In my previous life, I had noticed the needle marks on her arm and asked her what had happened.
She had refused to tell me, and I had desperately searched for clues to understand the truth.
She complained about me being a nuisance, insisting, "Can't you just leave me alone? My problems don't concern you. It's just a bit of blood donation. I'll recover by eating some meat."
Donating a bit of blood might not be a big deal, but being a regular blood donor for someone else was significant.
It was especially true with Lauri's unstable condition. If something went wrong, Cole would draw Lily's blood.
Lily wanted to impress Cole and would do whatever he asked, always available.
Frequent blood draws could have irreversible effects on her body's blood production system.
The next day, I returned to the hospital and saw that Lily's hospital bed was surrounded by flowers and supplements.
Lily, lying in bed, had a pale face and lacked color in her lips, but she was smiling happily.
She was on the phone with Cole, softly saying, "Thank you, Mr. Zuniga, for sending so many things. I feel embarrassed to accept them. Actually, I'm fine, just a bit of low blood sugar. What? Do you want to have dinner with me? Oh, there's no need to go through all that trouble."
After hanging up, Lily looked triumphant.
She said, "Did you hear that, Audra? Cole wants to have dinner with me, just the two of us, at the best restaurant in the city."
I nodded to show I had heard.
She looked at the circle of spoils by her bed and said, "I only helped him a little, and he went all out, sending so many things. He must care about me."
I continued to nod. "Yes, Lily. You must be special to him."
Lily was very happy, admiring the flowers Cole had sent.
I left the ward, quietly closing the door.
This was the happiness Lily wanted anyway.
Two months later, I heard in the hospital that Lauri was in critical condition.
Her liver had failed, and medication was no longer effective. A liver transplant was urgently needed.
When I got home, I found the house filled with various gift boxes, including two safes full of cash.
Our parents were very pleased. "Come and see, these are all gifts from the Zuniga family. Lily is really going to marry into a wealthy family."
Lily, fiddling with jewelry, tossed me a bracelet.
She said, "Audra, take this and wear it. But be careful, this bracelet might be worth several years of your salary."