Chapter three

CLAIRE

I was passing through a door that was left slightly ajar when the sound of a soft laughter reached me and I stopped in my tracks.

The voice sounded so much like Irene, I went closer and stared through the slightly opened door and my heart stopped.

She was seated on the bed with Jeff by her side, her feet were placed on him and he was massaging them gently.

She said something and he smiled while staring at her with so much tenderness in his gaze that it brought tears from my eyes.

The face that was always scowling, angry or looking irritated anytime he was with me is the face that was actually smiling at my step sister.

I had always yawned for him to look at me with such tender expression but he didn't but now, see him staring at Irene like she hung the moon.

I tried to swallow past the lump that had suddenly lodged in my throat.

I realized a few things as I watched him. He is not that cold, he is only cold towards me and incapable of love, he is not capable of showing me love.

The tears flowed down my cheeks, blinding me.

I have told myself a million times to just let him go but my heart just won't obey me, it kept making excuses for him, kept believing that one day he will change and learn to love me. It's been five years already and he still looks at me with that same contempt, and still blames me for manipulating him into this marriage.

Irene suddenly coughed and Jeff's face immediately grew concerned.

“I'm thirsty Jeff, I need water please”. She murmured and Jeff quickly stood up.

“Don't worry, I'll be right back”. He replied and placed a kiss on her forehead before moving towards the door.

I flattened myself against the wall but there wouldn't have been need for that because he was too lost in his thoughts to even notice me.

“If I were you, I'll give up on him because Jeff can never love you as long as I live”. Irene suddenly said with a stronger voice and with a start, I realized that she knew about my presence all along.

I slowly walked into the room and stared at her coldly, “but he is married to me and not you, if I were you, I'll give up on him because no matter what you do, he won't get married to you as long as I live”.

Irene's face darkened with anger and suddenly she burst into a fit of laughter, after a while, she quietened down and stared at me coldly.

“That is why I am making sure that you leave this planet earth”. She snarled and something in her tone told me that this wasn't mere words, she meant it.

“What do you mean?” I asked and she sneered.

“Not only do I need blood, I need a heart also and you are going to donate both”.

I could feel the blood drained from my face at what she was implying and she laughed at my reaction.

“Whatever test you are going to do today will show that you are the rightful donor and then, your heart will be ripped out but no transplant will be done and you dear sister will be gone…puff…” she said as she made gesture with her fingers when she pronounced “puff”

“You will be gone to hell to meet your worthless mother over there”. She snarled and anger that I haven't felt before suddenly overwhelmed me.

How dare she put up something like this, planning to kill me and my baby.

“How dare you!” I screeched and grabbed her neck.

“You will die before I let you harm me”. I snarled, dragging her from the bed.

“Let me go, you bitch”. She screeched and tried to pull away but I wasn't letting her go that easily.

Suddenly the door opened and from the corner of my eyes, I saw the look of shock on Jeff's face.

“What the…” Jeff snarled before dashing towards us.

He grabbed me with so much force that I would have fell down if not for his hold.

His palm connected with my cheek so hard that my head reeled back from the force of the hit.

I stood there for a second, feeling dazed.

Jeff might have been cold towards me all these years and had never shown me affection but he had never hit me and for the fact that he raised his hand on me all because of his lover cuts deeper.

I could taste the blood in my mouth and I don't need to be told that I now have a splitter lip.

For a moment, he looked shocked by his actions and then, his gaze went furious.

“How dare you lay your hands on a sick and helpless person?” He snarled and my stunned gaze fell on Irene.

She was sobbing softly and had run towards him, she hid behind him quietly feigning cries.

“Sick and helpless”. I repeated and my mocking laughter was directed towards me and the joke of everything.

“This woman is not sick and she wants my heart too”. I said desperately, hoping against hope that he'll believe me but his next word killed that hope.

“Enough! You can be her heart donor also after the blood transfusion”. He bit out and I stumbled backwards as if he had just shot me. I stared at him as if I was seeing him for the first time.

“You want me to donate my heart to her?” I whispered hoarsely, my heart squeezed in pain”. His eyes flickered from mine for a moment before coming back to rest on me.

“It's the least you can do for manipulating me into this marriage…you tire us apart”.

The bubble of laughter started from deep inside of me before erupting from my lips, it seemed like a joke. How could he be this cruel?

“She only wants to kill me Jeff and you are letting her, she has no heart problem neither does she needs a blood donor, she is perfectly fine”.

“Do you want to tell me that the doctors are lying and she's here in this hospital for a vacation trip?” he asked coldly.

“Why won't you believe me? She told me herself that she has no heart condition…she just bribed the doctors to get them on her side”. 

“Enough Claire, this hospital is owned by the Andersons…I owned this hospital and I didn't employ quack doctors to run my hospital”.

I opened my mouth to argue with him but Irene cut me off.

“I know that you've never liked me as your sister Clair but please, do not insult Jeff's hospital because all the doctors here are professional”. She said in between coughs and Jeff gently led her to lie down on the bed before turning towards me.

Irene grabbed his arm and he turned to stare down at her.

“I think Claire is angry because she doesn't want to give me her heart, perhaps we should look for another person that…”

“Claire will donate her heart whether she likes it or not”. Jeff gritted and glared at me, from behind him, I could see Irene smirked at me.

“I won't donate”. I replied stubbornly and started to walk out but I was stopped at the door by those guards I had seen outside when I first came to the hospital.

With a nod from Jeff, they grabbed me and started dragging me towards the theatre.