Chapter 6

Before she could even pull up the phone, Sebastian snatched it from her hands and slammed it violently onto the floor.

With a shattering crunch, the phone split apart, its screen fading into darkness.

Melanie froze. That phone had been a gift from Sebastian for their third anniversary.

Engraved on the back in his own handwriting were the words: “From Sebastian, with love.”

Yet just now, he had crushed it with his own hands.

“Have you calmed down now?” Seeing her go completely still, Sebastian’s tone cooled. “I know your father is too old to give blood, but to save a life, I had no choice. Once Kylie recovers, I’ll compensate him handsomely. He can name any number.

“As for the phone, I’ll buy you a new one. Haven’t you been wanting the latest model? I’ll get it for you.”

Melanie slowly lifted her gaze to look at him, her eyes brimming with pure hatred.

“Sebastian Haynes, you disgust me!”

Meeting her stare, Sebastian’s frame trembled violently.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the doors to the operating room were suddenly pushed open.

A doctor hurried out. “The patient has lost too much blood! 2 pints still isn’t enough!”

Sebastian frowned. “What are you waiting for? Keep drawing!”

“But Mr. Tucker is elderly. If we draw any more, he might—”

“I’m telling you one more time, keep drawing! You gotta save Kylie!”

For Kylie’s sake, Sebastian had truly lost his mind.

Melanie crawled across the floor, weakly grabbing the hem of his trousers.

“Take mine.

“Don’t draw any more from my dad. Take mine.”

Sebastian looked down and saw tears streaking down her face.

Failing to suppress a pang of pity, he knelt down, taking her chin into his hand and whispering gently, “That’s better. Wouldn’t it have been better if you’d just agreed earlier? Melanie, after all, you’re the one who caused this mess. You should do your best to make amends, no?”

Melanie nodded. “Yes. Please, let my dad out. Let him get some rest.

“Take my blood, as much as you want.”

“How could I bear to take too much?”

Sebastian pulled her up from the ground, raising his hand to tenderly wipe away the tears at the corners of her eyes.

“Don’t worry, it will only be a little.

“Doctor, bring her in.

“As for the man, move him to a VIP room. Use every available resource to ensure he recovers as quickly as possible. Whatever you do, make sure there are no lasting ill effects. He’s my future father-in-law, got it?”

“Got it, Mr. Haynes!”

Future father-in-law?

At those words, Melanie felt nothing but sheer disgust.

She would rather die than take this man for her husband.

She was then pushed into the donation room, and the nurse began drawing her blood.

Watching the bright red liquid drain away drop by drop, Melanie closed her eyes, thinking to herself: “Take it. Take as much as you want.”

There was only one day left before she would take her parents and leave this place for good.

When she woke up, Melanie found herself lying in a hospital bed.

Her mother sat nearby, weeping softly. “That bastard... he took 4 pints. My poor girl, pale as a sheet.

“And her dad, still unconscious. God knows when he’ll wake up. What terrible sin did we commit to cross paths with that psychopath?”

Listening to her mother’s weeping, Melanie felt a sharp, agonizing ache in her heart.

She glanced toward her father in the adjoining bed. His face looked even ghastlier.

He still hadn’t woken up. Could something have gone wrong?

“Mom—”

She parted her lips to call out to her mother when the machine beside her father’s bed suddenly emitted a deafening, continuous beep.

Panicking, Melanie frantically hit the call button above her bed.

Her mother hurried over in a panic. “What’s happening? Why is your dad’s monitor blaring like that?”

Melanie tried to reassure her: “Mom, it’s going to be fine. Don’t worry, it’s going to be okay.”

“Quick! Check on that man! That’s Mr. Haynes’s father-in-law!”

“The patient experienced massive blood loss in a short period. His heart and kidneys have succumbed to overexertion and organ failure. I’m afraid—”

“Afraid of what?”

Melanie’s mother shook her head, grabbing the doctor’s hands tightly. “Afraid of what? Spit it out! What happened to my husband? What’s wrong with him?”

The second the words left her mouth, the heart monitor flatlined.

Melanie stared at her father lying motionless on the bed—the same man who, just two days ago, had sat at the dinner table with her, excited over her new life with Sebastian—now gone, for good. Agonizing, burning tears burst from her eyes.

“We’re so sorry. We did everything we could.

“Please accept our condolences.”