suffered from severe anemia, blood transfusions despite being pregnant in order to save her.

She donated as much as 200 milliliters a week without fail.

Who would've known that despite her treating Aurelie and Eugene with genuine kindness, the two of them had long been sleeping with each other behind her back?

She reflexively shook her head and said, her voice trembling, "I'm not going."

Eugene paused while buttoning his shirt. He looked displeased as he said, "Stop wasting time. Aurie's waiting for you to save her life."

"Save her life"?

A wave of loneliness and bitterness swept through Lilian.

In her past life, she had also waited to be saved using what little blood remained in the blood bank. Yet, Eugene had let her and her unborn baby die on the operating table in order to save Aurelie.

She tried to explain. "I've been severely anemic recently. The doctor said—"

Suddenly, Eugene caught her wrist in a tight grip. "As long as you don't die, you have to donate blood to Aurie."

With that, he forcefully dragged her out of bed, ignoring her struggles.

She fell heavily to the floor and clutched her stomach. She cried out in pain, struggling desperately to break free of Eugene's grip, but he had no intention of letting go.

He then forcibly tied her down to the backseat of his bicycle and sped all the way to the hospital.

Inside the hospital, Lilian grabbed his wrist in a tight grip and dropped to her knees, begging, "I'm pregnant, Eugene. Pregnant women can't donate blood. I'm begging you…"

Eugene frowned, his expression dark, but he still shoved her into the blood donation room.

A few nurses saw this and immediately held the desperately struggling Lilian down in a chair.

Lilian continued to twist her body, attempting to avoid the needle in one of the nurses' hands. "Let go of me! I don't consent to donating blood to Aurelie! This is a violation of the rules, Eugene! Let go of me!"

She screamed at the top of her lungs but was met only with Eugene's cold indifference and the nurses' practiced movements.

In the end, that cold needle still pierced her vein, and fresh red blood slowly started to flow out into the connected tube.

Lilian closed her eyes in despair.

In this life, she would definitely get her college acceptance letter one step ahead of time and leave the bastard Eugene Shaw for good.