Chapter 5

Her mother’s weeping sounded through the receiver, and Melanie sat bolt upright in bed. “Mom, what are you talking about? Who’s forcing Dad to give his blood?”

“It’s Sebastian! After you left yesterday, I was worried about you two, so I went out after you. I called Sebastian, and he told your dad and me to meet him at the hospital. But the second we arrived, he started demanding blood from your dad to save some woman!

“We want to help, we really do, but your dad’s no young man anymore. He really can’t do this!”

Her heart shuddered violently as Melanie’s mind descended into a blank.

Sebastian was forcing her father to give blood to Kylie?

The man was out of his mind!

Her father was sixty-two, well past the age for donating blood.

On top of that, he was in poor health. Doctors had explicitly stated he could never donate blood under any circumstances.

Without a second thought, Melanie immediately drove to the hospital.

Still burning with a fever, she couldn’t care about anything else. She sped through the streets, running three red lights, and finally pulled up to the hospital after ten minutes.

When she arrived, her mother was kneeling in the corridor, clutching the hem of Sebastian’s pants, sobbing hysterically.

“Sebastian, please, for the sake of Melanie, stop this! He’s so old, his body can’t take it!”

“Mrs. Tucker, I really don’t wanna do this. But you have Melanie to blame for this. She caused Kylie to lose her baby and suffer a massive hemorrhage. I called her so many times, but she refused to answer. I know Mr. Tucker has Rh-negative blood. Don’t worry, I won’t make him give too much. 2 pints will do.”

When Sebastian finished speaking, her mother nearly passed out on the spot.

“2 pints? His health can’t handle that—”

No matter how pitifully her mother begged, Sebastian remained entirely unmoved.

Now it dawned on Melanie. Their endless stream of phone calls last night hadn’t been because they realized their mistake, nor were they trying to apologize or ask her to stay.

They had wanted her to come and give her blood to Kylie.

“Mom! Get up, stop begging him!”

Melanie rushed forward, yanking her mother up from the cold floor.

“Melanie, quick, tell Sebastian! Tell him, please!”

Her mother’s eyes were swollen red from crying. Biting her lip, Melanie turned her red-rimmed eyes toward Sebastian.

“Where is my dad?”

Catching sight of her, Sebastian’s gaze turned frigid, frosted over. “In there, getting his blood taken.”

“In there?”

Melanie stepped up to the door and began frantically pounding against it.

“Open the door! Open this door right now! My dad isn’t giving blood voluntarily! He’s sixty-two—he can’t donate blood! You’re killing him! Open the door!”

She pounded with everything she had, squeezing out every ounce of her remaining strength.

Unable to watch any longer, Olivia stepped over to restrain her.

“Melanie, stop it right now! Kylie is receiving emergency treatment in there. You’re making a scene! Don’t you realize you’re putting Kylie’s life in danger?”

“Her life, in danger? What about my dad’s life? Do you even know what 2 pints means for an elderly person? Olivia, my dad treated you like a daughter. Have you forgotten that? Why are you siding with them?”

Melanie could barely bring herself to finish the sentence.

She kept slamming her fist against the door. “Open the door! Open the door right now, or I’ll call the police! I’ll make sure this hospital gets shut down!”

“Enough!”

Sebastian strode over and grabbed her arm with a ruthless grip.

“Haven’t you thrown enough of a tantrum? If not for you, would Kylie have jumped from the balcony? If not for you, would we have lost our baby? Kylie wouldn’t need a blood donor right now, if not for you! Even now, instead of finding a way to make amends, you’re trying to stop your dad from saving her life. How vile can you be?”

She was already frail from her fever. Under his violent shove, she stumbled back a few paces and fell hard onto the floor.

Witnessing the scene, Melanie’s mother sobbed even harder.

“Stop, Sebastian, don’t lay a hand on her! Remember that day at our place, how you promised to treat her well for the rest of your life? What changed? Why are you doing this? Who is that woman inside?”

“Mom, stop asking!”

Melanie gritted her teeth, pulling out her phone to call the authority.

“I’m calling the police. I’ll make every single one of you pay for this!”