Signed Away

So this had been Elias' plan all along. He wanted to make me hand my vice president position over to his new lover.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Fine. I have no objections."

I was dying, so arguing felt utterly pointless. What did any of these worldly possessions matter now? I sat down without another word and took the pen he handed me.

Every document had already been opened to the signature page.

I was meticulous by nature. Whenever I signed any documents, I always made sure the cover page matched the contents.

The first document was my vice president's termination agreement. I signed it without hesitation.

Elias and Zoey exchanged a surprised look.

The second document was a property transfer agreement.

That house had been bought with the first real money Elias and I ever made. It was also the only property in my name.

Maybe afraid I'd refuse, Elias hurried to explain, "Zoey's family needs a place to stay while they're in the city for treatment. You don't live there anyway."

If they just needed a place to stay, why bother with the transfer of ownership? I couldn't be bothered calling him out.

I initialled the page.

When I reached for the third document, Elias stopped me. "Cece, I'm not trying to hurt you. Just sign it."

I looked up to find both Elias and Zoey watching me closely.

I flipped it open anyway.

It was a stock transfer agreement.

This was the twenty percent stake Elias had given me when he publicly announced our relationship.

Back then, everyone at the company knew I was Elias' woman, and they all looked at me with envy.

Elias drew in a sharp breath. "Let me explain..."

I didn't even pause before filling in my signature.

After the final stroke of my signature, I looked at him. "Anything else?"

Elias stared at me like he couldn't believe it. But wasn't this exactly what he wanted? For me to hand everything over to Zoey? He should've been thrilled.

Zoey was practically ecstatic. However, she wore her usual fake sweetness like a glove. "Celia, don't worry. I'm just holding onto these things for you. Once you recover, I'll give everything back."

I stood, expression blank. I'd only come back to pick up the package containing my funeral clothes. I had what I came for, so there was no reason for me to linger.

As I turned to leave, Elias called after me.

His brow furrowed. "Cece... you've lost weight. A lot of weight."

I touched my hollow cheek and shrugged. "It's fine. I'm not dying today."

Something twisted painfully in Elias' chest. For once, his voice turned unexpectedly gentle. "Have you eaten? I can heat the leftovers from lunch. I made them myself."

Elias was a neat freak, so he hated the kitchens. He had never cooked a single meal for me, even at the peak of his love for me, but that changed after Zoey mentioned her stomach hurt.

After that, he taught himself to cook, even blistering his fingers with hot oil.

I'd once envied that. I wanted to try his food just once

He refused, saying it was exclusively for Zoey.

I was about to decline, but Elias had already headed into the kitchen without waiting for an answer.

Soon, only Zoey and I were left in the living room.

The look she gave me was full of malice. Then, she suddenly pulled out an emerald bracelet from behind her back and smiled. "Celia, I really like this bracelet. I want to give it to my mom. Can I have it?"

Elias had always kept that bracelet for me, locked in the safe.

"You can have anything else, but not that."

"Really?"

"Yes."

Zoey clicked her tongue. Then, she suddenly slammed the bracelet onto the floor.

"Then, you can have it back."

Time seemed to slow. I watched as the bracelet shattered on impact, breaking into four pieces.

She had always been two-faced. Polite and respectful in public. Cruel and arrogant in private.

Every time I tried telling Elias how she treated me, he accused me of targeting Zoey on purpose. Said I was being unreasonable.

I'd told myself not to waste energy fighting with her. Not when I was already so close to death.

Still, something inside me snapped as I stared at that shattered bracelet. A nameless fury burned away every last shred of reason.

Three Days Left

Why had every compromise I made only made Zoey bolder? I couldn't understand it. I couldn't understand why the more I backed down, the more shameless Zoey became.

I didn't hesitate to slap her.

She made no move to dodge.

Instead, she let the slap land and collapsed dramatically to the floor.

At the same time, I heard Elias' horrified shout ring out. "Stop!"

He charged out of the kitchen and kicked me away. The painkillers in my pocket spilled across the floor.

His heel came down directly on the wound near my waist. The pain exploded through me so violently that I couldn't even get up.

The doctor had warned me that my wounds would heal poorly due to my leukemia.

Blood quickly seeped through the fabric at my waist.

He looked down at me in disgust.

"Celia, I thought you'd changed. It turns out that this was just another one of your games. I'm the one who asked you to sign those agreements. If you're upset, take it out on me. There was no need to hit Zoey."

I forced the words through the pain. "She smashed the bracelet!"

Elias froze for a second, then scoffed. "It was just a bracelet. It's just some cheap junk from a street stall. How could you hit someone over that?"

My eyes burned red. "That was my mother's keepsake!"

He went still. Then, he looked at Zoey, who only looked at him pitifully.

He didn't even bother asking me what had happened. Instead, he immediately started blaming me. "So what if it was a keepsake? I'll have someone fix it. You're a grown woman. Was it really worth fighting with someone you owe over a bracelet?"

Someone I owed. Again with that debt! But what did I supposedly owe Zoey for?

I finally lost control. "What exactly do I owe her?"

Elias frowned. "When you were in that car accident, Zoey volunteered to donate blood for you. Isn't that enough?"

A hollow laugh caught in my throat. "She gave less than half an ounce before you made them stop. Was it because she had a cold, or because you couldn't bear seeing her uncomfortable?"

Elias slapped me hard across the face.

