Chapter 2

Ryan assumed I’d finally come to my senses and left without another second’s hesitation.

I immediately called the hospital director to ask how much blood they had available and told him about the pileup.

He promised to coordinate with the emergency department right away and told me to contact other hospitals in case they needed additional supplies.

My family had made its fortune in the pharmaceutical industry, so I had plenty of connections in healthcare.

But after getting married, I’d handed control of the business to Ryan.

That was why, in my previous life, I’d been forced to beg him to save his own family.

If the hospital ran short on blood supplies, I could arrange emergency donors to help replenish the supply.

So I called the company’s HR manager and told him to notify the employees to come in and remain on standby to donate blood.

“Anyone who volunteers to donate will receive a twenty-percent increase in their year-end bonus.”

“Yes, Mrs. Larson.”

But half an hour later, it was the company’s VP, Derek Cole, who called me.

“Lily, if you and Ryan are fighting, don’t drag the employees into it. This is childish.

“You’re making dozens of people come in on a weekend just to play along with your latest stunt? Stop embarrassing yourself!”

I immediately understood.

“Ryan told you I was lying?”

Derek snorted.

“So you do understand. Stop calling the company. Unless I approve it, no one is coming in today.

“Ryan must’ve been out of his mind to marry you. He and Serena were perfect together. If you hadn’t come between them, their children would probably be in school by now!”

I had no idea how long Derek had been holding all of that in, but now he poured out every bitter thought at once.

“Just divorce him and get out of Serena’s way. Who do you think you are, trying to compete with her?”

Suppressing the urge to curse him out, I once again told him to have the employees stand by.

He hung up and blocked my number.

After thinking it over, I called a smaller company that was still registered under my name.

It only had a little over a dozen employees, but every one of them immediately agreed to come in and wait for further instructions.

If I remembered correctly, my in-laws’ injuries had been severe in my previous life.

A dozen donors wouldn’t be enough.

I called Ryan’s aunt, Helen.

“Aunt Helen, Ryan’s parents and sister have been in an accident. Can you contact your clinic and have them send their available blood supply to City Hospital?”

Her facility specialized in cosmetic procedures, so it rarely needed much blood.

“I’ll make sure everything is replaced once the emergency is over.”

She immediately scolded me.

“You don’t need to be so formal with me. I’ll arrange it right now. That’s my sister and brother-in-law we’re talking about!”

I left my daughter with the nanny and rushed to the hospital, arriving almost at the same time as the ambulances.

The emergency department was packed with distraught families and doctors and nurses racing back and forth.

The metallic smell of blood hung so heavily in the air that it overpowered even the antiseptic I hated.

I spotted Ryan’s sister, Sophie, immediately.

She was still wearing the delicate star bracelet I’d given her the month before.

The moment I reached her, I nearly passed out.

She was drenched in blood. There wasn’t a single part of her body that appeared uninjured.

Her legs were the worst.

One femur was exposed, and her upper body was twisted at an unnatural angle. Her spine had almost certainly been fractured and displaced.

“Doctor!”

My hand shook as I grabbed the doctor’s arm, but I forced myself to stay calm.

“How is she? What about the two people who were with her?”

The doctor called out instructions as the medical team rushed Sophie toward the trauma unit.

“Are you family? Do you know her blood type and whether she has any medication allergies? She has a collapsed lung, a hematoma near one of her heart valves, a fractured and displaced spine, and multiple comminuted fractures in her legs. She’ll need several surgeries.”

“Type A.”

“This was a major pileup, and we have many patients who need blood, so we may not have enough.”

“I’ve already arranged for donors to come in, and other hospitals are sending additional supplies. Please, you have to save them.”

I almost dropped to my knees.

“She’s only eighteen. She’s still so young.”

The doctor sighed.

“We’ll do everything we can. Keep contacting people and arranging blood donations.”

The doors to the trauma unit had barely closed when Derek came rushing over.

He stopped in front of me, panting, his face deathly pale.