Forced to Bleed

“No matter what you say, you’re giving that blood!” Clara snapped, grabbing my wrist and hauling me toward the blood-drawing room.She dragged me two meters before I stumbled to my feet. I clung to the doorframe and begged, “My friends live close by; they can be here soon. Please, just let me call them. I really can’t give blood. I’ll miscarry!”Clara slapped me hard. “Enough! You meet the criteria, so stop stalling. I don’t buy your stories. And if you do miscarry, fine. That means fewer kids fighting with Tricia over the family fortune.”Though I was dizzy from the blow, I fought back because of the child in my belly. “I won’t take a single cent from the Bresses' estate, Clara, nor will I fight Tricia for inheritance. Please spare my baby!”Her expression hardened with annoyance when she saw me resisting.“You’re so scheming. Who knows if you’ll pretend to cooperate now, then secretly take labor-inducing pills and deliver early? No, that child can’t stay. Even if Martin foun

Martin’s brows furrowed as he snapped at Conrad.“Impossible. She just gave blood to Tricia. There’s no way she could be here.”Conrad lowered his voice, trying to reason with him. “Boss, maybe you should check. If it really is the Madam, she could be in serious danger.”Martin shot him a glare, his tone cutting.“I said it’s impossible! If it were her, why didn’t she call me? Besides, she was perfectly fine just now. How could she suddenly be covered in blood?”With no other choice, the doctor arranged for me to be transferred to another hospital.By the time everything was done, more than half an hour had passed. The doctor said regretfully to me, “I’m sorry. We couldn’t save your baby.”It felt like someone had ripped my heart apart. My mind went blank, and I shook my head over and over.“Doctor, please, I’m begging you. Save it…”The doctor gave me a sympathetic look.“If you’d arrived half an hour earlier, maybe. But now, there’s no chance.”“Half an hour?”I stared at

Martin suddenly asked, “How do you know that pregnancy test was fake?”Clara froze, and a trace of awkwardness crossed her face.“A doctor friend told me.”“Which friend? Show me what they said.”Martin reached for Clara’s phone, but she pulled back protectively, indignant.“Martin, you don’t trust me? Now you want to check my phone? I’m so disappointed in you, questioning your own sister for an outsider!”Martin withdrew his hand. “That’s not what I meant. Conrad said Rosie had a miscarriage. I just wanted to confirm.”“A miscarriage?”A flash of pleasure crossed Clara’s face, which was quickly replaced by guilt.“She must be lying. You know she’s a liar. Ever since Sam passed, she’s been giving Tricia a hard time. The house staff all say she does it for attention.”Despite hearing it from his sister, Martin’s unease only grew. He called Conrad again, but this time, he couldn’t get through. “Damn it! Why is he not answering?”He phoned his secretary, Aaron, to ask about C

Martin’s face grew darker by the second. Every line they spoke fed his anger until finally, he slammed his cup down so hard that it shattered with a loud crack.“Enough! You did all this just to target Rosie? What did she ever do to you to deserve this?”He stared at Clara, each word deliberate. “I’ll ask you one more time. Was that pregnancy report fake or not?”Clara shrank back, too frightened to answer.So Martin picked up his phone and ordered coldly, “Pull every contact in Clara’s phone. Interrogate them using any method. I want no mercy.”“Wait, no! I’ll tell everything! I don’t have any doctor friends. I lied to you.” Clara collapsed at his feet, wailing.Martin staggered backward, dizzy.“So you mean Rosie’s pregnancy report was real?”Clara nodded, then shook her head frantically. “I don’t know! That report wasn’t done at our hospital. How would I know if it were real?”“You said it was fake,” Martin spat, teeth gritted. He trembled as he barked another order.“Find

Martin shook his head violently, his voice breaking. “No, Rosie. Please forgive me. I’ll make it up to you. I won’t sacrifice you again…”“Martin,” I said his name softly to cut him off.“I won’t ever forgive you. I don’t want your compensation either. If you truly care for me, please leave me alone. When I see you, all I can think of is our dead child!”My words left him speechless. His shoulders slumped as if someone had drained the life out of him, and he went limp and hollow.After a long while, he pulled himself up from the ground, lips trembling.“I’m sorry.”I looked down and didn’t give him another glance. Without a second thought, I walked past him.I never saw Martin again after that day. Still, I knew he hadn’t entirely let me go. There were the cigarette butts at the corner, footprints on the path, and roses appearing on my doorstep on my birthday. I chose to ignore them all, leaving the flowers to wither in the corner.Even my newfound friends noticed the qui