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No More Tests in the Name of Love

No More Tests in the Name of Love

História curta · Romance
Por:  Flying DragonlingCompleto
Idioma: English
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Sinopse

Tragic Love

Plot Twists

Melodramatic

Bias

Hypocrisy

Independence

Countdown

Regret

Live Streaming

Brandon Hawthorne said if I wanted to marry him, I had to prove I was tough enough to be a Hawthorne. He took my bank cards, ditched me in a city I'd never been to, and made me figure out how to get home alone. When my fever hit 104°F, he still refused to let the family doctor through the door. Instead, I had to smile through dinner with a house full of Hawthorne relatives while I could barely stay on my feet. And every time I finally asked Brandon for help, he looked at me like I'd failed him. "You can't even handle something this simple. How are you supposed to be my wife?" But when his childhood friend, Patty Rowan, got blisters from her shoes, he picked her up and carried her away in front of everyone. She got a headache in the middle of the night, and he left me alone in the hospital to take the family doctor to her. I asked him why. He frowned. "Patty's fragile. And she's not the one trying to become a Hawthorne." Then came our engagement party. I accidentally ate peanuts. My throat started closing. I couldn't breathe. Brandon grabbed my EpiPen and locked me in the lounge. "This is your final test. If you want to marry me, tough it out." Then Patty called. She had a paper cut. Brandon immediately left with the doctor. "Hold out for ten minutes." I lost track of time. Right before everything went dark, I saw Brandon come back with Patty tucked close beside him. She had a Band-Aid on her finger. Through the haze, I heard the disappointment in his voice. "Patty was bleeding, and she didn't even cry. Are you seriously pretending to be dead?" Then came the final blow. "You failed the test. You're not ready to become a Hawthorne."

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Capítulo 1

Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes, Brandon was sitting beside my hospital bed.

He was still in his engagement-party suit.

His shirt was wrinkled, his eyes bloodshot, and one hand was wrapped in gauze.

The second he saw me awake, some of the tension left his shoulders.

But he didn't hug me.

He just leaned over, touched my forehead, asked grimly.

"Scared now?"

The oxygen mask dug into my cheeks.

I barely managed to speak. "Where's my EpiPen?"

"The police took it as evidence."

"Why did you take it from me?"

Brandon stared at me.

The fear in his eyes faded, replaced by that same old disappointment.

"Willa, I have questions for you too."

My chest tightened.

He went on, "Why does every test end with you in the hospital?

"You know you're allergic to peanuts. Why didn't you check the ingredients?

"And when you couldn't breathe, what did you do besides beg me for your EpiPen?

"There was a phone in the lounge. An emergency button on the wall. A window facing the hotel atrium.

"So many ways to get help, and you just sat there crying?"

My eyes burned.

"The worse things get, the calmer you need to be." His mouth tightened. "I'm not blaming you for being scared.

"But if I'm not there, are you seriously just going to lie down and die?"

"You took my EpiPen." I looked at him. "And you locked the door."

Brandon went quiet, then took my hand.

His palm was warm, but his voice had that same lecturing tone.

"I shouldn't have locked the door.

"But I only wanted you to get through ten minutes on your own instead of calling everyone the moment you felt unwell.

"I can save you once or twice, but I can't be there every second of your life.

"I put you through these tests because I'm scared one day I won't get there in time.

"What happened yesterday was partly my fault.

"But if all you do is blame me, then you went through all that for nothing."

I yanked my hand away and turned my back on him.

Tears slipped down my face and soaked into the pillow.

For five years, it had always been the same.

Brandon would shove me off a cliff, then offer me a hand once I clawed my way back up.

And somehow, the pain was always supposed to make me stronger.

This time, he'd nearly killed me just to prove a point.

I was done.

"Brandon Hawthorne.

"We're over."

