Chapter 4

Two days later, I was discharged from the hospital. Aaron and Olivia came to pick me up.

When I opened the front passenger door, Aaron was fastening Olivia's seat belt for her. That was where I always sat because I got carsick.

Olivia greeted me with a bright smile. "Feeling any better, Mia?"

I nodded. "Much better."

Aaron looked up at me. "Mia, Olivia gets carsick."

I said nothing. I closed the door and climbed into the back seat.

By the time the car pulled up outside my house, I was fighting the urge to throw up. I got out, and Olivia followed me inside.

She gave me a hesitant look. "Mia, I need to tell you something."

"Go ahead."

"I'm pregnant."

She took an ultrasound report from her bag.

"Who's the father?"

"Aaron."

I had expected that answer, but my heart still skipped a beat.

"When?"

"Back when you and Aaron were living apart."

Olivia looked down, avoiding my eyes. "We slept together plenty of times, but we only forgot to use protection once, when we'd had too much to drink."

"What are you going to do?"

Tears streamed down Olivia's face. "I told Aaron. He said I should get an abortion, but I don't want to. Mia, please help me."

She clutched my hand, sobbing quietly.

The request was so absurd I almost laughed. "You're pregnant with my boyfriend's baby, and you're asking me for help?"

"Please, Mia. I just need you to leave Aaron for a while."

Olivia dropped to her knees in front of me, stroking her stomach as she broke down in sobs. When I showed no reaction, she began slapping herself.

"Mia, don't forget that I saved you from drowning when you were 19. You owe me your life."

The photo on the table, the one of all three of us, had begun to fade.

"Alright. I'll help you."

After Olivia left, I booked the next flight north.

The next day, I grabbed my luggage and took a cab to the airport.

About 1,000 feet from the terminal, I got out and ran through the blazing heat, worried the traffic would make me miss my flight. My blood sugar crashed, and everything went black.

When I came to, I was in the hospital. My phone showed dozens of missed calls from Aaron.

He burst into my room, frantic. "Mia, Olivia is hemorrhaging. She needs a blood transfusion, and you're the only compatible donor."

He was terrified, but not for me.

"I don't feel well, Aaron," I said weakly.

"Mia, are you really going to let her die? Once this is all over, we'll get married."

He sounded completely sincere, but when I closed my eyes and listened, I heard nothing. I thought I had gone numb, but a dull ache still throbbed in my chest.

Three hours after giving Olivia the blood she needed, I slipped into a coma and remained unconscious for a long time. When I finally woke, Mom and Dad were beside my bed.

"Mia, you're awake."

Mom burst into tears as Dad called for a nurse.

"Mom. Dad," I rasped.

"Mia, thank God you're okay."

Mom clutched my hand, and I noticed several new lines on her face.

Dad sighed heavily. "Mia, you need to end things with Aaron for good. Olivia miscarried and suffered severe bleeding a week ago, and he forced you to donate blood to her."

Mom covered her face and began to cry. "You've been in a coma for a week, and he hasn't visited once. Olivia is only one floor down, but he still couldn't be bothered to come up and see you."

Mom and Dad looked as though they had aged years. All I could hear in their thoughts was how worried they were about me.

The memory of Aaron choosing Olivia over me a week earlier was still painfully clear.

I held Mom's hands. "Mom, Dad, I want to transfer to another hospital. I don't want to see him again."

The hospital processed my discharge quickly.

Just as we were about to leave for the new hospital, Aaron sent me a message. "Mia, I'll explain everything once Olivia recovers."

I muted him. This time, I didn't want to hear his explanation.