Isabella’s POV

His words struck something deep in me, and my heart pounded faster in my chest.

I placed my hand on my stomach again. I thought about the long, lonely nights that I had cried, praying for a miracle. I remembered the ache every time someone announced a pregnancy.

And now, that my prayers were finally answered, I was about to throw it away because of Marcus, and his betrayal.

This time, I couldn’t control myself, I burst into tears, closing my eyes. The thought of getting rid of my little miracle caused my heart to ache.

“No,” I whispered, shaking my head frantically. “I… I can’t do this.”

The doctor blinked. “You mean—?”

“I’m keeping the baby.” My voice broke, but it sounded firm. “I don’t care if I have to raise this child alone. This child is mine. They’re a blessing, not a mistake.”

The doctor gave me a relieved smile, nodding in encouragement. “I think that’s the right decision.”

As I stepped out of the hospital, the weight in my chest was lifted, and I was filled with hope, because in three days, I would be starting a new life, with my child.

“Isabella!” A familiar voice yelled from behind me.

It was Marcus. I tensed, reluctantly turning to face him.

Before I could say anything, he gripped my arm tightly with a frantic look in his eyes.

“Thank goodness I saw you here!” He exclaimed, tightening his grip on my arm.

I furrowed my eyebrows in surprise and confusion. “What… what’s going on?” I asked.

“It’s Bianca,” he said, “She’s in the hospital. She had a high fever all night from the crying and from the beating you gave her,” he added sharply, glaring at me. “You did this, Isabella.”

I glared back at him. “I told you that I didn’t touch her, Marcus!”

But he wasn’t listening.

“She passed out this morning, Isabella,” he continued, ignoring my words. “Her fever got worse. She’s weak. Now, the doctors say she needs a blood transfusion.”

My heart sank. “What does that have to do with me?”

Marcus stared at me, clenching his jaw. “You’re a universal donor, Isabella. Bianca’s blood type is rare, and you’re the only match available right now.”

My breath caught.

“Wait,” I said slowly, blinking up at him. “You want me to donate my blood to her? After everything?”

“I don’t have time for this,” he snapped. “This is about saving two lives. You can be bitter and selfish later. Right now, you’re going to do the right thing.”

He started dragging me away.

I dug my heels into the floor to resist as he dragged me forward. “You can’t do this! There are other people you can get blood from. You can get blood from a blood bank. Why me?” I protested.

He stopped walking, and turned to me, his voice cold. “Because this is all your fault.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “I didn’t touch her!” I exclaimed, willing him to believe me. “She lied to you!”

He didn’t listen to me. He kept dragging me.

Something in me broke as I realized that he would never believe me over Bianca. I was too tired to argue, and too exhausted to keep screaming into deaf ears.

“I’m pregnant,” I whispered as a last resort. I never wanted to tell him, but I had no choice.

Marco turned slowly with his eyebrows lifted in disbelief. “What did you say?”

“I’m pregnant,” I repeated, louder this time with my voice shaking. “The doctor said that it was a miracle that I had gotten pregnant. This pregnancy is a high risk pregnancy. If you do this, you’ll kill it, Marco. You’ll kill our child.”

There was a long, heavy pause.

Then Marco laughed. It was a cruel and mocking laugh that hurt my ears.

“Really? Really, Isabella?” he sneered. “You are that despicable? You would lie about something like this just to escape your responsibility?”

My lips parted in shock, and my eyes widened in disbelief.

“I know you’re desperate, but faking a pregnancy?” He shook his head like I disgusted him. “That’s a new low, even for you.”

“But…but it’s the truth,” I hissed, my eyes watering with tears.

He scoffed, glaring down at me. “The truth? You’re a lying bitch that can never tell the truth. You will give the blood, and that’s final.” He said with finality in his voice.

Rage, betrayal and disbelief burned within me. I yanked my arm away from his.

“I won’t do it,” I hissed, “I won’t risk my baby’s life for Bianca.”

“You selfish bitch,” he spat. “You would let someone die!”

“No,” I snapped. “But I won’t let my baby die either.”

Marcus’ eyes blazed with rage. “If you don't do this, I will raze down that orphanage personally, and make you watch.” He gritted through clenched teeth.

