Chapter 3

My mother, Elena, walked in, carrying a glass of Bordeaux as red as blood.

I didn't take the glass. I pulled out the blood donation consent form I'd found in my father's office and got straight to the point. "You want me to give Lorenzo a blood transfusion, don't you?"

Elena's hand trembled, spilling a few drops of red wine. She looked awkwardly between my father and me.

My father, standing in the shadows, extinguished his cigar. His voice was hoarse. "Sienna, we know you're squeamish about blood. We didn't want to..."

"But the hospital is out of his rare type. You are the only one who shares it. Only your blood can save him."

"I am a Moretti," I cut him off. "If my blood can save the future of the Moretti family, I'll give it."

In my past life, my refusal made Lorenzo miss the best window for a transfusion. This time, all I had to do was cooperate, and Lorenzo would surely be fine.

Ignoring the unreadable expression on my mother's face, I signed my name on the agreement.

My mother looked at me, her face full of emotion. "Our Sienna has grown up. She's so much more sensible now."

This time, I went with my parents to the family's private clinic, fully conscious. When the procedure was over and I woke up again, something felt wrong.

A sharp, tearing pain shot up from deep in my lower back.

I tried to sit up but collapsed back onto the pillow from the agony, cold sweat instantly soaking my hospital gown.

The moment I tried to get out of bed, I was hit with a wave of nausea and dry heaved until I coughed up bile.

I couldn't bring myself to look. My head was spinning.

I didn't understand. It was just a little blood donation, with an anesthetic because I'm squeamish. Why did I feel like my body had been hollowed out?

Before I could figure it out, the door to my room was violently kicked open.

It was Sofia. The moment she entered, she started screaming at me.

"You goddamn half-breed!"

The taste of iron instantly filled my mouth. I struggled to push myself up.

"Are you insane?" Her yelling left me stunned. "Where's Lorenzo? He should be fine..."

"Fine?" Sofia let out a piercing laugh. "Still playing innocent? You did this on purpose!"

She grabbed my collar, forcing me to look her in the eye. "Your filthy blood poisoned the Moretti bloodline! It caused the rejection that killed him!"

"Why would you do this to him? Just because he took your gun? How could you be so vicious?"

An impure bloodline? Me? How was that possible?

"I didn't. How could I do that to my own brother?" I tried to explain to Sofia.

"Still trying to deny it? Then explain how my husband is dead!"

"Sienna, you're the type who needs to see a body to believe someone's dead. I'm taking this for a lab test right now!" Sofia cursed as she ran off with my blood sample.

A short while later, she stormed back toward me and slapped me hard across the face.

"The proof is right here! How are you going to deny it now?"

"Ah!"

I cried out, clutching my stinging cheek, looking in disbelief at the genetic test report Sofia was holding.

The blood I had given Lorenzo did, in fact, test positive for non-pure Moretti genes.

I was shocked into silence.

I was the family's princess, my bloodline considered flawless.

How could there be impurities?

Sofia grew more and more out of control, starting to punch and kick me. "Lorenzo treated you like gold his whole life, and at the critical moment, you do this to him. Now he can't even rest in peace."

A heart-wrenching pain tore through me, her words echoing in my head.

Had I really killed Lorenzo all over again?

I looked toward the doorway. My father and mother were standing there, their faces blank. Neither of them contradicted Sofia.

After a long moment, my father finally spoke. "That's enough, Sofia. Lorenzo is gone. Don't take it out on Sienna. You should go home now."

"I feel dirty even hitting you! You spoiled little princess!"

Finally, after some gentle persuasion from my parents, Sofia shot me a venomous glare and left to handle Lorenzo's funeral arrangements.

"Father, Mother, I'm so sorry..."

"I really didn't mean to kill Lorenzo!"

A thick wave of guilt washed over me, and I was at my breaking point.

"I... I was just trying to save him."

"You said I was his only hope. I don't know why the test said my bloodline was impure!"

I could only offer mechanical apologies.

My mother shook her head and simply held me. "Let's not talk about this, Sienna. Let's go back to the estate to rest."

The phone rang, and my own voice drifted out eerily.

"See? You've killed the family's crown prince."

"That genetic report might be fake, but Don Luciano's killing intent is real."

"He believes you've disgraced the family's honor. They aren't taking you back to the estate to protect you. They're taking you back to face family justice, to let you die with 'dignity' and atone for your sin."