Chapter 1

[Patrizia's POV]

Having settled the departure arrangements with my academic advisor, Taddeo Pellegrini, set for three days later, I finally breathed a sigh of relief. I was going to leave for good in three more days.

I was on my way back after parting with Professor Pellegrini when a speeding black Maybach pulled up and blocked my path.

Cristiano Gallo, my fiance, got out of the car and walked slowly over to me. He spoke in a cold, demanding voice with a gaze that seemed to freeze the very air around us, asking, "When will you learn to be sensible, Patrizia?

"You know exactly how much Nina needs you, yet you keep running off and making everyone worry."

I was shoved into the back seat of the car before I could even say anything.

Cristiano brought me to the private hospital owned by the Gallo Famiglia.

I had stayed here for so long in my past life that I knew the layout of every floor by heart.

Daniele Luciani and Sofia Moretti—my Papa and Mamma—were pacing anxiously outside the ER.

Papa's expression instantly hardened the moment he spotted me. "Where have you been, Patrizia? You knew Nina was having an episode, yet you deliberately went missing. How can you be so selfish, Patrizia?"

Upon hearing those words that I had heard countless times in my past life, my heart felt completely numb, without a single ripple of emotion.

Mamma walked over quickly and took my hand, her voice as gentle as ever while saying, "Your Papa is just acting out of anxiety, so please don't hold it against him, Patrizia.

"You know about Nina's condition. She's only 20; she's still so young. You're her older sister, so please be a bit more understanding of her situation."

Mamma and Papa had always said this to me while growing up with Nina Luciani, my younger sister. I had to accommodate Nina since she was frail. I had to stay by Nina's side since she was afraid of injections. I had to donate my blood to Nina since she needed a blood transfusion.

I repeatedly felt as if my entire existence was meant only to plug the gaps in Nina's life.

Nina suffered from a rare form of aplastic anemia, which meant that her body's ability to produce blood cells was extremely poor.

As it turned out, I had the same extremely rare Rh-negative blood type as Nina.

I became Nina's designated blood donor from the time I turned 18. I was always the first person they thought of whenever Nina suffered an episode, underwent surgery, or entered a critical state.

It was then that the doctor rushed over and said, "Ms. Nina is in critical condition. She needs a blood transfusion right away."

Mamma quickly looked toward me, her eyes brimming with a desperate plea.

Cristiano sighed softly, his cold expression softening with a trace of warmth. "We'll get married as soon as Nina recovers, Patrizia. The position of Donna of the Gallo Famiglia has always been yours, after all."

I remained silent for a moment before finally giving a slight nod, though I felt completely dead inside. I had died without ever getting the wedding Cristiano promised me in my past life.

I wasn't going to wait around in this life, as this would be the last time I donated my blood to Nina. I would leave this place for good and begin a life of my own in three more days.

I was led into the phlebotomy room, and it wasn't long before a cold needle pierced my vein, and bright red blood began to flow through the clear tubing. I sat quietly and watched the blood bag fill up gradually.

I could feel my vision darkening and my body turning cold as the nurse changed out the blood bag for a second one.

It was then that the doctor handling the blood draw looked at my face and frowned deeply. "We can't draw any more blood. Ms. Patrizia has already donated six times over the last three months, and her vitals have dropped severely. She'll suffer if we continue to draw blood from her."

Just as the doctor was about to remove the needle, Cristiano cut him off coldly. "I remember you have a pretty good relationship with Patrizia. What did she offer you to get you to stop Nina's treatment?"

Upon hearing that, the doctor's expression immediately shifted. He hadn't even had the chance to speak up when Cristiano suddenly turned to me and asked, "You've actually resorted to these kinds of tricks, huh, Patrizia? Nina is fighting for her life, yet you can't even give her a little blood of yours."

I turned paler by the second, and my heart, which had already grown calm, throbbed with pain once again.

Cristiano coldly interrupted when the doctor tried to speak up again. "You are to keep drawing her blood—and don't stop unless I say so! Patrizia's health has always been perfectly fine, so a little blood loss won't hurt her. You're not allowed to stop until Nina is out of danger!"

In the meantime, as blood began running through the tubing again, my body grew colder and colder, and the voices around me gradually blurred.

I heard Cristiano calmly asking about the situation in the ER, and Mamma and Papa praying for Nina's safety, before I lost consciousness. They didn't even notice that something was wrong with me at that moment.