Isabella's POV

My blood ran cold. He was threatening the orphanage again. He knew how much it meant to me.

My father had started that orphanage. It was all I had of him. The children in the orphanage were like family to me.

“You wouldn’t,” I whispered, my voice trembling.

Marcus stepped closer, his face was twisted into a snarl. “Try me.”

I stared up at him, breathing heavily as my heart shattered. How could someone I once loved, someone I once trusted, become my worst enemy?

My hand moved over to my stomach again, and tears ran down my face silently.

When Marcus dragged me again, I didn't resist. I quietly followed him, crying silently.

We stepped into the VIP room Marcus had gotten for Bianca. She was lying on the bed, connected to monitors and IV fluids, looking weak and pale. Her eyes were red, and she kept whimpering like she was in pain.

Marcus rushed to her side instantly. “Bianca, I’m here,” he said, grabbing her hand gently. “Don’t worry, I brought Isabella. You’ll be okay now.”

Bianca barely moved. Her voice came out in a shaky whisper. “It hurts, Marcus... I feel so much pain...”

I stood there, silent, watching as my husband whispered softly to Bianca. My stomach twisted as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face with so much gentleness.

However, when Marcus turned to call a doctor, Bianca suddenly opened one eye and winked at me with a mischievous smirk on her lips.

My body tensed. Did she seriously just do that? Was everything just a pretense? I was risking the life of my baby for a charade.

I clenched my fists in rage, gritting my teeth. How dare she?

I stepped forward, ready to speak, but Marcus turned around and grabbed my hand tightly. His fingers dug into my skin, and I winced.

His eyes stared into mine with a fierce glare, and I instantly understood his message. He was warning me.

A shiver ran down my spine as I remembered his threat concerning the orphanage.

The door opened again, and a doctor walked in. Marcus turned to her like she was his last hope.

“She’s getting worse,” he said quickly. “We need the transfusion now.”

The doctor nodded calmly. “She’s stable for now. We can hold off on the transfusion for now, until—”

Bianca whimpered.

“No!” Marcus snapped. “The donor is right here,” He pointed to me like I was a stranger that he had nothing to do with.

The doctor gave me a brief look, then nodded and instructed the nurses to start setting up.

A cold sweat ran down my spine as I stared at the needle in the doctor’s hands. I had a phobia for needles, and Marcus knew that. Normally, he would hold my hand, and whisper soothing words to calm me.

Marcus stared at me and for a second, he reached out like he remembered, but when Bianca whimpered, he dropped my hand quickly and rushed to her side, forgetting me completely.

My heart clenched, and I swallowed hard.

I turned my head away when the doctor approached me with the needle. My stomach turned with fear and pain. I squeezed my eyes shut. Please… please stop this… please, someone… I pleaded within me.

Just as he was about to insert it, the door burst open, and another doctor rushed in.

“Wait!” he called out, hurrying in with a file in his hands and panic in his voice. “Stop right now!”

Everyone turned to him.

“Mrs. Pierce is pregnant,” the doctor said breathlessly.

The doctor holding the needle stepped back.

Marcus spluttered in disbelief. “W-What? That's not possible. H-How?”

The doctor hurried forward with the file in his hands. “She was scheduled for an abortion this morning, but she cancelled it. Here.” He said, handing the file to Marcus.

I released a deep breath of relief. For the first time in days, I felt like I could finally breathe.

The doctor had confirmed it, he had proved that I was telling the truth.

But before the relief could settle, Marco spoke up with a cold and merciless voice.

“Take the blood.”

My eyes widened. “What?”

Isabella’s POV

The doctors and nurses present were stunned.

“Mr. Pierce… your wife cannot donate blood. Didn’t you hear what the doctor said?” One of the nurses spluttered in disbelief. “Mrs. Pierce is pregnant, and her pregnancy is a high-risk pregnancy. Any slight issues could cause her to lose the child.”

Marcus’ eyes were blank and merciless as he stepped forward. “I heard,” he said coldly. “And I said take the blood.”

The doctor glanced at him and me, looking helplessly. “Sir, we could lose both the mother and the baby. This is against medical protocol—”

“I don’t care about your protocol,” Marcus cut in sharply. “I’m paying a lot of money, so do your job.”

