Chapter 4

Liv regained consciousness in a hospital room.

The smell of antiseptic filled her nostrils. Her arm was in a cast, throbbing painfully.

Ethan was there, his face etched with worry.

For a fleeting moment, seeing him, a strange sense of relief washed over her, quickly followed by confusion and then, the cold reality of what had happened.

"Liv, you're awake! Thank God."

His relief, however, was short-lived and clearly not for her.

His next words were urgent, demanding.

"Liv, Chloe... she had a complication. From the stress of the accident. A rare blood disorder thing. She needs a blood transfusion, urgently. You're the only compatible match available on such short notice."

He didn't ask how she was. He didn't acknowledge her fractured arm, her hypothermia, the trauma of nearly drowning.

His only concern was Chloe.

The shock of his demand, his utter disregard for her own suffering, was like a physical blow.

"No," she said, her voice weak but firm. The pain in her arm flared, a mirror to the pain in her soul. "I won't."

Ethan's face hardened.

"Liv, don't be like this. It's for the baby! The baby needs its mother. It's just a blood donation. It's temporary. We need to do this."

He was trying to manipulate her, to guilt her into compliance.

Framing it as a necessity, a temporary sacrifice for the "heir."

Liv looked into his eyes.

She searched for any sign of remorse, of guilt for what he'd put her through, of concern for her.

There was nothing.

Only urgency, impatience.

A cold, hard realization settled in her. He didn't care about her at all.

She was merely a means to an end, a resource to be used for Chloe and the baby.

Before she could protest further, a nurse entered with Eleanor Cartwright.

Eleanor's expression was grim, determined.

"Olivia, this is not a request. Chloe needs this. The Cartwright heir needs this."

Liv felt a wave of helplessness.

She was trapped, pressured by her husband and her mother-in-law, her own pain and trauma dismissed.

They didn't physically force her, but the coercion was immense.

The nurse prepped her arm, the healthy one.

As the needle slid into her vein, a wave of dizziness washed over her.

The bloodletting began.

A flashback, sharp and vivid: Ethan, years ago, when she'd needed a minor surgery.

He'd held her hand, his touch gentle, his voice soothing. "It's okay, I'm right here. It'll be over soon."

Now, he stood by the window, impatient, checking his watch.

His indifference was a stark, brutal contrast to that tender memory.

The bitterness rose in her throat, hot and acrid.

The moment the procedure was finished, Ethan rushed to Chloe's room.

He didn't even spare Liv a glance.

She felt worthless, completely abandoned.

Later, as she lay in her hospital bed, emotionally and physically drained, Eleanor entered.

She wasn't there to check on Liv.

She was wearing the Art Deco sapphire necklace. Liv's grandmother's necklace.

It lay against Eleanor's skin, a cold, glittering symbol of ultimate betrayal, of the desecration of everything Liv held dear.

The shock was profound. It was one thing for Chloe to wear it, but Eleanor?

It was a deliberate, cruel statement. Liv was nothing to them.

Liv turned her face to the wall.

A profound emotional collapse overwhelmed her.

Tears streamed down her face, silent and hot.

Her chest ached, and she struggled to breathe.

The cumulative pain, the betrayals, the abandonment – it was too much to bear.

She reached for the hospital admission form on the bedside table.

Under "Marital Status," she slowly, deliberately, crossed out "Married" and wrote "Separated."

It was a small act, but it felt monumental.

A declaration of independence.

A nurse came in. "Mrs. Cartwright, your husband is asking if you're ready to discuss discharge plans. He's with Miss Vance, she's doing much better now, thanks to you."

Liv's voice was flat, devoid of emotion.

"Tell Mr. Cartwright I'm not his wife anymore. And tell him I'll be discussing my own discharge plans with my lawyer."

The nurse looked startled, then hurried out.

A few minutes later, Ethan appeared in the doorway, his face a mask of shock and disbelief.

He must have overheard.

"Liv? What did you just say?"