Chapter 5

"Miss Anna? Can you hear me?"

The middle-aged doctor leaned toward Anna, who had just opened her eyes. His worried gaze fixed on her pale face as she slowly sat up in bed.

"How are you feeling, Miss?"

Anna stared dazedly at Dr. Edward standing beside her. Her vision was blurry, and severe dizziness overwhelmed her.

"I’m fine, just feeling a little dizzy," Anna said in a weak voice.

Fighting the tremors in her legs, Anna forced herself to stand. She ignored the fact that her vision was starting to blur. 

Anna looked around the room, there were only the two of them here, while the man who had begged her last night to donate was nowhere to be seen.

Maybe he was now holding Jessica, who was weak after her blood transfusion? Anna smiled bitterly at the thought.

“Thank goodness. I was worried because you fainted during the donation process… The donation procedure is now complete, Miss. We’ve collected five hundred milliliters of blood for Miss Jessica. I’m truly impressed by your kindness toward Miss Jessica; your bond must be very strong for you to keep supporting her life like this.”

Dr. Edward’s words felt suffocating to Anna. She responded with a faint smile before leaving the donation room.

Her steps felt heavy as she walked down the hallway, forcing her to lean against the wall several times, searching for something to hold onto so her body wouldn’t collapse completely.

Her gaze fell on the bandage on her arm. Her blood was still seeping out slightly there. A few hours ago, before the donation process began, she had felt happy, thinking she could destroy Adrian with the request she was about to make. 

But now her heart ached even more. 

Anna realized her plans were suddenly ridiculous, far too easy for Adrian and Jessica who were like demons. The revenge she had planned would never be enough to punish them!

Anna roughly wiped away the tears that had suddenly fallen. She was too sick of it all to cry.

The farther Anna walked, the weaker her body felt. Anna winced as the dizziness in her head turned into a throbbing pain so intense it was unbearable. Yet that pain felt meaningless compared to the ache in her heart when she turned a corner in the hallway and witnessed a sight that nearly knocked her off her feet.

He stopped in his tracks when he ran into Adrian, who was walking toward him, while Jessica was clinging to his arm. 

Anna looked Jessica up and down. Jessica looked healthy; her usually pale face was now glowing, and she was once again wearing an elegant dress—a striking contrast to Anna’s pale appearance, as she was still wearing the hospital gown she hadn’t changed out of since last night.

Noticing Anna’s stare, Jessica quickly pulled her hand away from Adrian. She immediately approached Anna with a worried expression, looking as if she were about to cry. Anna instinctively stepped back as she drew near.

“Anna, I’m so worried. How are you? We heard you fainted in the donation room earlier.”

 Anna’s jaw tightened as she looked back and forth between Adrian and Jessica; her lips twitched as she fought back a wave of nausea. So, Adrian already knows she fainted? Shouldn’t he have visited her or at least shown a little concern after begging her last night? But what could she expect from that jerk?

"The doctor said my blood pressure was very low after donating a significant amount, which is why I fainted." Anna glanced at Adrian to gauge his reaction, but the man merely stared at her blankly.

“Anna, please forgive me. Because of me… you’re suffering again.” Jessica’s shoulders shook and she began to sob. Anna looked away as Adrian hugged and comforted her. “Jessica, it’s not your fault. Stop crying, okay?” he said gently.

"Anna, please don’t bring up anything that makes Jessica feel guilty. Jessica’s emotional state isn’t stable yet, and I’m worried it might hinder her recovery," Adrian admonished, while Anna merely shot them a disgusted look, ignoring the throbbing in her temples that was growing stronger.

"It seems you’re feeling better now. I’ve arranged for your return and asked someone to pack up your things.” Adrian continued after his gaze briefly swept over Anna’s body.

A faint smile played on Anna’s lips. Does my condition look fine to you, Adrian? Are you completely blind? Anna thought to herself. 

Emotions churned within her as she watched him wipe away Jessica's tears.

"Adrian, regarding what you promised last night... I want to talk about it later. On the way home, can we stop by somewhere?" Anna’s voice sounded hoarse; she winced slightly as she felt her body deteriorating further, as if she could no longer bear her own weight. An excruciating pain in her head began to blur her vision.