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10 Capítulos
Chapter 1
When I opened my eyes, Brandon was sitting beside my hospital bed.He was still in his engagement-party suit.His shirt was wrinkled, his eyes bloodshot, and one hand was wrapped in gauze.The second he saw me awake, some of the tension left his shoulders.But he didn't hug me.He just leaned over, touched my forehead, asked grimly."Scared now?"The oxygen mask dug into my cheeks.I barely managed to speak. "Where's my EpiPen?""The police took it as evidence.""Why did you take it from me?"Brandon stared at me.The fear in his eyes faded, replaced by that same old disappointment."Willa, I have questions for you too."My chest tightened.He went on, "Why does every test end with you in the hospital?"You know you're allergic to peanuts. Why didn't you check the ingredients?"And when you couldn't breathe, what did you do besides beg me for your EpiPen?"There was a phone in the lounge. An emergency button on the wall. A window facing the hotel atrium."So many way
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Chapter 2
The room went dead quiet.Brandon watched me for a few seconds, then sighed."Threatening to break up with me the second you wake up."Guess you still haven't learned to control your emotions."He picked up a cotton swab, dampened it, and wiped the blood from my lips.His touch was as gentle as ever."You went through something scary, so of course you want to blame me."But you can't solve every problem by breaking up with me.""I'm not running away." I looked straight at him. "You almost killed me."His hand froze."Which is why I'm not blaming you for ruining the engagement party."I stared at him. "I ruined it?""Who else? Grandpa flew back from overseas just for this, and everyone was waiting for you."Then you got taken away in an ambulance in front of all the guests. Now everyone thinks my fiancée is unstable."Brandon tossed the cotton swab in the trash."Since yesterday, I've been killing the story, calming down the family, talking to the police, and dealing with
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Chapter 3
"Willa Stone!"Brandon shot to his feet.Patty flinched and backed away.He caught himself instantly.Closed his eyes.Sat back down beside me."Willa, I'm not forcing you."I'm teaching you to face your problems."If you speak tomorrow, the wedding can still happen like we planned."If you hide in this hospital room, everyone's going to think I picked the wrong bride."He leaned closer.There it was again.That same disappointed look."I fought my family for two years because of you."Can't you prove yourself for once and show them I made the right choice?"I almost laughed.So even marrying me was some kind of investment.I had to be strong enough. Obedient enough. Perfect enough.All so he could prove he'd chosen well."Whether you made the right choice isn't my problem." I looked him straight in the eye. "I'm not doing the press conference."***The next afternoon, Brandon dragged me out of the hospital anyway.My doctor followed us all the way to the elevator
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Chapter 4
The conference room door slid shut behind him.Linda Finch, Hawthorne Corp's PR manager, spoke through my earpiece."The livestream's about to start. Everyone, clear the shot."The staff hurried behind the glass wall.A red light blinked on above the camera.The viewer count shot past a hundred thousand.The prepared statement started scrolling across the teleprompter.I ignored it."Hi, I'm Willa Stone."About what happened at the engagement party, I'm only going to tell you what I personally experienced."Outside the door, Linda's face changed.I stared straight into the camera."Brandon Hawthorne took my EpiPen."He locked it in a cabinet, then locked me in the lounge."The chat exploded.[So it WASN'T a misunderstanding!][The Hawthornes said the security footage was edited!][Why does she look so pale?][Let her rest!]Linda pounded on the glass."Ms. Stone, please stick to the teleprompter."I ignored her."I'm here today because Brandon—"My throat suddenl
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Chapter 5
Brandon went silent.Through the glass, I watched that familiar look of disappointment finally give way to panic.But the key was still clenched in his hand.Dr. Carter ripped it away.The second the door opened, he injected the EpiPen into my thigh.Then he dropped to his knees and started chest compressions.One.Two.Three.Nothing.That was when Brandon finally panicked.He rushed in and reached for my face, but a nurse shoved him back."Don't interfere!""She was talking a minute ago." Brandon stared at me. "How did she just stop breathing?"Dr. Carter roared."Anaphylactic shock doesn't wait for you to make up your mind!"A second dose of epinephrine was administered.The monitor kept screaming.Brandon suddenly grabbed Linda."Why didn't you open the door sooner?"Linda went pale."You said helping her would only make things worse."The hallway went dead silent.The livestream was still running.And the camera on the floor had caught every word.Brandon
