Chapter 2

Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes again, an IV needle was already buried deep inside my bruised vein.

Watching my own dark blood pulse through the clear plastic tubing made my stomach violently churn.

I couldn't hold it in and threw up bile over the side of the mattress.

The nurse rushed forward, wiping the cold sweat from my forehead.

"You're going to be okay. The chief of medicine is handling your care personally, and he'll do everything to keep you stable."

I gave a faint, tired smile and remained silent.

Outside the cracked door, the nurse's hushed conversation with the doctor drifted inside. The chief let out a heavy sigh.

"Her condition has deteriorated too far. Only the elite medical team Mr. Mercer keeps on retainer has the expertise to pull her back from the brink. My hands are tied."

The nurse stomped her foot in distress.

"But they took a private jet back to New York! Even if they flew back right now, it would be too late!"

The chief lowered his voice even further.

"If Mr. Mercer truly cared about her survival, would he have stripped her of the very doctors keeping her alive?"

That single question silenced the nurse, and it felt like a dagger driving straight into my heart.

She stood there speechless. The chief patted her shoulder gently.

"I know you've grown attached to her after nursing her for years. But some things are beyond our control. It's time to notify her family to prepare for the worst."

Fortunately, he was wrong about my time running out just yet.

Just as my breath grew impossibly faint, a familiar, masculine scent suddenly enveloped me.

A pair of strong arms pulled me into a warm embrace.

When I forced my heavy eyelids open, I had somehow survived another day. Standing right before me was Pierce Mercer, looking worn and travel-stained.

A surge of raw relief and joy washed over me. I pushed with all my remaining strength to wrap my arms around his neck.

Yet he shoved me away with sudden, harsh force.

"Gia, I always thought you were sweet and pure, unlike those manipulative socialites. Who knew you'd stoop so low as to fake a medical crisis just to drag me away from Sylvia? You disappoint me!"

Staring at his furious expression, my mind went blank.

"I didn't... I was really dying..."

He didn't believe a single word. He thrust his phone right into my face, displaying a screen full of missed calls.

"You knew Sylvia was in critical condition and couldn't be left alone! Yet you blew up my phone non-stop. How could you be this selfish?"

Even the nurse standing beside the bed couldn't stay silent any longer.

"Mr. Mercer, how can you say that? Miss Davis was in absolute crisis earlier! She nearly didn't make it―"

"I'm fine now. Go check on Sylvia Evans," I cut in, raising a trembling hand to stop her.

I turned my back to him, curling up facing the wall, and quietly wiped away the tears pooling in my eyes.

Having vented his temper, Pierce seemed to realize how harsh his tone had been.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Sylvia has been transferred to this hospital. The private environment here will aid her recovery, and this way, I can take care of both of you at the same time."

"Do whatever you want."

I was completely drained, lacking the strength to utter another word.

He lingered in silence, staring at my back for a long while before finally turning to walk out.

His footsteps were brisk and resolute.

Of course. The woman he cherished was waiting for him down the hall, so why wouldn't he hurry?

A memory suddenly surfaced of my first major health scare after we got married. The bone-deep pain had been agonizing.

I had cried in misery all night, and he had stayed awake, holding my hand until dawn.

The specialized injections cost a hundred thousand dollars each and could only buy me a month of borrowed time.

He hadn't cared about the astronomical cost, swiping his black card without batting an eye.

When I tearfully told him I was ruining his life, he had merely smiled and brushed a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

"My sweet Gia gives me a reason to build an empire. I should be thanking you."

Later, I learned that on the day my condition stabilized, he had traveled to a quiet sanctuary and climbed hundreds of stone steps on his knees, praying to trade his own lifespan for my health.

Now, I desperately wanted to ask him one simple question.

Pierce Mercer... back then, was the woman in your heart really me, or was it always Sylvia Evans?