Watching the blood flow into the bag, my heart grew colder with each passing second.
Once the blood was drawn, Sebastian rushed to the operating room with the nurse in tow.
I gazed at his retreating and whispered, "Sebastian, we’re even now."
As I exited the blood-drawing room, dizziness overtook me and I collapsed.
When I woke up again, the doctor seemed ready to scold me, but his words softened into a resigned sigh.
"Take care of yourself. With your condition, you won’t be able to donate blood for at least six months."
I smiled faintly and nodded.
As the doctor left, a nurse couldn't help but whisper to her colleague, "Boss, why didn’t you tell her we couldn’t reach her emergency contacts? What if the patient misunderstands us..."
Her colleague replied, a touch of sympathy in his voice, "She won’t misunderstand. This girl’s heart is as clear as a mirror, but sadly, she’s crossed paths with the wrong person."
I picked up my phone and my eyes were drawn to the doctor’s missed calls.
There were over ten attempts in an emergency and none answered.
Instead, a message from him scolded me, cold and sharp.
[Brianna, can you stop making a scene? Can you please know your place?]
At that moment, a strange sense of relief washed over me, knowing Sebastian hadn’t answered the phone.
I couldn’t even fathom the venomous words he would have thrown at me, each one a cruel reminder of the wreckage between us.
I didn’t respond, choosing instead to stay in bed, drained until I found the strength to move.
When the sunlight poured in, I decided to step out and headed for the rooftop garden, seeking warmth. Unexpectedly, I ran into Sebastian’s brothers.
Each of them held a fruit basket or bouquet, but their eyes weren’t kind. They circled me like predators, mocking my hospital gown.
"Yo, so you knew Sebastian was here with his girlfriend, huh? Playing the pity card now?"
"It’s just a little blood donation. Why act so fragile?"
"Not bad, though. The makeup looks pretty natural. No awkwardness at all. I always said you were a scheming girl, but Sebastian never believed it..."
Sebastian’s brothers always thought I wasn’t good enough for him.
If it hadn’t been for him forcing them to call me "sister-in-law," they would have never accepted me.
But now, with Sebastian by their side, they could speak their minds freely, no longer held back by the pretense.