Chapter 3

The incident that befell her kept Anna from sleeping soundly that night. Every time she closed her eyes, the image of her husband kissing Jessica passionately continued to haunt her.

When morning came and she woke up, a glimmer of hope appeared in her heart that Adrian would be beside her bed and show her a little concern.

But the man had not returned since last night.

"Miss Anna? Are you alone? Where is your husband?" a young nurse asked as she placed porridge on the nightstand.

Anna looked up, her gaze briefly falling on the name pinned to the nurse's uniform, Lily.

"My husband will be here soon, he's on his way." She lied as she clutched her blanket.

Anna sighed inwardly, certain that her husband was currently embracing Jessica in bed.

"Given your condition, you are prone to stress. When your husband arrives, ask him to take you for a walk outside the room; it will aid your recovery. You really need encouragement right now."

Anna responded to Lily's words with a bitter smile. The porridge given by the nurse tasted so bitter on her tongue.

After Lily left, she squeezed the spoon tightly, and her other hand moved to touch her stomach. The tightness in her chest grew worse.

"Forgive me, child... I have to lose you..." her voice was hoarse, tears falling down her cheeks again.

When she heard the door creak, her hand quickly wiped her tears.

Anna noticed Adrian walking in with his shirt slightly disheveled. A faint red mark on the man's neck made her sneer.

 She knew it was a mark left by Jessica's kiss.

"How is Jessica?" she asked when Adrian arrived at the side of the bed.

"She's much better, thanks to her persistence she recovered quickly..." Adrian spoke proudly. "But the doctor said she has to do something fun to avoid stress. She wants you to come to her room. For her recovery, you have to see her and make her happy today."

Anna's gaze turned disgusted.

"See her? But I'm still weak, I don't think I can—"

"This is for your sister's recovery!" Adrian snapped in a high-pitched voice. Anna flinched at his tone.

"Don't pretend to be weak, you're clearly in good condition. Don't be selfish, Jessica really wants you to come see her."

Seeing Anna's eyes tremble, Adrian lowered his voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I beg you... please see Jessica, okay? I'll take you there and accompany you, hm?" Adrian tried to persuade Anna. "This is for your sister's sake," he continued, cupping Anna's cheeks.

For three years, Anna's weakness had been when Adrian persuaded her gently. Once Adrian used this manipulative tactic, she would usually immediately give in and do everything he asked without hesitation. But now she just wanted to spit in his face. For Jessica's sake, Adrian was willing to beg her.

Anna chuckled to herself. She was curious about what Jessica and Adrian planned to do next.

As soon as Anna nodded, Adrian smiled broadly. Meanwhile, Anna could only clench her fists as tightly as she could to channel her emotions.

Anna's heart was filled with deep regret. How could she have served him wholeheartedly for so many years and given him everything without hesitation? In the end, all her sincerity was rewarded with suffering at the hands of that man.

An hour later, Anna was in Jessica's room. She sat on the side of the bed.

Jessica gave Anna a gentle smile and reached for her hand.  

Anna reflexively pushed the hand away. A look of disgust flashed in her eyes, remembering that the hand had previously touched Adrian.

Jessica's expression turned sad, then she sobbed.

"Sister Anna, I heard that yesterday you refused to give me your kidney. Because of me, you were forced to do this. I'm sorry... you have to keep sacrificing yourself. My life is truly useless."

Jessica's tears fell incessantly, and Adrian quickly wiped her tears with great care.

"Jessica, don't feel guilty, okay? Anna should do this for you. Anna is as kind as an angel. Even if you asked for her heart, she would give it to you. So stop crying, okay?"

Hearing this, Anna's breath caught in her throat. Thousands of thorns seemed to pierce her chest. The corners of her eyes trembled as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill out.

"Anna, don't just stand there." Adrian turned to Anna coldly. "Jessica is stressed, you have to tell her you forgive her so she can calm down."

In her heart, Anna sneered. Forgive her? After she stole my husband and caused my baby to die?

However, Anna felt unable to watch Jessica's crying drama any longer, so she decided to give in so that everything would be over quickly.

"I forgive her," Anna replied flatly, while Jessica smiled mockingly at her.

"Anna, please keep Jessica company for a while. I have to buy her some food. The bland porridge the hospital gives her isn't very tasty. I'm sure Jessica doesn't feel like eating it."

Anna glanced at the porridge on the nightstand and smiled coldly. It was the same porridge she had eaten earlier.

"Adrian, I'm sorry for always bothering you." Jessica's eyes were teary, her face full of guilt.

