Six Hundred Milliliters of Love

Aria's POV

I was the Sinclair family's lost daughter, missing for fifteen years. The day they found me, I thought I'd finally found the home I'd always dreamed of.

I didn't know they only brought me back to keep their other daughter alive. The one with the rare blood disease.

For three years, they drained my blood over and over. Took my bone marrow once.

My birth parents told me, "Eloise is fragile. You're the older sister. Take care of her."

My fiancé said, "You have such a good heart. You wouldn't want to see her suffer, would you?"

Today, I just gave six hundred milliliters of blood. I'm lying here weak in this hospital bed, and I hear them talking outside my door.

"Eloise is getting worse. We should take Aria's kidney now. Give it to her. We can't wait any longer."

That's when I finally understood. I was never their found daughter.

I was inventory. A blood bag. Spare parts waiting to be harvested.

If that's what their love is, I don't want it.

Under the bandage on my arm, dark bruises spread around the needle mark. Six hundred milliliters gone. My body feels hollow.

The door to my room is cracked open. Their voices carry from the hallway.

"What did the doctor say? Can she handle surgery next week?"

My birth mother. Her voice is anxious.

But not about me.

"Mom, relax. The doctor said she's weak, but she's young. She can live just fine with one kidney." My brother Declan laughs, cold. "Eloise can't wait any longer. She's a Sinclair now. She owes Eloise at least this much."

"But..." Mother hesitates. "It's major surgery. What if Aria refuses to sign?"

"She doesn't get a choice."

That voice. Low and smooth. The same voice that whispered sweet things in my ear.

My fiancé. Tristan.

"I already lined up a psychiatrist. If she won't cooperate, we'll get her declared mentally unfit. Mr. Sinclair can sign as her guardian. As for the risks during surgery... if there's rejection or she bleeds out, that's just a normal medical complication."

He says it like he's talking about the weather.

"Sorry you're stuck playing house with her, man. Must be exhausting pretending to give a damn." Declan claps him on the shoulder.

"For Eloise? This is nothing." Tristan's voice is flat.

Something in my head explodes.

Tears slide down onto the pillow.

This is my family. This is the man I've been in love with.

They're willing to let me die. All so Eloise can be healthy.

It's funny, really.

I bite down hard on my lip. Force the sob back down my throat.

I don't want this kind of love.

I pick up my phone from beside the pillow. When I woke up after the blood draw, I tried to call Tristan. Hit record by mistake.

Thank God for that.

My hands shake as I save the recording. Then I open a message thread.

An invitation to join a research project. Cutting-edge tech, total autonomy.

I turned it down because I was too desperate for my family's approval.

Now I stare at that message and type back without hesitating.

"I accept. But I need to take care of something first."

The reply comes instantly. "No problem. I'll wait."

Short. But it's a lifeline.

The door swings open.

I shove my phone under the blanket and close my eyes. When I open them, I make sure I look weak. Confused.

Tristan walks in carrying a bowl of soup.

That smile. Warm and perfect. The one I used to think was just for me.

"Hey, you're awake. Today must've been rough. All that blood they took." He sits down next to me. His eyes are soft with concern. "Here, drink this. You need to build your strength back up."

Looking at his face makes me sick.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" He reaches for my forehead when I don't answer.

I turn my head. Just enough that his hand doesn't touch me.

"Just tired." I look down. Keep my voice quiet.

His hand freezes in the air. His eyebrows pull together. Then the concern is back.

"Rest, then. Next week you and Eloise have that compatibility test. If it's a match, this will all be behind you both."

He's testing me.

I look up at him. Force my lips into something like a smile.

"Okay." My voice is soft. "Whatever it takes to save Eloise."

He smiles. Satisfied.

He lifts the bowl toward my mouth. "Drink."

I don't take it. Just look at him. "Tristan, Eloise's engagement party next week. You'll be there with her the whole time?"

"Of course." He sets the bowl down. Like there's no question.