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.

Isabella’s POV

When I opened my eyes next, I wished that I was dead. All my body throbbed with pain, and a strange sense of emptiness settled within me.

“Oh, Mrs. Pierce. We are so glad that you’re finally awake. We were worried that we would lose you.” A female doctor said from beside me.

My throat burned. My body felt heavy and bruised, like I had been dragged through hell twice

I groaned weakly, blinking at the piercing hospital lights. For a moment, I was confused and disoriented. Why was I here? Why did everything hurt?

Then everything came flooding back.

The abortion, Marcus, Bianca, the transfusion, the intense pain, the chaos, and the fear.

My eyes widened as realization struck me, and I turned my head slowly toward the doctor with fear pounding in my chest.

There was something on her face, like a sorrowful expression.

A chill ran down my spine as dread spread throughout my bones.

I was scared to ask, but I had to.

“My baby…” I croaked, my voice hoarse. “What about my baby?”

The doctor hesitated, and that hesitation was all I needed. My heart sank, and my blood ran cold.

Her lips parted, and she shook her head slowly and gently.

“I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “We did everything we could… but the baby didn’t make it.”

Everything paused for a moment, and I gasped.

My heart pounded painfully against my ribs. I felt like I had been punched in the chest hard, and my lungs refused to work. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

I thought I had no tears left. I thought I was numb, but I was wrong.

I released an inhuman cry that tore at my aching throat. My shoulders shook as I sobbed, harder than I ever had in my life.

I cried for the life I never got to meet, I cried for the tiny heartbeat that had been in me, I cried because Marcus had stolen this from me, something I could never get back.

At that moment, I wished that I had aborted the child earlier, because I had become attached so fast that losing it now was ripping me to pieces.

The doctor stayed silent, giving me space to cry my heart out.

After what felt like forever, I wiped at my teary face with trembling fingers. My mind flashed back to Alexander’s offer, and I swallowed.

“What day is it?” I croaked, my voice trembling.

The doctor gave me a sad smile. “It’s Thursday. You’ve been unconscious for two days.”

My eyes widened, and I began calculating the days that Alexander had given me to think of his offer.

“I need my phone!” I cried, frantically looking around for it.

“Calm down, Mrs. Pierce, it’s in the drawer of the table beside you.” She said calmly, trying to soothe me.

My hands shook as I typed a message to Alexander.

— I accept your offer, meet me at the orphanage in three hours. —

His reply came immediately.

—Finally, I was beginning to think that you had changed your mind.—

I replied. — Never —

“Do you need anything else, Mrs. Pierce?” The doctor asked softly.

I gave her a bitter smile as I asked her a question that I already knew the answer to. “Did anyone come to see me?” I asked.

From her facial expression, I already knew the answer.

She shook her head, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Pierce, but no.”

I didn’t feel anything. No pain, no sadness, nothing. All I felt was a hollow ache, like something had been taken out of me, and could never be filled again

I turned away from the doctor silently, and stared blankly at the wall for a long time. I didn’t even notice when the doctor left the room.

Slowly, I pushed the blanket off me. Moving was very painful, but I ignored the pain.

“Mrs. Pierce?” the nurse who just walked in, called softly when she saw me shift. “Please, you need to rest, your body is still in recovery. You lost a lot of blood, and your stitches—”

“I’m leaving,” I said flatly, my voice was cold and emotionless. “I don’t need rest. I’m taking my life into my hands right now.”

She stepped closer, trying to stop me. “You’re not stable enough to be discharged. We haven’t even—”

“I wasn’t asking,” I snapped, my eyes flashing to hers. “Just give me whatever I need to sign.”

Her lips parted, and she hesitated again. However, she must have seen something in me that told her not to argue. She nodded and walked out, and within a few minutes, she came back with the discharge forms.

Every step I took out of that bed was torture. My legs trembled, and my back ached, but like always, I ignored them. I grabbed my phone and all my belongings and walked out of the room.

