Chapter 5; Donor For Serena

Anastasia's POV

“Serena!”

Panicked voices rang out from downstairs as everyone watched Serena tumble down the staircase. I saw Tristan rush forward just in time, catching her before she could crash into the last step. A breath of relief escaped me, thinking the worst had been avoided.

But that relief lasted only a second. I slowly became aware of the heavy silence surrounding me. Every single pair of eyes...Was staring at me.

“I'm sorry, Anastasia... I didn't know that offended you,” Serena whispered weakly before her eyes fluttered shut.

“Serena! Serena, wake up!” Tristan shouted, panic evident in his voice.

“Did you just push Serena down the stairs, Anastasia?” Tristan's cousin, Katherine, demanded.

I stood there, completely dumbfounded. Even without Serena's carefully crafted explanation, I suddenly realised how everything looked.

I was standing at the top of the stairs. Serena had fallen from the same staircase. The pieces had arranged themselves perfectly against me. But surely...Surely they couldn't believe I had done something like that.

“I won't forgive you for this!” Tristan spat before lifting Serena into his arms and rushing out.

Only then did my gaze fall onto the staircase. Blood. There was blood staining the steps.

My heart nearly stopped. What if she had suffered a brain haemorrhage? What if she never woke up? Would I be arrested for murder? No, I couldn't go to prison.

“I didn't do it! I swear she threw herself down the—”

Before I could even finish speaking, a deafening slap landed across my face. My mother-in-law. The force sent my head snapping to one side. I held my burning cheek in stunned silence.

“It's sickening that you're still trying to lie after the despicable thing you've done,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “You'd better pray to everything you believe in that Serena isn't in critical condition, because if anything happens to her, I'll ruin not only you but your entire family.”

With that, she stormed out.

I remained frozen, unable to believe I had just been slapped because of Serena. Before I could even recover from the shock, everyone hurried to the hospital. Not that I wanted to go.

Tristan's cousin practically dragged me along, insisting it was the least I could do to atone for my so-called sins. We all stood anxiously outside the emergency room, waiting for the doctor.

Out of everyone there, Tristan looked the most devastated. He paced back and forth endlessly, occasionally throwing murderous glances in my direction. I desperately wanted to explain myself.

To make someone listen. But what could I possibly say? Serena certainly wasn't going to wake up and admit that she had thrown herself down the stairs.

Besides, no one would ever believe that their precious goddaughter was capable of something so deranged.

It was much easier to believe the jealous, unloved wife had done it.

“Doctor!”

Everyone rushed forward the moment the emergency room doors opened.

The doctor stepped out, removing his gloves, his grave expression making everyone's faces pale.

“The cut on her hand was very deep,” he explained. “She lost a significant amount of blood before arriving at the hospital. Unfortunately, we don't have her blood type available in the blood bank, so we'll need an immediate donor.”

I stared at him in disbelief. I couldn't believe the reckless stunt Serena had pulled had now turned into a fight for her life.

Yet somehow I already knew that I would be the one blamed for everything.

“What?” my mother-in-law gasped. “Oh my goodness!”

“Doctor,” Tristan said firmly, “do whatever you need to do. If everyone here needs to be tested, then test us. No one will refuse to donate blood for her.”

His determination was absolute.

He sounded like a man who wouldn't hesitate to give away every drop of his own blood if it meant saving Serena.

“The problem,” the doctor continued, “is that the patient has an extremely rare blood type.” Everyone held their breath.

“She has AB negative blood.”

A chorus of shocked gasps echoed through the hallway.

My own body went cold. AB negative. The same blood type as mine. That was exactly why my father had always warned me to be careful growing up, especially after the accident I had years ago.

I wondered whether they would find another compatible donor in time. Because I couldn't donate. Not with the baby growing inside me.

“But no one here has that blood type,” my mother-in-law said anxiously.

I lowered my head. I wasn't foolish enough to remind her that I did. Surely...They would find another donor. I just had to stay quiet.

“Isn't Anastasia AB negative?” Tristan suddenly asked. My entire body froze.

Slowly, I looked up at him. So he did remember he had a wife. Only because his first love needed saving.

“What?” I whispered. “But... I can't donate... I mean, I won't do it.”

Tears blurred my vision as I looked at Tristan, silently begging him to notice how exhausted I already was. I'd barely been eating properly. I was constantly nauseous, weak and dizzy.

Couldn't he see that? I bet he was never around to know what his wife looked like anymore.

“That selfish girl!” my mother-in-law exploded. “How dare she refuse? Isn't she the one who put Serena in this condition? Now she wants to stand there and let her die? Is this your way of securing your position as the young mistress of the Brooke family?”

I clenched my trembling hands. If only she knew..If only she knew why I couldn't donate.

“I... can't donate because I'm—”

Before I could finish, Tristan grabbed my wrist so forcefully it hurt.

“Who's asking for your permission?” he said coldly. “I don't need your consent for this, Anastasia.”

His grip tightened. “You're doing it.”

He dragged me towards the laboratory without caring that I was stumbling behind him, struggling to keep up. True to his word no matter how much I begged. No matter how many times I pleaded. He didn't care.

He forced the doctors to draw my blood. I lay there silently, tears streaming down my face as I prayed over and over that the tiny baby inside me wouldn't be harmed because of this.

“Is that enough?” I heard Tristan ask after the doctors had finished taking a pint of blood. His voice remained as cold as ever.

For one foolish moment, I wondered if he wished they would drain every last drop from my body and give it all to Serena.

But I soon realised...That wasn't even the cruellest thing he had to say.

“How are you feeling?” he asked as he stood over me.

For one fragile, foolish heartbeat, I thought he was finally asking because he cared. Then he shattered that illusion.

“You should be thankful that blood is all she needs,” he said without a trace of hesitation. “Because if she needed your kidney instead... I'd rip it out myself and give it to her.” Those were the last words I heard before darkness swallowed me whole.

As my consciousness faded, I could only laugh bitterly at myself. Hadn't I always believed that five years of loving him unconditionally would one day move his heart?

In the end...It seemed I wasn't worth even an ounce of his empathy.