Chapter 4

Halfway through the second bag of blood, my vision suddenly went black.

The nurse looked up at Seth. "Mr. Jerrell, she can't take it anymore. Her blood pressure is dropping fast."

Seth stood by the door and glanced back at me. "How much is left?"

"With the first bag, we're already close to 700 milliliters."

He hesitated for only a second.

"This could kill her," the nurse cried, her hands shaking.

"If something happens, I'll take responsibility," he snapped, his voice cold. "Helen is on the operating table waiting. If something happens to her because she doesn't have enough blood, who's going to take responsibility?"

The nurse gritted her teeth and continued drawing blood.

It felt as though my consciousness were being pulled out of me bit by bit, and my body grew lighter.

All I could see was the dark red blood bag slowly filling.

Right before I lost consciousness, I heard someone shout from the hallway, "The bag is full! Get it to the operating room!"

Then I heard Seth's voice, sounding relieved.

"Get it to the operating room. Now."

He ran after them, his footsteps fading into the distance. He never once looked back at me.

…

By the time I woke up, it was already dark out.

A large bandage covered the crook of my arm, and an unopened bottle of water sat beside my pillow.

The nurse came in to check my blood pressure.

"You nearly went into shock," she said quietly. "You need to stay here for observation."

I slowly sat up, asking, "What about her?"

"Her surgery went well," she replied after a brief pause. "Mr. Jerrell stayed with her the whole time."

I let out a small laugh, but my chest hurt.

I steadied myself against the wall, slowly making my way to the door of Helen's room.

The door was slightly ajar.

Seth was sitting beside her bed, dipping a cotton swab in water and gently running it over Helen's cracked lips. Her eyes were half-open as she gave him a weak smile.

"Seth, I was so scared," she murmured. "I thought I was never going to see you again."

"You won't," he said, his voice soft and reassuring. "I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

"When I get better, I want to see the ocean."

"Of course. We'll go together when you're discharged." He took her hand. "After that, we'll find you a place of your own and get you out of that tiny rental. You won't have to live like that anymore."

Tears rolled down Helen's cheeks.

"But you work so hard to make a living."

"You silly girl," he said gently, wiping away her tears. "I will never let you struggle again for as long as I live. Whatever you want, I'll give you."

I stood outside the door, feeling as though someone had punched me in the chest.

When I was hospitalized with appendicitis, he'd stayed awake for three days, holding my hand and making the same promises. Yet now, he was saying those very same words to another woman.

I wasn't angry with Helen. She was just like I had once been, convinced she'd found the most devoted man in the world.

She'd gone without meat so he could have it, saved her money to buy him clothes, and dreamed about the future they would have together.

I figured she had the right to know the truth.

With that thought in mind, I pushed open the door.

"Do you want to know who this man really is? The man who keeps promising to take care of you for the rest of your life?"

Helen noticed me first.

"Seth, who is she?" she asked, stunned.

Seth turned around, and his expression changed.

"Natasha," he warned, standing up. "You should go back to your room and get some rest."

I walked around him and stopped beside Helen's bed.

"Helen, this is Seth Jerrell. He owns Jerrell Group and is worth hundreds of millions. He drives a car worth over half a million dollars and lives in a mansion worth tens of millions. All that time he spent hauling sacks at the docks was just an act. He was pretending to be poor to deceive you."

Helen stared at me, too stunned to process my words.

"What are you talking about? Seth isn't—"

Seth stepped forward and reached for my hand. "Natasha, that's enough!"

I shook him off and looked straight at Helen. "He promised you a future, but he already had a wife at home who'd spent ten years by his side."

Helen froze. She turned toward Seth as tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Seth, is what she said true? Is she your wife? Have you been pretending to be poor just to deceive me?"

Seth opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"Answer me!" she cried. "Who are you, really? Was everything you said about marrying me just another lie?"