Chapter 3

Hugo's eyes were bloodshot, like a demon from hell. "Tione, Freda tried to take her own life because of what you said!"

I froze. "What did you just say?"

He yelled at me, "You know perfectly well she just gave birth and is emotionally unstable! Why did you provoke her?"

Before I could say a single word, he shoved me into the car. "Both of you have Rh-negative blood. You're the only one who can save her!"

He sped through several red lights in a row before dragging me into the hospital. "Doctor, she has Rh-negative blood! She can donate!"

His whole body was shaking as he said that. I had never seen Hugo look so disheveled and desperate.

I was frozen in place, my mind completely blank. Like a marionette, I allowed him to drag me into the blood donation room and let him roughly yank up my sleeve.

I didn't respond to anything around me. My mind was entirely consumed by the image of Hugo's panicked, frantic state over Freda.

I only snapped back to reality when the doctor's voice rang in my ear. "I'm sorry, sir, but this lady is pregnant; she can't donate blood."

I touched my stomach, feeling utterly lost. Then I heard Hugo bellow, "I told you to draw her blood. I don't want the baby—I only want Freda!"

In a heartbeat, it felt as though all the blood in my veins had run cold. Yet, tears suddenly poured from my eyes. "This is your flesh and blood, Hugo!"

But he simply continued to snarl, ordering them to thrust the collection needle into my hand.

"Hugo! Hugo, you can't touch my baby!" I yanked the needle out and turned to run.

I had barely taken a single step before I was pinned down with a death grip.

Hugo had completely lost his mind. Cupping my face, he spoke in a calm voice so cold it made me tremble. "Tee, go donate your blood to Freda."

I was pinned down in the blood donation room by four bodyguards. Tube after tube of blood was drawn from my body and rushed into Freda's emergency room.

The blood drained from my face until I could no longer support myself and collapsed headlong. When I came to, three days had already passed. The doctor tactfully informed me that I had fallen into a coma due to severe blood loss, and I had lost my baby.

I stared blankly at Freda, whose eyes were brimming with tears. "Tee, you know everything now, don't you? I'm so sorry! I felt so guilty toward you, and for a moment, I couldn't handle it. I never imagined Hugo would do this to you."

Then, she sank to her knees beside my bed and cried her heart out. Her cries were loud and piercing, yet the wound on her wrist was only covered by a simple Band-Aid. No matter how I looked at it, she didn't look anything like the "critical condition" Hugo had described.

All of a sudden, she straightened up, as though she had made up her mind. "Tee, from now on, my son is your son!"

Anger rose in my chest, and I forced the words through my raspy throat. "Get out of my face!"

Freda froze. With a wounded expression, she looked at me, then abruptly seized my hand and used it to slap herself across the face. "I know it's too late for me to explain, but I don't want to lose you as a friend. Hit me. So long as you can forgive me, you can take it out on me however you like!"

When she grabbed my hand and tried to slap herself with it again, Hugo appeared at the door—though I hadn't noticed when he arrived—and strode forward to pull Freda away. In the blink of an eye, I was dragged off the bed and fell heavily onto the floor.

Blood began to seep out from beneath me again. I let out a muffled groan and called for the doctor.

Hugo belatedly realized what he had done and released his hold on Freda. He was about to help me up when Freda sobbed, "This is all your fault, Hugo! Tee is genuinely mad at me now. I'm going to have no friends left!"

He hurriedly comforted her. "You're right, you're right. It's all my fault. Don't get too worked up now.

"I'll take you back to your room first. Our son needs you, after all."

I watched them leave, gritting out, "Hugo, I will never forgive either of you for as long as I live!"

He stopped in his tracks for a second, but he didn't look back.

Ten minutes later, he sent me a message. "I'll send Freda and the baby away and cut all ties with her. Once you recover, we'll go on our honeymoon."