Chapter 2

I pressed a hand to my chest, tears already soaking my face.

Jude walked in at some point but I didn’t even hear him.

A family doctor followed behind him.

The second Jude saw me like that, he rushed over, all concern and panic like he actually meant it.

“Lynn, what’s wrong?” he asked, pulling me into his arms. “Why are you crying like this?”

He held me close and started soothing me, voice low and gentle.

“Did you have a nightmare? Hey, it’s okay. Don’t be scared. I’m right here. I’ll stay with you.”

His comfort made my stomach twist.

Because I knew exactly what came next. Every month like clockwork Jude’s “family doctor” showed up at our door to draw my blood. They always used the same excuse: “monitoring the health of a pregnant woman with a rare blood type.”

They’d tell me my blood type was uncommon, and since I was still healthy, it was better to take more now just in case.

But Jude knew I’d been depressed for years since my parents died. And every time they took my blood, I got worse, dizzy, weak, sick for days.

He still talked me into it anyway, smiling, coaxing, acting like he was protecting me.

Eight years. Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine milliliters.

And now I finally understood: none of it was ever for me. It was for Lily.

My heart was breaking, but I forced myself to sound calm as I tested him.

“Jude, I’m pregnant now. Can we not do it this time?”

“Every time you draw my blood, it hurts.”

“And you’ve taken so much already. Isn’t it enough?”

Jude didn’t even pause. “Not enough.”

The word came out sharp, too fast, too real.

He must’ve seen my face, because his expression shifted immediately. He softened his voice like he was flipping a switch.

“Lynn, please hold on a little longer. This is for your own good.”

“What if you hemorrhage during delivery?” he added smoothly. “Where am I supposed to find that much Rh-negative blood for you? We have to rely on ourselves.”

“Be good, okay?”

He said it like love.

I heard it for what it was.

If “relying on ourselves” mattered so much, why didn’t Lily rely on herself?

Taking too much blood during pregnancy could stunt the baby’s growth. It could cause defects. In severe cases, it could kill the baby.

He knew that. And he still wouldn’t stop.

In front of Lily, even his own child didn’t matter.

I didn’t fight anymore. I let the needle slide into my arm.

As the blood drained out of me, nausea rolled through my stomach. My vision blurred. My face went paper-white.

When it was finally over, Jude grabbed the blood bag and rushed out of the room like it was the only thing that mattered.

He didn’t even stop to press gauze to my arm.

I stared through watery eyes at the puncture site, where bright red beads kept welling up. And then everything went dark.

When I came to, I was sprawled on the couch, my head spinning like I’d just stepped off a moving train.

I dragged myself upright, exhausted down to my bones, and used the wall to steady myself as I made my way downstairs.

At the table, Lily was sitting right beside Jude’s mother.

Faye looked at her with affection.

Jude was peeling the nuts Lily liked, one by one, and setting them neatly by her hand.

Lily was the first to notice me.

“Oh!” she chirped, eyes bright. “Lynn’s here.”