I had just stepped out of the villa when Brian’s cold, emotionless voice came from behind me.

“Aurora, leave the safety bracelet. Daisy has been having nightmares lately. She needs it more than you.”

My footsteps halted at the threshold.

That bracelet was the only keepsake my parents had left me.

I turned back slowly, feeling a faint heat rise in my eyes.

He stood under the porch, expression indifferent, not even bothering to look up.

“Don’t make that pitiful face,” he said flatly. “If you can’t part with it, name your price.”

I smiled.

Nine years of marriage, and it wasn’t worth a single bracelet.

I should have known. In his eyes, I was never a wife, only a caged possession.

I no longer wanted to argue.

I only remembered that winter when I refused to give my ski goggles to Daisy.

He tore my coat apart in front of everyone and threw me into the snow,

watching me shiver in the freezing wind.

I walked up to Daisy, took off the bracelet, and placed it on her wrist myself.

“I hope your child will be safe,” I said softly.

For a brief second, Brian’s expression wavered,

as if he suddenly remembered I was human too.

But before he could speak, the bracelet slipped from Daisy’s wrist and shattered on the floor.

A shard of jade cut her leg, blood spilling in vivid red.

“Daisy!”

Brian’s face changed instantly. He rushed to hold her in his arms,

his voice panicked. “Call the family doctor!”

The servants all stood in silence, their eyes cold, laced with mockery.

I suddenly laughed.

Last night, when I had a heart attack, he was taking Daisy out to watch the stars.

I collapsed on the floor, gasping for air, while he stepped over me,

only telling the butler, “Change the carpet. I don’t want Daisy to smell it tomorrow.”

I pulled up my suitcase and turned to leave.

That cold hand seized me again.

“Apologize.”

I froze. “What did you say?”

He yanked me so hard I fell to the floor.

The jade shards cut into my knees, pain ripping through me.

“You hurt her and broke her things,” Brian said, towering over me. “Shouldn’t you say sorry?”

I suddenly recalled how many times I had said those two words over the years.

When the soup was too bland, I apologized.

When I texted him because I worried he drank too much, I apologized.

When I saw his flirtatious messages with Daisy, I still apologized.

Kneeling, I lowered my head and bowed three times to Daisy.

“I’m sorry.”

When I lifted my face again, blood was on my lips, but my smile was calm.

“Brian, is that enough?”

He sneered and leaned closer. “Don’t forget, your father is dead. There’s no one left to protect you.”

I didn’t respond.

When the doctor arrived, he brushed past me

as if I were nothing but air, but dust.

I stood there, watching him gently wipe Daisy’s tears.

And in that moment, I felt strangely light.

Perhaps this would be the last time I stood in this house.

Because I finally understood that in this place called “home,” there had never been a place for me.

I watched Brian carry Daisy away in panic while the others whispered.

No one looked at me again.

At that moment, I realized there was nothing left for me to lose.

Dragging my suitcase, I walked quickly down the hallway. The villa’s front door was ahead. The cold wind rushed in, and for the first time, that chill felt sobering.

Just as my hand touched the doorknob, a car horn sounded outside.

Honk. Honk.

A silver-gray sedan stopped outside the gate. The window was half rolled down, and I saw Grant in the driver’s seat, waving at me.

My heart leapt. For a moment, hope flooded through me, and I ran toward the gate.

But before I could push it open, two bodyguards stepped out from the shadows.

Expressionless, they seized me roughly, dragging me back inside like I was nothing more than cargo.

I struggled with all my strength, but they forced me into the study.

Brian sat behind his desk, his face cold and sharp, his long fingers tapping lightly against the wood.

“So you really planned to leave?” he said calmly.

I didn’t answer. I just stared at him, my eyes hollow.

His faint smile disappeared, replaced by a dark, heavy chill.

“If you’re that eager to go, then finish what you owe first.”

Moments later, my hands were tied behind the chair.

The metallic glint of the syringe caught the light, and a cold sensation spread through my veins.

The doctor’s voice trembled. “Mr. Brian, your wife has a heart condition. Taking too much blood could be life-threatening. And though she and Miss Daisy share the same blood type, her blood pressure is dangerously low.”

“Enough,” Brian said icily. “Do as I say. Daisy is pregnant. Nothing can happen to her.”

A chill ran down my fingertips.

I bit my lip hard, my breathing growing shallow.

“Does it hurt?”

He leaned close, his voice suddenly soft.

“Endure it a little. It’ll be over soon.”

I turned my head away, refusing to look at him.

The dark red inside the syringe slowly filled, draining from me until the world began to spin.

