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."