As I walked down the hallway, something made me pause for a moment. I caught a glimpse of Marcus and Bianca in another room, smiling and completely unbothered.

Isabella’s POV

Marcus was feeding her gently with soup, smiling at her with so much love.

Watching them before would have caused my heart to ache, but now, I felt nothing. I turned to leave to avoid them seeing me, but like always, I had terrible luck.

“Isabella?” Marcus’s voice reached my ears, and I tensed, gritting my teeth in annoyance.

I turned slowly keeping my face blank and emotionless as I stared at him. His expression faltered the moment our eyes met. I could see the guilt burning in his eyes, as if he had just realized that I existed.

“I… I didn’t know you were awake,” he stammered, standing up from beside Bianca. “How… how are you feeling?”

I didn’t answer. I didn’t even blink. I just stared. My silence spoke louder than anything I would have said.

He looked down with shame on his face. “Your sacrifice… it wasn’t in vain,” he said gently, lifting his eyes to look at me. “Look, Bianca is fine. The baby is very healthy and strong. You saved them both.”

I couldn’t help it, I laughed bitterly and humorlessly, and Marcus flinched at the harsh sound.

Bianca rested a hand on her belly, smiling sweetly, but her eyes shone with glee. “Marcus has been taking such good care of me. He never left my side for once.”

I wasn’t interested in hearing any more, so I turned without saying anything, ready to walk away, but Marcus jumped up, reaching out to me. “Wait please, Isabella, just wait.”

I paused, not because I wanted to, but because I wanted to hear the nonsense he would say.

“I’m throwing a party this evening,” he said quickly. “To celebrate your recovery… and Bianca’s safe return home. We all went through a lot, and I just want to bring everyone together. My father will be there, he really wants to see you.”

Still, I didn’t say a word.

He stepped closer, trying to soften his voice. “Let me give you a ride home. We’re all going the same way anyway.”

“I’m not going home,” I said flatly. “I’m going to the orphanage.”

Alexander had promised to protect the orphanage when I agreed to his proposal, so I just wanted to make sure everything was in place. I wanted to make sure no one could ever use it against me again, and that Marcus could never touch the only piece of my father I had left.

Marcus blinked in confusion. “The orphanage? Why?”

I tilted my head, expression still blank. “Because I have business to handle. Don’t bother yourself about it.”

Bianca perked up. “Oh! That’s perfect. I’ve been meaning to visit anyway. It is our father’s orphanage, after all.”

I lifted an eyebrow at her in surprise. She had always wanted nothing to do with the orphanage.

Marcus nodded immediately. “Then we’ll come with you. That sounds great.”

I stared at him, stunned for a moment by the speed of his agreement. This was the same Marcus who always rolled his eyes at the mention of the orphanage. The same Marcus who said it was a burden, a waste of money, an unnecessary sentiment.

But now that Bianca mentioned it, he quickly agreed.

I scoffed under my breath, watching them with a sneer on my face.

“Fine,” I said coolly. “You can come with me. But I need one last thing from you.”

Marcus straightened slightly, looking hopeful. “Anything.”

I reached into my bag, and pulled out the document that I had been carrying since he brought Bianca home. “Sign this.”

He blinked at me, furrowing his eyebrows as he took the papers from me. “What is it?”

“My discharge form,” I replied with a blank expression.

He hesitated for a second.

Marcus had always been very careful with whatever he signed. He made sure he read it carefully, no matter what it was. However, immediately he glanced at Bianca, and she smiled coyly at him, batting her lashes, he forgot all about his carefulness.

“I’m getting tired, Marcus,” she said sweetly. “Let’s go home fast..”

He nodded, barely glancing at the document before signing the document. The moment he finished signing, a small satisfied smirk crossed my lips.

“Thank you,” I said, placing the document back in my bag. “Now I’m free.”

He didn’t understand the double meaning in my words as he kept fussing over Bianca.