Adrian’s gaze remained the same as before, flat and emotionless. “I’m sorry, I promised Jessica I’d help her pick out decorations for her birthday party. Anna, please don’t be selfish—Jessica is still weak. I promised your mother I’d stay with her until she’s fully recovered.”

Anna raised her hand to massage her head. She couldn’t quite make out what Adrian was saying. Every word the man spoke felt like a buzzing in her ears. Anna tried to keep her body upright, while her knees began to tremble.

“Adrian…” she called weakly. “This time, can you take me home? My head is spinning; I think I need to rest as soon as possible.”

“Anna, the meeting with Jessica can’t be postponed… I’ll ask the driver to take you home. Be patient; he’ll be here in 20 minutes. Let’s talk after I get back. Jessica and I are in a hurry.”

The words Anna wanted to say suddenly got stuck in her throat. Her breath came in gasps as she struggled hard to calm herself.

Adrian and Jessica walked away from Anna after that; Anna watched them leave with a fading gaze, yet she could clearly see Adrian tenderly wrapping his arm around Jessica’s waist.

“Adrian, have some pity on Anna—you should’ve taken her home. How could you be so heartless to her?” Even though her ears were ringing, Anna could hear Jessica's words, her fists were clenched tightly.

“Jessica, to me, nothing is more important than you. She’s just suffering from mild aftereffects from the donation; in fact, I’m disgusted by her for acting like she wants pity.”

Even as Adrian walked away, Anna heard his words clearly.

The fists in her hands slowly relaxed, then her hands moved to her chest and she pounded it a few times.

“I’m such an idiot for putting up with this for so long. Adrian, I regret everything," she hissed. Then she began to feel the world spinning violently around her. Her vision started to darken; as her strength gave out, Anna’s body collapsed to the floor. She could hear the commotion around her and hurried footsteps approaching. “Miss! Miss! Can you hear me? Please hang on!”

“Doctor! Nurse! Someone’s fainted!”

“Her blood pressure’s dropping! Quick, call her guardian! Didn’t her husband just walk by?” a nurse exclaimed in panic after checking Anna’s pulse.

“Mr. Adrian! Your wife has fainted!” called another nurse who had just arrived.

With her fading consciousness, Anna stared at Adrian’s silhouette; the man didn’t turn around—whether he didn’t hear or was simply pretending not to hear the call.

Anna could feel several people crowding around her. Her cheeks and shoulders were shaken violently, and a moment later she felt her body being lifted and placed on a stretcher. Just as pain completely overwhelmed her body and her vision went completely dark, a figure that had been haunting her thoughts appeared before her eyes.

She watched the man walk hurriedly toward her, followed by several men dressed entirely in black trailing behind him. 

Xavier? Am I starting to hallucinate? Anna muttered to herself.

“Quick, prepare the resuscitation room! Critical patient!” The nurse’s voice reached Anna’s ears again, followed by the sound of steady footsteps drawing closer, making Anna almost believe the people she had just seen were real.

“Stop, don’t take her!” The voice halted the movement of several nurses who were ready to carry Anna away.

Although the loud voice was mixed with a strange buzzing in her ears, Anna recognized it—it was Xavier’s voice. At that moment, she could only think that her hallucinations were getting worse.

“…Sir, this patient is in critical condition. If we don’t take her for treatment immediately, she might not survive!”

Xavier glared sharply at each of the nurses surrounding Anna, his lips curling coldly. “That’s exactly why I don’t trust you. I can’t let her die here!”

One of the nurses stepped forward and stretched out her arms in front of Xavier as he tried to touch Anna.

“You don’t understand anything, stay out of our business!”

Leon, none other than Xavier’s right-hand man, took a step forward and shoved the nurse aside. “Don’t block Mr. Xavier! Or you’ll lose your head by tomorrow morning.” The threat left the nurses too afraid to move or protest as Xavier lifted Anna’s body into his arms.

“Please hold on… Anna, I’ll take you.”

Now Anna’s entire vision was swept away by darkness. Before she lost consciousness completely, she heard her name being called faintly and felt her body enveloped in warmth.