Chapter 4

Oscar whipped his head around, his gaze turning anxious. "Holly, what's going on?"

Holly's heart skipped a beat. In her rush to deal with the burglar, she had completely forgotten that her luggage was still in the living room.

Her hand hidden in her sleeve clenched slightly, and then she put on a calm smile and said, "Seeing you all travel made me want to get out and clear my head, so I packed my things in advance. I can leave right away after picking a destination."

Frank and Mary scowled instantly. "What are you talking about? Didn't we tell you to stay close to Stella?"

"Exactly! What if you're not around when Stella needs a blood transfusion? Remember why we gave birth to you. Pack away your stuff. You're not going anywhere!"

As Holly seemed fine, Oscar heaved a slight sigh of relief. "If you want to go anywhere next time, we'll come with you. It isn't safe to go anywhere alone, get it?"

Holly laughed inwardly. They would never be at the place she wanted to go.

…

A few days later came Stella and Holly's birthday. They were three years apart but shared the same birthday.

Yet all these years, there was always only one cake and one candle to blow out every time they celebrated their birthday.

Back then, Holly was naive enough to believe her parents when they said there was no need to buy two cakes when their birthday was on the same day. However, with their wealth, they could easily buy two cakes.

It was never about the cake. They simply never cared about her feelings, nor did they want her birthday to steal even a fraction of Stella's spotlight.

As usual, the birthday venue was decorated in Stella's favorite color—pink. There were pink roses, pink balloons, and a pink cake.

Everyone had prepared gifts only for Stella.

Under everyone's attention, Stella stood in the center of the spotlight, receiving all the birthday wishes meant for her.

"Happy birthday, Stella!"

Stella unwrapped her gifts with a bright smile, her eyes sparkling happily.

Meanwhile, Holly stood in a corner, like she didn't belong there at all.

"Huh? Mr. Moss, why did you prepare two boxes as my present?"

Surprised, Stella held up the gift boxes and gave them a little shake in front of Oscar.

Everyone watched curiously, but he took one box and handed it to Holly.

"This is for you."

Stella's expression darkened at once, but after personally opening both gifts, her smile quickly returned.

Oscar had gifted her a priceless necklace designed by a renowned jeweler, while Holly's gift was merely the free item that came with it.

Everyone chuckled softly.

"Oh, a free item. It suits her."

Yes, Holly herself was nothing more than Stella's extra, so Oscar's gift was painfully fitting.

Holly said nothing, but when everyone wasn't looking, she tossed the gift into the trash can quietly.

As the party came to an end, Stella suddenly offered to drive everyone home, as she had just gotten her driving license. Right after saying that, she hurried to the garage excitedly.

Frank, Mary, and Colin naturally indulged her wish. Thus, they waited by the door for her to drive the car up.

Holly stood at the very back, staring at her own feet. She was busy calculating how many more days it would take to finalize the island purchase and when she could finally leave.

She was completely unaware of the car behind her that was coming closer with each passing moment.

Brakes screeched, and she was instantly thrown to the ground.

As her consciousness began to fade, she heard Stella feign panicked cries. Darkness soon consumed her completely.

…

When Holly woke up, she was already at the hospital.

As the adrenaline faded, the pain hit her all at once. She struggled to open her eyes and found herself lying on a hospital bed in the operating room.

Her body felt weightless, as if she were about to drift out of herself and float into the air.

Was she feeling this way because she was about to die?

The pain was unbearable. Holly shut her eyes weakly, allowing darkness to consume her vision slowly.

Outside, the doctor was talking to the Websters.

"Please make a decision soon. The patient is losing a lot of blood and needs a transfusion, or her life is at risk. The hospital's blood supply is low for now. Your other daughter has the same blood type. Why isn't she donating?"

The Websters blurted out immediately, "No! Stella can't donate her blood!"

Holly's consciousness was fading, and the voices around her grew faint.

In the final moment before losing awareness, she heard Oscar's voice, cold and decisive.

"Stella can't donate her blood!"