"Celia, how can you think something like that? Everything I've done has been for you. Yes, Zoey is a match for you, but that doesn't mean we use her every time you have some minor issue. She's not an object. She's a living person."

He cared about Zoey, but he had never once cared that I'd given Zoey one of my kidneys.

I pressed a hand to my cheek and let out a broken laugh.

…

Then, I crouched on the floor, trembling as I gathered the shattered pieces of the bracelet.

"Mom... I have nothing left."

Before she died, my mother had thanked Elias again and again. She had thanked God someone would love me in her place. But now, even that promise felt like a complete joke. A terrible one, but a joke nonetheless.

Elias watched me laugh as tears rolled down my cheeks. There was an unsettled look on his face. "Cece... you still have me."

And then, right in front of him, I collapsed.

…

When I woke up, I was back in the hospital.

The doctor looked at me with open sympathy. "Ms. Starling, your condition has worsened again. You have three days left."

"Three days until what?" Elias had walked in just in time to hear that.

I answered smoothly, "Three more days until I'm discharged."

He didn't doubt me for a second.

He set my pain medication on the table. "Don't forget to take your medicine. I already sent someone to repair your mom's bracelet. Zoey took it without permission, so I punished her."

I said nothing.

He smiled faintly. "I told her she's not allowed to talk to me for a whole day and to reflect on her mistakes."

He had never once cared to ask just what medicine I was taking.

Apparently, a day without speaking to him counted as punishment.

"Cheer up, Cece. Guess what surprise I brought you?"

The next second, he revealed what he'd been hiding behind his back. It was a wedding proposal book.

He held it out to me. "To keep you from overthinking, I've decided to marry you. The wedding's in three days. Once we're married, I'll take care of you. I won't let you suffer ever again."

My hands clenched into fists. I didn't take it.

He didn't push. Instead, he softened his tone. "Promise me something. Stop fighting with Zoey, okay? You know I'm only good to her for your sake."

Drained Dry

Elias' expression softened, as if everything could go back to normal. Still, I knew there was no going back.

"Elias, there's no need for a wedding. Let's break up."

He stared at me in shock before he said in an unbearably patient tone, "There you go again, saying things you don't mean. Zoey and I are completely innocent. She even volunteered to be your bridesmaid. Isn't that enough to put your mind at ease?"

A mocking smile tugged at my lips. I couldn't even be bothered arguing.

Three days. That was all I had left. I thought the worst was already over. I was wrong.

That was because Rachel, Elias' assistant, arrived with a group of bodyguards and dragged me into the blood transfusion room the very next morning.

She said Zoey had fallen from the stands while helping Elias rehearse for the wedding and needed a transfusion.

Inside, Elias paced anxiously.

Zoey sat in a wheelchair, basking in his concern as she shot me a provocative look.

Her so-called injury was a two-inch cut on her ankle. She barely lost any blood. That cut was superficial at best!

Elias didn't even wait for the nurse. He personally jabbed the needle into my arm, guilt written all over his face.

"I'm sorry, Cece. Zoey got hurt while helping scout things out for you, so you have a responsibility to help her. It's only a little blood. You're healthy. I'm sure you'll recover quickly. As soon as Zoey's okay, we'll have the wedding immediately."

Unfortunately, the blood flowing through the tube was pink.

Elias froze. He didn't know that was a sign of end-stage leukemia. Regardless, he knew enough to know that it wasn't normal.

Zoey's eyes flickered. Then, she struggled theatrically to rise from her wheelchair.

"Elias, I can't believe Celia would rather sabotage the blood than donate it. She must've done something to make it turn pink. Forget it. I don't want her blood. It's only a little blood loss. I'll be fine."

I almost laughed.

Elias had personally stuck the needle in my vein. What exactly could I have tampered with?

Alas, he straightened, his face hardening. "Celia, you almost fooled me."

He turned sharply. "Rachel, I'll leave this to you. Keep going until the blood runs red."

Then, he pushed Zoey away to see the doctor.

From the next room over, I heard the doctor's voice. "The patient is just mildly anemic. No transfusion is necessary."

Elias answered firmly, "No. I won't allow anything to happen to Zoey."

Elias' bodyguards stood around me, their eyes boring holes in me like hungry predators. They pinned down my arms and legs so I couldn't move.

Time dragged on, and every minute felt like a century.

They had already drawn nearly 27 ounces. The vein in my arm had all but stopped producing blood, yet the plasma remained pink, growing paler by the minute.

Rachel finally called Elias when she saw I was barely breathing, panic creeping into her voice. "Mr. Thatcher, we've already taken nearly 27 ounces, but..."

His voice came back cold and sharp. "That's not enough. Tell Celia I'll get her the best medicine, the best food to help her recover. Tell her to hold on a little longer."

My eyes were dead.

I pulled out my phone and texted the undertaker, instructing him to collect my body today.

As my blood drained away, so did my remaining body heat. My limbs turned colder and colder. Eventually, the spots in my vision finally overwhelmed the light. My head lolled to one side, and darkness swallowed me whole.

Rachel approached Elias with trembling hands 30 minutes later, carrying three large bags of pink blood.

He flew into a rage. "What the hell is this? Are you helping Celia mess with me, too?"

Then, he stormed toward the next room to confront me.

Rachel froze before looking at him with a stricken look on her face.

"Mr. Thatcher... didn't you know?" she whispered tremulously. "You drained Ms. Starling dry. She's dead."