Adrian smiled gently at her. "Jessica, I don't feel bothered. I'm happy to do this for you."

Adrian looked back at Anna, the gentleness in his eyes instantly disappearing.

"Anna, I want to ask you one more thing. Please massage Jessica. She's been feeling sore all over since last night."

"Adrian, I'm already feeling better because you massaged me all night," Jessica emphasized her words while glancing at Anna. "So I don't think you need to do it, Anna."

"Anna is very good at massaging. It's for your own good, Jessica."

Adrian then approached Anna, giving her a soft smile that seemed fake.

"Anna, please do it, okay?" Adrian persuaded her.

In the past, Anna would have automatically nodded. Now she just stared at Adrian blankly.

Her husband had massaged Jessica all night? Even during these three years, Adrian had never once massaged her!

After Adrian left, Jessica's innocent expression turned arrogant. Jessica got up from the bed and walked to the window.

"See? Adrian is very attentive, he does everything I ask."

Jessica  turned to look at Anna. Then she stepped in front of Anna with a smirk.

"Think about why he's doing this. It's because he wants me! Do you think he married you because he loves you? Of course not!"

Anna's face hardened, her breathing quickened. Each of Jessica's words was like a sharp knife stabbing her mercilessly.

"Jessica, please stop."

Jessica looked increasingly happy watching Anna's frustrated face.

"You never suspected, did you? Every time Adrian didn't come home and said he had work out of town, what he was really doing was going to my apartment and making love to me all night long."

That fact hit Anna hard, and she glared sharply at Jessica.

"You two are despicable," she hissed.

"Want to know another secret?" Jessica laughed cynically while playing with her hair.

"All this time, Adrian married you with the intention of tying you down, so that you would continue to give me your resources."

She leaned down to look closely at Anna's face.

"So Anna, after I recover, he will divorce you and marry me," she said with a triumphant smile.

Anna's lips seemed unable to speak, unable to hold back her tears, she wiped them roughly, then got up and stood in front of Jessica.

"Why are you being so cruel to me?" Anna asked with a darkened face.

Jessica laughed.

"One more thing you need to know, even though you are the biological child of my father and mother, do you know why they picked you up from the orphanage? Because you have the same blood type as me, they picked you up only because they needed your blood to sustain my life!"

Anna's emotions overflowed until her face turned red.

"You're not fit to be called human. You're monsters! Especially you, Jessica! My family, my husband, my blood, my organs, you've taken them all! And finally..." Anna touched her stomach. "My baby died because of your greed!"

"Ba-baby?" Jessica's eyes widened. "You had a baby?" Jessica's gaze was blank for a moment. "How is that possible! You're clearly barren!"

Jessica's face was overcome with frustration as she stared at Anna's stomach with horror.

"Why? Are you afraid Adrian will turn to me if he finds out I'm no longer barren? And abandon you?" Anna smiled mockingly.

Jessica's face was full of anger. She slapped Anna across the cheek, causing Anna to stagger.

"Shut up!" Jessica shouted. "Even if he knew, he would still choose me! He would love me until death!"

Anna grimaced, feeling the heat on her cheek.

"You are so shameless. With my blood flowing through your veins and my kidneys implanted in your body, you dare to hurt me? If it weren't for my sacrifice, you might be waiting for your death right now. At least be grateful to me." Anna's voice was cold, with no emotion on her face.

Jessica's rage boiled over. She tried to push Anna again, but Anna blocked the attack.

After that, Jessica suddenly fell to the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

Anna stared in shock. She hadn't touched her at all. So why did she suddenly fall?

"Anna! What did you do to Jessica!"

The harsh shout startled Anna. Only then did Anna realize the situation, that Jessica had deliberately thrown herself to the floor because she had seen Adrian arrive.

Anna could feel Adrian's burning gaze on her, but Adrian's gaze softened when he looked at Jessica.

"What happened, Jess? Are you okay? Where does it hurt, hm?"

Adrian looked very worried, and he quickly lifted her onto the bed.

Jessica cried softly. Her body trembled.

"Anna... I'm sorry, I asked for a massage because my legs hurt, you didn't have to get angry and push and hit me."

Adrian released Jessica from his embrace, then stepped in front of Anna. The next second, Adrian's slap landed on Anna's cheek.

Anna staggered two steps backward, dazed for a moment. Her hands trembled as she held the side of her face, which felt hot. 

She looked at Adrian with a disappointed gaze. The tears she had been holding back finally escaped. 

 

"A-Adrian....y-you hit me? I-I'm your wife," whispered in shock.