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Chapter 6
The livestream footage spread fast.Hawthorne Corp's stock took a hit.Brandon came back to the hospital that night."Delete the statement. My family can overlook you acting impulsively, but you can't drag our private affairs into the public eye."I shook my head.He held back his anger."The studio space, distribution, materials—what hasn't Hawthorne Corp provided for you?"You think taking off your ring means you can handle all the consequences on your own?"I typed on my phone.[We'll see.]Brandon stared at the screen, his face going cold."Fine."If you think everything I've done for you is just another way to control you, I'll take it all back."This isn't punishment."It's your chance to prove you can really be independent."He reached the door, then stopped."When you can't handle it anymore, come back to me. I won't laugh."He sounded so sure.Like leaving him was just another test I was bound to fail.The Hawthornes moved fast.The day I got out of the hos
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Chapter 7
I didn't agree right away.First, I had my lawyer review the terms. Then I confirmed everything with the insurance company.Only after everything checked out did I put on gloves and accept the brooch.Brandon's expression was hard to read.Maybe he'd finally realized I still asked people for advice.Just not him.After the brooch was restored, it went on display at the Afterglow exhibition.Two hours later, a staff member opened the case to return it to the safe.The velvet box was empty.Security footage showed I was the last person to touch the brooch.Brandon's mother, Margaret Hawthorne, immediately locked down the showroom."Search her things."Yara blocked the security guards."Without a warrant, nobody touches anything."Brandon looked at me."Let them search. If you didn't take it, you have nothing to hide."I ignored him.I called the police.Disappointment flashed in Brandon's eyes."Something happens, and you hand it over to outsiders. Is that really what
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Chapter 8
I stared at him.I thought the tests had ended when I broke off the engagement.Apparently not.As long as I was still within his reach, every unexpected event in my life could become another test."So you knew I was innocent, and you still asked if I stole it to get back at your family?"Brandon's expression tightened."The real brooch is missing. This went beyond the plan."I have to consider every possibility.""Including me?""If you didn't do it, the investigation will clear you name."I actually laughed.He was the one who framed me.And somehow, he still expected me to admire how fair and rational he was.The police cut in."Where was the real brooch kept?"Brandon told Ash to bring over the safe.After three levels of verification, the door opened.Empty.Ash panicked."I put it in there myself at noon.""Who can open the safe?" an officer asked."Mr. Hawthorne has the code. I have the mechanical key."Ash paused."Ms. Rowan has the backup access card."
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Chapter 9
Patty wiped her tears."See? Even now, he still doesn't think there was anything wrong with your plan."Brandon whipped around."That doesn't justify stealing the brooch.""Then what justified framing her?""I was trying to help her grow."Patty laughed, shaking."Everything you do to her is for her own good."But everything I do is wrong."Brandon frowned."I never forced you to do anything.""Because you never thought I was worth teaching!"Tears spilled down Patty's face."I cut my finger, and you brought me a doctor."I said I was scared, and you dropped everything to stay with me."Everyone thought you loved me most."But did you ever think about marrying me?"Brandon's expression hardened."I've only ever seen you as a sister.""Exactly." She nodded. "You let me be weak. You let me be helpless."Because you never planned on having me by your side."But Willa?"You nearly tortured her to death, and she still got to be your wife."You'd stay with me until I w
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Chapter 10
Both the theft of the brooch and Brandon's staged theft test made the news.Patty returned the real brooch, but she still faced consequences for stealing it and trying to frame Brandon.Brandon was investigated too—for staging the theft, interfering with my medical treatment, and more.Hawthorne Corp tried to characterize everything as a private relationship dispute.But Brandon voluntarily turned over records of every test he'd put me through.In Nordica City, the bodyguards had spotted two drunk men following me long before anything happened.[Should we step in?]Brandon replied:[Not yet. Let her handle it herself.]When I greeted relatives with a fever of 104.2°F, Dr. Carter wrote:[Recommend immediate hospitalization.]Brandon replied:[There are forty minutes left in the family dinner. Have her finish greeting the guests first.]The night I had gastrointestinal bleeding, Dr. Carter again recommended immediate hospitalization.Brandon wrote:[She needs to finish the
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