04
Become SVIP! Read all SVIP stories
The forget–me–nots on this ring were carved by his own hand, the moment I said yes to his proposal.
He had held me with reddened eyes: “Aria, forget–me–nots symbolize undying love.”
My heart skipped a beat, thinking he had finally recognized me.
But he only shielded Vivian’s eyes, as if looking at something filthy.
“Don’t look, it’s dirty.”
Then he ordered the stretcher to turn back and leave by a side road.
I gazed at Dominic’s profile, my heart full of desolation. The man who once promised to recognize me at a glance in a sea of people, who swore to follow me to the ends of the earth, had not recognized me once.
The child he had eagerly anticipated was killed by his own hands.
As we parted ways, the last shred of feeling I had for Dominic died.
The detour took almost twice as long.
By the time the ambulance picked me up, it was blocked by Dominic’s motorcade in front.
>
The young nurse looked at my rapidly dropping blood pressure and ran down in panic, shouting:
“Someone’s dying, please let us through!”
But Vivian and Dominic stood in front, refusing to budge.
“My wife is giving birth today. Vivian is right, we can’t let other people’s bad luck affect my wife and child’s good fortune!”
コート
Vivian says, Vivian says. Everything was what Vivian said.
Were her words divine edicts? If she said to kill the child, he killed the child. If she said to block bad luck, he blocked
bad luck!
A surge of bitterness rose from my lungs, stabbing at my heart.
I struggled to sit up, screaming hoarsely at him: “Dominic, you bastard-!”
The man whose name was called glared menacingly, kicking the ambulance so it rocked.
“Shut up! Use Aria’s voice to call me again and I’ll kill you!”
I tumbled off the stretcher onto the ground, lying there numbly, feeling my whole body had gone past the point of pain.
Eight years ago, it was him who cleared a path to rush me to the hospital when I had an asthma attack, fighting to save my life.
Now it was him blocking the road, cutting off my only chance at survival.
Same person, same scene, just a different woman by his side.
I lost the will to live. Since you want this life so badly, just take it.
By the time the ambulance reached the hospital, I had lost too much blood and was in shock, at risk of respiratory failure at any moment.
The doctors ran through the hospital clutching bags of blood.
Only when fresh blood was transfused into my body and the monitor’s readings finally stabilized did the doctors collectively sigh in relief. Just as they were about to stitch me up, the door was kicked open.
It was Dominic again!
He looked down at me imperiously, like appraising a piece of meat:
“I want her placenta. My wife just gave birth and needs nourishment!”
Unsurprisingly, it was Vivian’s idea again.
I gazed at the baby wrapped in a white cloth by the nurse, my teeth chattering uncontrollably.
Dominic pulled out a suitcase of money from somewhere and dumped it on me:
“Isn’t money all you lower–class people want? Is a million dollars enough? No?
He pulled out another suitcase and dumped it on me. “Then two million!”
The light papers covering my body felt like they could crush me to death.
REPLY SENSE Statuted func
Dhumal Ner
After a long while, I mustered all my strength to nod. “Fine.”
I couldn’t help but wonder what expression Dominic would have when he realized he was taking my placenta, while I was already beyond saving.
The doctor tried to persuade him further, but Dominic had already picked up the placenta and was walking out.
“A fair trade. Whether she lives or dies is none of my concern.”
As the operating room door closed, I heard him calling Vivian:
“It’s all thanks to you. Now Aria and the baby will both be perfectly safe.”
“Once I’ve seen Aria through the dangerous period, I’ll come pamper you, darling.”
I laughed bitterly, slowly closing my eyes amidst the increasing bloodstains.
Outside the operating room, Dominic suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest.
Just then, his assistant suddenly appeared. Dominic’s expression softened:
“Did you find out which operating room? Let’s go wait outside!”
The assistant didn’t dare look up, his eyes full of fear as he trembled in place.
Just as Dominic was growing impatient, the assistant suddenly stuttered: “R–room… three…”
“It’s… it’s this one…”
Dominic jerked his head up as the light in operating room three suddenly went dark.