I could barely breathe. My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the man in front of me. The man I married. The man I once loved, but he wasn’t the same person anymore.

Marcus gritted his teeth, glaring at them. “I am Marcus Pierce. If you don’t do as I say, I will shut down this hospital, and make you all miserable!” He barked.

Their eyes widened in horror at his words. He was threatening them, just like he was threatening me, all for Bianca.

The nurse hesitated, then turned to me. “Mrs. Pierce… we need your consent.”

I just sat there, gaping in shock as I stared at Marcus.

“Marcus, you claimed that you have always wanted a child, and now that you have it, you want to throw it away because of Bianca’s fake fever?” I asked in disbelief.

Marcus scowled. “What difference does it make? You were about to abort it anyways.”

I gave him an incredulous look. “But you just heard that I cancelled it!” I retorted.

Marcus sighed, shaking his head. “Look Isabella, Bianca’s pregnancy is far more stable than yours,” he said softly. “The doctors said your pregnancy is high-risk. There’s a huge chance you will lose it anyway. But Bianca… she has a chance.”

My stomach dropped, and I blinked. “So you’re willing to kill my child… for hers?”

“It’s not like that,” he said quickly, stepping forward. “This is a medical decision. Bianca’s vitals are crashing. She needs the transfusion. Your pregnancy is uncertain. You might not even make it to the second month.”

I stared at him in shock and horror.

No, this wasn’t about making a medical decision.

Marcus wasn’t just saving a child, he was choosing a woman.

And it wasn’t me.

My hands trembled as I looked at him. If I had tears left, I would have started crying now.

“You’ve already chosen her,” I whispered. “Haven’t you?”

His eyes flickered with an unreadable expression. He opened his mouth to speak, but Bianca coughed dramatically from the bed, and that was all it took. Marcus turned his back on me again and rushed to her side.

A chill ran down my spine as the truth dawned on me.

There was no use screaming or fighting. I wanted to beg the nurses not to take my blood, but what was the point? Their hands were tied—he had threatened them.

The nurse gently touched my arm with pity in her eyes. “Mrs. Pierce… do we have your consent?”

My lips trembled, and for a second I couldn’t speak. I looked one last time at Marcus.

He didn’t even look back.

I swallowed hard. “Do what you have to,” I said quietly.

I was resigned to my fate, whatever would happen, would happen.

The doctor inserted the needle into my arm, and I didn’t even wince.

The needle pierced my skin, and blood began to flow.

I had no tears left to cry, so all I could do was stare at the floor blankly, trying to breathe, and stay calm.

My chest tightened and a wave of dizziness crashed over me.

Something was wrong.

I gasped, trying to lift my head, but my vision blurred. My heart began to pound so fast that it hurt.

The nurse closest to me glanced at the monitor and immediately panicked. “Something’s wrong, her vitals are dropping!”

“Stop the transfusion,” the doctor barked, rushing toward me. “She’s crashing!”

Bianca whimpered pitifully, causing Marcus to panic.

“No!” Marcus shoved the doctor away so hard that he stumbled backward. “Don’t stop it! Bianca needs the blood! She’s crashing too!”

“She’s not crashing,” the nurse shouted back. “Her vitals are stable!”

“You don’t know anything!” Marcus roared. “Look at her. She’s pale and she’s in pain. She’s not okay! Don’t stop it, damn it!”

I released a cry as a sharp wave of pain pierced through me, but Marcus barely glanced at me. His whole attention was on Bianca, and her fake act.

My whole body trembled. I was barely conscious, barely hanging on. The world was spinning so fast, and I could taste blood in my mouth.

This was it. I was dying.

Regret washed over me as my mind flashed back to Alexander.

The way he had said ‘finally’. Like he had always been waiting for me, and like a fool, I had asked him to wait. I hadn’t said yes.

I could see the doctors and nurses begging with Marcus to reconsider as they watched me with wide fearful fears, but he remained unbothered, looking at Bianca like she was his everything.

My lips moved, and I whispered the only thing I could.

“God… please… save my baby…”

And then the world turned black.