By the time they had taken 800cc of blood, I could barely speak. My lips were pale as paper, and my chest burned with tearing pain.

Then, from the bedroom, came a faint cough.

It was Daisy’s voice.

Brian whipped around, his face changing instantly.

“Take twice as much.”

The doctor was drenched in sweat. “Sir, if we take more, she might—”

“I said, take it.”

His voice was sharp and cold as a blade.

I lifted my head slowly, my voice weak but steady. “Do it… but afterward, you’ll let me go.”

The doctor froze. Brian’s expression darkened, a storm flickering in his eyes.

He looked at me, anger and something unspoken twisting inside his gaze.

He opened his mouth as if to say something.

But before he could, that familiar soft voice called from the bedroom.

“Brian… I don’t feel well.”

He turned immediately and left without another word.

I watched him disappear behind the closing door.

The syringe was still in my arm, my blood still flowing out slowly.

I smiled, lips tinged with the pale color of blood.

So, even my own blood didn’t belong to me.

The curtains in the VIP ward were tightly drawn. The air smelled of disinfectant.

When I woke, a needle was still in my arm. The steady drip of the IV mixed with the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor.

The weakness from the blood loss made even lifting my hand a battle.

For the past few days, Brian had been unusually “gentle.”

He fed me medicine, brought me food, even whispered softly before I fell asleep.

“You scared me, Aurora.”

“If something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”

I turned my face away, avoiding the hand he reached toward me.

That same hand had gripped my wrist not long ago and forced the blood out of my veins.

He sighed, his tone soft, almost tender. “I know you hate me. But Daisy’s condition is dangerous. I had to save her. You’re strong, you recover fast. I’ll make it up to you this time. Whatever you want—even leaving this villa—I’ll consider it.”

I let out a cold laugh. “Consider it? Since when have you ever done anything I wanted?”

Brian’s expression froze for a moment, then smoothed back into calm.

“We’ll talk when you’re in a better mood,” he said quietly, tucking the blanket around me before turning to leave.

When the door closed, I could almost hear my own trembling breath.

Not long after, loud voices erupted outside the ward.

I was about to get up when the door was suddenly slammed open.

A few young men and women burst in, carrying champagne bottles and a portable speaker.

Their laughter was sharp and grating.

Leading them was Daisy, dressed in a pale pink dress that outlined her slightly swollen belly. A triumphant smile played on her lips.

“Sister, I heard you woke up?” Her voice dripped with syrupy sweetness. “I was in such a good mood today, I just had to come see you. After all, your blood is flowing inside me.”

I forced myself upright despite the dizziness, my voice hoarse. “This is a hospital. Get out.”

“Oh, don’t be so fierce.” Daisy stepped closer, amusement glinting in her eyes like the edge of a knife.

“I heard you’re pretty weak this time. The doctor said it’ll take half a year for you to recover? So tragic. Lost too much blood and still had to watch yourself save someone else’s life.”

I bit down on my lip, the taste of blood spreading across my tongue.

She kept talking, her tone light and mocking. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to cherish this life you gave me. After all, Brian said he’d never forgive himself if anything happened to me—even when you were almost dying.”

Laughter burst around us as the group raised their glasses.

“To Daisy—and to Aurora’s generous sacrifice!”

My whole body trembled, my chest rising and falling violently as my blood seemed to boil.

“Enough!” I screamed, my voice raw. “Get out!”

But Daisy only smiled wider.

“Why so angry? You can barely take care of yourself, and you still want to throw us out?”

She leaned closer, her tone turning sickeningly sweet.

“Did you know? Brian just came to see me. He even fed me soup himself. He said he owes me a life.”

I reached out to push her away, but she slapped me across the face.

The sound cracked through the air.

I almost fell, my vision going dark.

The next second, she grabbed my chin, leaned close, and whispered, “Now it’s fair, sister. Your blood saved me, but your man was always mine.”

Smiling, she turned to the others. “Tie her up. I don’t want her fainting again from excitement.”

They forced me down, strapping my wrists and ankles to the bed.

I heard Daisy’s voice by my ear, soft as a lullaby. “Don’t worry. I won’t kill you. Brian still needs you alive—to give more blood.”

I tried to scream, but no sound came out.

Then footsteps echoed from the hallway.

Brian was back.

Daisy instantly softened her face, adopting that fragile look she wore so well. She walked toward him.

“You’re back. Aurora’s exhausted. Let her rest. The doctor said she shouldn’t be upset. I’ll take care of her.”

“You’re such a good girl,” Brian said, gently stroking her hair.